Final Innings - by Dean A Sullivan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

With Final Innings Dean Sullivan concludes his four-volume documentary history of baseball, whose three earlier volumes have been called "a broad array of illuminating and often unexpected materials" (Sports Collectors Digest), "an invaluable reference tool" (Newark Star-Ledger), and a "fascinating collection" (Washington Post), in which "ancient myths are shattered and new facts are uncovered" (USA Today Baseball Weekly). Culling the most pertinent, newsworthy, and just plain curious stories from newspapers and periodicals, and putting each into context, Sullivan constructs an informative and entertaining account of Major League baseball from 1972 through 2008. The 105 essays cover key topics such as George Steinbrenner's purchase of the Yankees, the first free-agent draft, the coming of lights to Wrigley Field, the cancellation of the World Series in 1994, and the BALCO steroid probe. They also bring to light lesser-known gems like the rise of sabermetrics and the federal injunction against team owners in 1995. Offering a you-are-there view of the events that made baseball into the game we know today, this book gives readers a chance to go back and experience baseball's recent history as it happened and was reported by many of the game's finest writers and most prominent voices.

Dean A. Sullivan is the editor of Early Innings, Middle Innings, and Late Innings, all available in Bison Books editions.

Review Quotes

"An excellent selection of often-compelling documents that do indeed represent all of the major events both on and off the field in the major leagues since 1972. Sullivan's commentaries throughout are incisive and illuminating, and the selections he suggests for further reading are inspired."--Rob Langenderfer, Library Journal-- (2/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Sullivan has done a superb job with this concluding volume in his excellent four-volume sequence." --S. A. Riess, Choice

"When Dean Sullivan embarked on his ambitious project to trace baseball's past through important or noteworthy documents there wasn't nearly as much history to cover as there was by the time he finished. . . . Even those who followed things closely as they happened will learn new details and be reminded of things they forgot (or suppressed) over time."--James Bailey, Baseball America-- (12/16/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"[Sullivan] has brought the recent past to life with this splendid new selection of the moments that have shaped today's game. . . . Attorneys have a saying that 'the document speaks for itself.' So it is with these documents, and they have much to tell us."--Peter Morris, author of Level Playing Fields: How the Groundskeeping Murphy Brothers Shaped Baseball-- (9/28/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"With the publication of Final Innings, Dean Sullivan has rounded third and crossed the plate, scoring one important run for the team that believes history begins with the study of the documentary record. This fourth volume completes a prodigious achievement, a comprehensive collection of material from dozens of sources that both educates and entertains, a must for any serious student of the game."--Steve Gietschier, assistant professor of history at Lindenwood University and baseball historian-- (9/28/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"With this fourth volume of his documentary history, Dean Sullivan brings his magisterial annals of the nation's pastime to a close. Although the past four decades may have been baseball's most aggravating, he reminds us why, despite all its struggle and strife, this is our game."--John Thorn-- (9/28/2009 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Dean A. Sullivan is the editor of Early Innings, Middle Innings, and Late Innings, all available in Bison Books editions.