Lineup for Yesterday

Gr 4–8—Originally published in the January 1949 issue of Sport magazine, Nash's well-known ABC collection of four-liners about 24 baseball greats—with careers spanning the years 1890–1953—has been reproduced as an illustrated book, along with statistics and biographical information on each player added by the poet's daughter, Linell Nash Smith. The selections are laden with references to players' nicknames, exaggerations about their capabilities (pitcher Walter Johnson "Was so fast he could throw/Three strikes at a time"), and allusions to personality traits that made these men unforgettable. Payne's well-detailed, on-the-field portraits—a few with hints of caricature—show off the artist's considerable talent for capturing his subjects' personalities as well as their likenesses. His familiarity with the game is apparent in touches like the position of a pitcher's hand after the release of a knuckle ball and the look of fierce concentration on a batter's face. Brief player information appears on each page; two pages of well-researched biographical and anecdotal information follow every few pages of verse. Smith's introduction recounts memories of attending games of the local International League Orioles with her baseball-loving family. Youngsters who relish the history of the sport will treasure this beautifully presented lineup from a former era.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Heights Public Library, OH