BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 A NATIONAL PASTIME -- BASEBALL'S IMPACT ON AMERICAN CULTURE -- HISTORY OF THE SPORT -- EARLY YEARS -- ORIGINS OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL -- LEAGUE FORMATION -- SURVIVAL AND GROWTH -- THE POSTWAR PERIOD -- MOVEMENT AND EXPANSION -- THE MINOR LEAGUES -- LABOUR ISSUES -- BLACKS IN BASEBALL -- WOMEN IN BASEBALL -- AMATEUR BASEBALL -- BASEBALL IN LATIN AMERICA -- BASEBALL IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC -- INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION -- CHAPTER 2 ANALYZING BASEBALL -- THE SCORECARD -- RECORDS AND STATISTICS -- AWARDS -- FANTASY BASEBALL -- CHAPTER 3 PLAY OF THE GAME -- GROUNDS -- EQUIPMENT -- UMPIRES -- OFFENSE -- THE BATTING ORDER -- GETTING ON BASE -- ADVANCING BASE RUNNERS AND SCORING -- SUBSTITUTIONS -- DEFENSE -- OUTFIELDERS -- INFIELDERS -- THE BATTERY -- THE PUTOUT -- THE FORCE PLAY -- PITCHING -- THE PITCHING REPERTOIRE -- PITCHING WITH MEN ON BASE -- SUBSTITUTIONS -- CHAPTER 4 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL -- THE AMERICAN LEAGUE (AL) -- AL EAST -- AL CENTRAL -- AL WEST -- THE NATIONAL LEAGUE (NL) -- NL EAST -- NL CENTRAL -- NL WEST -- THE WORLD SERIES -- CHAPTER 5 SELECTED HALL OF FAMERS, 1936 THROUGH 1965 -- TY COBB -- WALTER JOHNSON -- CHRISTY MATHEWSON -- NAP LAJOIE -- CONNIE MACK -- GROVER CLEVELAND ALEXANDER -- EDDIE COLLINS -- LOU GEHRIG -- ROGERS HORNSBY -- LEFTY GROVE -- JIMMIE FOXX -- CHAPTER 6 SELECTED HALL OF FAMERS, 1966 THROUGH THE PRESENT -- TED WILLIAMS -- BRANCH RICKEY -- STAN MUSIAL -- SATCHEL PAIGE -- ROBERTO CLEMENTE -- WARREN SPAHN -- MICKEY MANTLE -- BOB GIBSON -- HANK AARON -- FRANK ROBINSON -- JOHNNY BENCH -- MIKE SCHMIDT -- SPARKY ANDERSON -- TONY GWYNN -- CAL RIPKEN, JR. -- RICKEY HENDERSON -- CHAPTER 7 OTHER BASEBALL GREATS -- ROGER CLEMENS -- KEN GRIFFEY, JR. -- SHOELESS JOE JACKSON -- DEREK JETER -- RANDY JOHNSON -- GREG MADDUX -- PEDRO MARTÍNEZ -- MARK MCGWIRE.

ALBERT PUJOLS -- MANNY RAMIREZ -- ALEX RODRIGUEZ -- EPILOGUE -- APPENDIX: WORLD SERIES RESULTS -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.