After a long, cold winter, spring returns and with it, baseball. Teams have been playing professionally in New York for more than a century, and we look at the patterns of fandom over the years; the history of the hot dog; the secret history of early baseball; recollections of the Negro Leagues; and vintage audio from the archives.

Compare New York's Baseball Attendance Throughout Time

Monday, April 01, 2013

On Opening Day, we look back at the last 130 years of New York baseball fandom, from the Brooklyn Bridegrooms to John McGraw to the House that Ruth Built to the Amazin' Mets and beyond.

Comment

Red Sox Fans in NY Area Get Ready for Another Year in the Evil Empire

Monday, April 01, 2013

Marco Indri, 28, is born-and-bred New Jersey. He grew up just across the Hudson River in West New York, where his family still lives. The tattoos that cover his arms may be the first thing you notice. But it's not what really sets him apart from his fellow New Jerseyans.

Comments [3]

Know Your Hot Dog: The Rise of the "Dachshund Sandwich"

Monday, April 01, 2013

With the baseball season upon us, it's hard not to think of the delicious concession that's become synonymous with America's favorite past time: The hot dog. We dug into the WNYC Archives to find out why and how the baloney on a roll became king of the ball field.

Comments [1]

The Secret History of Early Baseball

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Baseball historian John Thorn debunks baseball’s creation story and reveals that from its earliest days. He reveals how baseball was a vehicle for gambling, a proxy form of class warfare, that was infused with racism like the larger society, and was corrupted by hustlers and shady entrepreneurs. In Baseball in The Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game, Thorn traces the rise of the New York version of the game over other variations popular in Massachusetts and Philadelphia, and tells a tale full of heroes and scoundrels, scandal, greed, and glory.

Comments [7]

Monte Irvin and Recollections on Negro League Baseball

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

WNYC
The 'Negro Leagues' remembered.
Read More

Comments [2]

From the WNYC Archives: Vintage Baseball Audio

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bobby Thompson's "Shot Hear Round the World"

Bobby Thompson\'s \'Shot Hear Round the World\'

As we gear up for the baseball season to begin, WNYC Archivist Andy Lanset has sent us some fun clips from great moments in baseball history ...

Read More

Comment

Baseball Gloves: Why Do We Need Them Anyway?

Friday, March 28, 2008

In the days of yore, it was considered a sign of weakness to catch with a glove. Now they’re a necessity. And nobody makes them better than Bob Celvenhagen.

Comment

Bronx Museum Celebrates Baseball's Negro Leagues

Monday, April 04, 2011

The last of baseball's Negro League teams folded in the 1960s. But a museum in the footprint of Yankee Stadium is reminding baseball fans of the League's history. The Bronx Museum of ...

Comment