{"product_id":"level-playing-fields-how-the-groundskeeping-murphy-brothers-shaped-baseball-paperback","title":"Level Playing Fields: How the Groundskeeping Murphy Brothers Shaped Baseball - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePeter Morris\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost baseball fans want to hear about stellar players and spectacular plays, statistics and storied franchises. \u003ci\u003eLevel Playing Fields\u003c\/i\u003e sheds light on a usually unnoticed facet of the game, introducing fans and historians alike to the real fundamentals of baseball: dirt and grass. In this lively history, Peter Morris demonstrates that many of the game's rules and customs actually arose as concessions to the daunting practical difficulties of creating a baseball diamond. Recovering a nearly lost and decidedly quirky chapter of baseball history, \u003ci\u003eLevel Playing Fields\u003c\/i\u003e tells the engaging story of Tom and Jack Murphy, brothers who made up baseball's first great family of groundskeepers and who played a pivotal role in shaping America's national pastime. Irish immigrants who tirelessly crafted home-field advantages for some of baseball's earliest dynasties, the brothers Murphy were instrumental in developing pitching mounds, permanent spring training sites, and new irrigation techniques, and their careers were touched by such major innovations as tarpaulins and fireproof concrete-and-steel stadiums. \u003ci\u003eLevel Playing Fields\u003c\/i\u003e is a real-life saga involving craftsmanship, resourcefulness, intrigue, and bitter rivalries (including attempted murder!) between such legendary figures as John McGraw, Connie Mack, Honus Wagner, and Ty Cobb. The Murphys' story recreates a forgotten way of life and gives us a sense of why an entire generation of American men found so much meaning in the game of baseball.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeter Morris is the author of \u003ci\u003eBaseball Fever: Early Baseball in Michigan\u003c\/i\u003e and the two-volume \u003ci\u003eGame of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 194\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 01, 2013\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51761347526944,"sku":"9780803246300","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ac0ad849bb938ccbfd157326b55c8e38.webp?v=1780205170","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/level-playing-fields-how-the-groundskeeping-murphy-brothers-shaped-baseball-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}