The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House
The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the "most American" sport, and the U.S. presidency.



Smith, who USA Today calls "America's voice of authority on baseball broadcasting," starts before America's birth, when would be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America's pastime in the nineteenth century, such presidents as Lincoln and Johnson playing town ball or giving employees time off to watch. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Wilson buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic FDR saving baseball in World War II; Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; Reagan, airing baseball on radio that he never saw by "re-creation."



George H. W. Bush, for whom Smith wrote, explains, "Baseball has everything." Smith, having interviewed a majority of presidents since Richard Nixon, shares personal stories on each. Throughout, The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America's leaders have treated baseball. From Taft as the first president to throw the "first pitch" on Opening Day in 1910 to Obama's "Go Sox!" scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation.
1127290940
The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House
The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the "most American" sport, and the U.S. presidency.



Smith, who USA Today calls "America's voice of authority on baseball broadcasting," starts before America's birth, when would be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America's pastime in the nineteenth century, such presidents as Lincoln and Johnson playing town ball or giving employees time off to watch. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Wilson buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic FDR saving baseball in World War II; Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; Reagan, airing baseball on radio that he never saw by "re-creation."



George H. W. Bush, for whom Smith wrote, explains, "Baseball has everything." Smith, having interviewed a majority of presidents since Richard Nixon, shares personal stories on each. Throughout, The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America's leaders have treated baseball. From Taft as the first president to throw the "first pitch" on Opening Day in 1910 to Obama's "Go Sox!" scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation.
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The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House

The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House

by Curt Smith

Narrated by Barry Abrams

Unabridged — 19 hours, 51 minutes

The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House

The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House

by Curt Smith

Narrated by Barry Abrams

Unabridged — 19 hours, 51 minutes

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Overview

The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the "most American" sport, and the U.S. presidency.



Smith, who USA Today calls "America's voice of authority on baseball broadcasting," starts before America's birth, when would be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America's pastime in the nineteenth century, such presidents as Lincoln and Johnson playing town ball or giving employees time off to watch. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Wilson buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic FDR saving baseball in World War II; Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; Reagan, airing baseball on radio that he never saw by "re-creation."



George H. W. Bush, for whom Smith wrote, explains, "Baseball has everything." Smith, having interviewed a majority of presidents since Richard Nixon, shares personal stories on each. Throughout, The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America's leaders have treated baseball. From Taft as the first president to throw the "first pitch" on Opening Day in 1910 to Obama's "Go Sox!" scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Curt Smith, a former White House speechwriter, delves into the considerable relationship presidents have had with baseball, perhaps the most American of sports."—Ed Sherman, Chicago Tribune

Joe Castiglione

Curt Smith marvelously captures the baseball-presidential connection. His anecdotes and research are remarkable. This classic follows each president and his family from the earliest baseball era through FDR saving the game to political rivals but fellow fans Nixon and Kennedy onward to the love of the game felt by Bess Truman and Lillian Carter. As a history major and baseball broadcaster for almost forty years, I found Curt’s masterpiece irresistible.”—Joe Castiglione, radio voice of the Boston Red Sox 
 

Gotham Baseball - Jerry Milani

"The Presidents and the Pastime is ultimately very satisfying, on the one hand a primer—or reminder—of the notable events (and sometimes scandals) of each administration, and on the other an examination of the changes in the game throughout the last 110 years, in particular. From Reagan's game recreations on Des Moines radio to Nixon's "Dream Team" selections to Taft's first pitch and inadvertent original "seventh inning stretch," Smith details it all in a book The Gipper would surely be proud of."—Jerry Milani, Gotham Baseball

John Zogby

Curt Smith’s book is about so much more than just sports and politics. He brings us back to a less complicated America that loved its baseball and its presidents. In his wonderful prose and use of quotes, Smith enriches each institution and shows how vital this relationship has been to America. This is cultural history at its best and storytelling the way we love it.”—John Zogby, founder of the Zogby Poll and author of We Are Many, We Are One and The Way We’ll Be
 

Baseball Reflections - Harvey Frommer

"Filled with anecdotes galore the result of intensive research, this terrific tome tantalizingly teases us with a new awareness of the subject matter."—Harvey Frommer, Baseball Reflections

Rochester Business Journal - Scott Pitoniak

"[The Presidents and the Pastime] is chock-full of interesting anecdotes that get to the heart of this long-standing relationship between the White House and the emerald diamond. We learn that the popularity of our national pastime among presidents may actually predate the presidency. Before becoming "the father of our country," George Washington found relief from the stresses of the Revolutionary War by playing the British game of rounders, an antecedent to baseball."—Scott Pitoniak, Rochester Business Journal

Sport in American History - Bob D'Angelo

"The Presidents and the Pastime is smartly written. . . . Smith writes in a conversational tone that sports fans and historians can appreciate. . . . Smith has produced a balanced view of the presidents' interaction with baseball that is easy to digest."—Bob D'Angelo, Sport in American History

Inside Game - Andrew Milner

"Curt Smith is perhaps uniquely qualified to combine these two subjects into one book. The former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush is a SABR member with over a dozen baseball titles over the past 40 years. . . . The Presidents and the Pastime is Smith's best baseball book since Voices of the Game."—Andrew Milner, Inside Game

Galveston County Daily News - Mark Lardas

"The Presidents and the Pastime is a sunny book and a perfect summer read. While acknowledging faults, Smith focuses on the good in baseball, and the presidents covered regardless of party."—Mark Lardas, Galveston County Daily News

Bill Martinez Live

"The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the "most American" sport, and the U.S. presidency."—Bill Martinez Live

Brooklyn Fans - Jason Schott

"The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America's leaders have treated baseball. From William Howard Taft as the first president to throw the "first pitch" on Opening Day in 1910 to Barack Obama's "Go Sox!" scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation."—Jason Schott, Brooklyn Fans

Presidential History Network - Chris Brikett

"Smith’s storytelling is comprehensive and vivid, and the sheer scale of the narrative reminds us of the resilience and importance of an institutional relationship as old as the Republic itself."—Chris Brikett, Presidential History Network

Weekly Standard - Adam J. White

"Smith's book makes clear baseball's indelible mark on our national life and the president's own role in baseball's annual cycle. This comes through most clearly in his account of FDR—the president who more than any of his predecessors forged a personal bond with the American people, primarily through their radios but also through baseball."—Adam J. White, Weekly Standard

Guy Who Reviews Sports Books

"Two of the most American of institutions are the Presidency and the game of baseball. They have been intertwined together for over a century—from Abraham Lincoln playing "town ball" to Barack Obama writing "Go Sox!" in the visitor book at the Baseball Hall of Fame, there are many stories of what the game has meant to Presidents. They are captured in this wonderful book. . . . Baseball fans, history buffs and political junkies will all love this book."—Guy Who Reviews Sports Books

Bruce DuMont

Add The Presidents and the Pastime to what you love about baseball, politics, or both. Smith proves a master storyteller. Who knew that Andrew Johnson was a hero to the game, President McKinley dropped the ball, Teddy Roosevelt was not a fan, but President Taft sure was? Smith’s recollection of George W. Bush at Yankee Stadium for the first pitch after 9/11 will send chills and bring tears.”—Bruce DuMont, founder of the Museum of Broadcast Communications and host of Beyond the Beltway
 

Chicago Tribune - Ed Sherman

"Curt Smith, a former White House speechwriter, delves into the considerable relationship presidents have had with baseball, perhaps the most American of sports."—Ed Sherman, Chicago Tribune

Christian Science Monitor - Ross Atkin

"As a former presidential speechwriter and the author of Voices of the Game, the classic history of baseball broadcasting, Smith is the ideal person to unearth a rich vein of anecdotal material."—Ross Atkin, Christian Science Monitor

Dave Kaplan

The Presidents and the Pastime is a treasure for anyone who loves hardball, proving that the link between our commanders in chief and baseball is more than awkward first pitches and giant mascot races. Nobody is more qualified to discuss this fascinating connection than author and baseball historian Curt Smith, who goes deep in illuminating the game’s great influence on a wonderful aspect of American history.”—Dave Kaplan, founding director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center
 
 

John H. Sununu

Curt Smith has delivered a gem of a doubleheader. His book is a superb blend of baseball lore and presidential history. He sharpens our images of our presidents over the last century and a half in a wonderful collection of anecdotal reflections relating the impact of baseball on the lives of America’s chief executives. A great read for baseball fans and history buffs.”—John H. Sununu, chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush and author of The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H. W. Bush
 

Kirkus Reviews

2018-04-03
An exhaustive look at the relationship between the chief executive of the United States and baseball.A young John Adams played a precursor of baseball called "one old cat." Theodore Roosevelt had no use for the game, preferring football. Young Donald Trump was skilled enough to merit visits from scouts for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. From George Washington to Barack Obama, baseball and its antecedents have coexisted with the highest political office in the land. Smith (English/Univ. of Rochester), a former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush and the author of Voices of the Game (1987) and George H.W. Bush: Character at the Core (2014), among other books, chronicles the relationship in considerable detail. The author provides many interesting stories and anecdotes. Legendary Washington Senators pitcher Walter "Big Train" Johnson once missed a no-hitter when a line drive hit the secretary of the Senate—who was standing behind outfield ropes frequently deployed at the time for sold-out games—and fell in for a hit. First lady Grace Coolidge was an avid fan of the game. In 1934, three New York City major league teams imposed a five-year radio ban, afraid that few would pay to attend a ballgame when they could hear it for free. Ronald Reagan and legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully lived on the same street in Pacific Palisades, California. Yet these contributions are compromised by several of Smith's stylistic idiosyncrasies, including repeated use of the first-person, extensive quotes, references to his own text ("as chapter five will show," "as noted earlier," etc.), and awkward directives to readers. Furthermore, the book is simply too long: Smith seemingly details every pennant race and World Series from William Howard Taft to Obama, no matter the connection to the president in office at the time.Informative and amusing, but readers hoping for a brisk and engaging history of the relationship between baseball and the presidency will be disappointed.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940170664894
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication date: 01/22/2019
Edition description: Unabridged
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