Grooming the Diamond: Baseball Groundskeepers from the 19th Century to Today (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781476698458)

Baseball is a game with a long and varied history. Several creation myths exist, as do some plausible theories as to the game's founding. The deepest fundamentals of the game, however, seem to far pre-date that uniquely American modern baseball which emerged in the 19th century. Even Ancient Greeks and Egyptian pharaohs seem to have engaged in some manner of ball-playing. One constant in these ball games, in all their forms, is the humble groundskeeper, unsung heroes before-and-after preparations for the beautiful game. The legendary groundskeeper George Toma espoused the cornerstone of the groundskeeper mindset: "I'm here to give the players the best possible condition to play on a safe playing field and then some." This unique historical narrative briefly introduces the origins that laid the foundation for the game as we know it today, followed by 25-year-increments that chronicle stories of the sport's more notable and influential groundskeepers: those men and women who prepared the playing field before and after each game--and then some!