Big Leagues: : Professional Baseball, Football, and Basketball in National Memory

Most sports books focus on a single sport; this book is unusual in that it deals with three: baseball, football, and basketball, all on the pro level. In a terrific opening chapter, Fox discusses what he considers to be the defining moment for each sport, and for each it ends up being the same concept: putting the ball in the air (the "invention" of the jump shot in basketball by Kenny Sailors, the utilization of the forward pass by Benny Friedman, and the sudden blossoming of the home run with Babe Ruth). Each team is then given a separate chapter in which Fox relates its early developments; Fox is particularly interested in the formative years of each sport: baseball prior to 1900, football when it was more a slugfest and teams just slammed into one another, and basketball when it actually was played inside a cage (thus the term "cagers" for basketball players). Finally, there's a chapter each on the "national" team for each sport: the Yankees, the Packers, and the Celtics. Fox has done his reasearch well, but the book is more than just another history book. Humorous anecdotes abound, and Fox is forthright about how drink, drugs, and sex ruined many a career. You won't find your typical hero worship here either (except for maybe Ruth, Friedman, and Bill Russell), just a lot of interesting information about the three most popular pro sports in America. Highly recommended.

If you think you know something about the history of our top three American sports, you should try this one. Fox will tell you so much about what happened that you will shake your head saying, "I didn't know that." He tells his story eloquently. The breath and depth of his knowledge in some popular areas is awesome, especially his account of the evolution of the jump shot. I was left impressed with the degree of research that was necessary for such an interesting book. While his selection of pictures is interesting, it is the factual research concerning little known facts that will leave you a more knowledgable student of sports in America.