I have loved baseball all my life. Some of my earliest memories are of rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the New York Yankees in the 1977 World Series. I can still remember that great Dodgers infield of Steve Garvey at first base, Davey Lopes at second base, Bill Russell at shortstop, and “The Penguin” Ron Cey at third base.
Of this set of my then-favorite players, none made the Hall of Fame. None was the best ever at his position. In fact, I used to get into shouting matches about whether any of these folks was even the best player in 1977.
But even if these players weren't special to anyone else, they were special to me, because I rooted for them when I was a kid. Now, with an extra 30 years or so of perspective, I don't get upset when someone makes fun of Steve Garvey. Instead, I get upset when people don't recognize Johnny Bench as the greatest catcher in history.
The point is, I care about baseball. Other adults I know also take the game far more seriously than grown folks probably should. We watch major-league games, we talk about the games, we complain about the players, we stay up past 1 A.M. to see the Red Sox beat the Yankees (or vice versa). Why? Because we fell in love with the game when we were your age.
Since your parents were young, major-league baseball has evolved into new stadiums, with new league rules, new teams, and certainly different players. But the links to the past are always present. Maybe your mom's favorite player from when she was a girl is now managing somewhere. Perhaps you could go to a game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, where the Cubs have played since 1914—maybe your great-great-grandfather once attended a game there! Or you could listen to a Dodgers radio broadcast to hear broadcaster Vin Scully, who has been the voice of the Dodgers for 50 years.
The Everything® KIDS’ Baseball Book, 7th Edition can be your guide to baseball past and baseball present. It's certainly fun to read straight through, but it can also be a useful reference. Are your grandparents always talking about the 1976 World Series? Read about what they saw in this book. Is your brother always staring at the box scores in the newspaper or online? Use this book to find out what those columns of numbers mean. Do you want to become a better player? This book gives you some ideas for developing your playing skills. Having trouble understanding your dad's fantasy baseball team? This book explains fantasy baseball, so you'll be able to give him pointers.
There's undoubtedly more to baseball than merely what is contained in this book. There are many more books and websites to explore; your parents or a librarian can suggest where to go to find more detail than what is included here. My simple hope is that by reading this book you can start to fall in love with baseball, just like I did years ago.