The first full baseball game took place in 1838 — so it's no surprise that in the last 170 years the sport has produced staggering volumes of statistics, raised an impressive array of players, and, perhaps most significantly, won the love of an entire nation. Baseball is America's most treasured and nostalgic sport, and this massive volume collects nearly everything any fan would ever want or need to know. It's all here: from the sport's history to its philosophy, its equipment to the evolution of the uniforms — this is the place to find any relevant factoid. And that's not including the slightly askew tidbits — this hefty reader brings readers fascinating pieces of lesser-known trivia, history, and obscure facts, as well as enjoyable anecdotes related to the game of diamonds.