Beach Chairs and Baseball Bats
A Celebration of the Cape Cod Baseball League
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| "A fascinating book as accessible to the novice as it is to the die-hard fan ... will surely delight both locals and tourists equally ... a lively narrative that covers every aspect of the league in fascinating detail ..." – The Cape Codder, June 24, 2005. Read this and other reviews here! | |
| Dating officially from 1885, the Cape Cod Baseball League has been around since Grover Cleveland succeeded Chester Arthur as President of the United States and Cap Anson's Chicago White Stockings captured the National League (yes, National League) crown. Unofficially, however, baseball on the Cape dates back to at least 1865, when sea captain Edward Nichols invited a team to play on his field on School Street in Sandwich. Dubbed the Nichols Club in his honor, his is believed to be the first organized team on the Cape and almost certainly included Civil War soldiers who had learned the game on the battlefield and brought it home with them.
Today, the Cape League is universally recognized as the country's preeminent college summer league and enjoys a wide and loyal following. For the players, it provides the first true test of their baseball skills and stamina. For the fans, it provides a window into the future of the sport by showcasing young talent, and serves as great family entertainment. And for the year-round residents and full-time “summer people” who call the Cape their home, the League serves as a source of civic pride, and the local townspeople turn out by the thousands to root their boys to victory. |
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100+ never-before-published photos!
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At the end of the day, the Cape Cod Baseball League turns out to be much more of a community than an athletic association, for it is a central point at which all manner of individuals gather to share an experience. Beach Chairs and Baseball Bats celebrates this phenomenon by viewing it through the eyes of the special folks who make the experience so extraordinary: the players, their families, and their host families; the team coaches, executives, and game-day volunteers; the reporters who cover the games and the professionals who track the players' progress; the umpires and the fans – in short, everyone who touches the game and is touched by it. Come be a part of it!
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