An unabashedly celebratory explanation of America's love affair with baseball and the men who make it possible, this work sheds light on topics such as the role Jackie Robinson's signing with the Dodgers played in the civil rights movement, how baseball's westward expansion mirrored the growth of our national economy, as well as labor strife, baseball families, the international explosion of the game, and even the myriad ways in which movies, music,...

"This book tells the fascinating stories of the baseball rebels who were influenced by, and in turn influenced, America's political and social protest movements throughout history-including battles over labor, anti-trust, corporate power, immigration, and America's wars and military interventions worldwide"--