Bob Hill has been an award-winning columnist for the The Louisville Courier-Journal for over 25 years. He has written books on gardening, basketball, the history of Louisville, and Double Jeopardy, a true crime book about a Louisville murder that was featured twice on NBCs “Dateline,” and will be an Arts & Entertainment network feature with Bill Kurtis. Hill is a graduate of Rice University, where he played basketball.

Crack of the Bat is a comprehensive and entertaining look at the most famous icon in the history of baseball, the “Louisville Slugger” bat. The story includes the evolution of bats from pioneer wagon tongues to the sleek aluminum models of today. It examines the amazing physics involved in hitting a baseball, where .007 second means the difference between a home run and a foul ball. It tells the fascinating history of the still family-owned Hillerich & Bradsby Company, which in just 80 years went from making butter churns to producing seven million bats a year. Reinforcing this tale are dozens of stories about the the idiosyncrasies of the most famous hitters in baseball history, including Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Cal Ripken Jr., and Derek Jeter. Illustrated with hundreds of archival photographs, baseball decals, and icons — many in color — this book will become as much a cherished keepsake as some of the bats it describes.

Crack of the Bat: The Louisville Slugger Story

Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of the Baseball Glove

How is it that Larry King remembers every detail about his first baseball glove, but Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith can’t recall a thing about his? Such is the mystery of the baseball glove, a simple piece of sporting equipment that is both functional and, for reasons that are hard to pin down, often unforgettable. This handsome and smartly illustrated history of fielder’s gloves is rich with information about and appreciation for the game. Lieberman explains how ballplayers were once thought unmanly if they used gloves to field thrown and batted balls and how big-leaguers vary in their approach to picking out and maintaining fielder’s gloves; New York Yankee Derek Jeter opts for a new glove at the start of every season, but former Baltimore Oriole Brooks Robinson, probably the greatest defensive third baseman ever, would use his “until it was ragged.” Lieberman’s book does not require any intellectual heavy lifting, but with plenty of archival photos and a bundle of funny anecdotes, it gives readers an amiable way to welcome the new season. Kevin Canfield
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved

Do you remember your first glove? Or the one that meant the most to you? Almost everyone does.

Bernie Williams does. So does Greg Maddux. Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Jim Palmer do as well. Indeed, just above every major leaguer remembers his first glove. Some, such as Doug Rader, who won five straight Gold Gloves at third base with the Houston Astros, even wore the same glove from sandlot games all the way to the pros.

Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of Baseball Glove will help you recall your fist glove as it shares similar memories from the game’s greats. Glove Affairs also provides informative and surprising details about the history of the glove, its evolution, and its place in American culture.

More than just an ode to the glove, however, Glove Affairs serves as a practical guide to purchasing, breaking in, maintaining, and repairing a glove. Dozens of current and former major leaguers offer their battle-tested advice about getting the most out of a glove. They also share countless stories, from the passionate to the hilarious, about the glove and their relationship to it, including their superstitions and rituals, some of which are downright bizarre.

Whether you’re a little leaguer seeking tips about buying and caring for your first glove or just a little leaguer at heart hoping to revisit fond memories, Glove Affairs will educate you, illuminate you – and stir your emotions.

Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of the Baseball Glove