The Presidents and the Pastime

Reviews / Votes

"Filled with anecdotes galore the result of intensive research, this terrific tome tantalizingly teases us with a new awareness of the subject matter."-Harvey Frommer, Baseball Reflections "Curt Smith's book is about so much more than just sports and politics. He brings us back to a less complicated America that loved its baseball and its presidents. In his wonderful prose and use of quotes, Smith enriches each institution and shows how vital this relationship has been to America. This is cultural history at its best and storytelling the way we love it."-John Zogby, founder of the Zogby Poll and author of We Are Many, We Are One and The Way We'll Be "The Presidents and the Pastime is smartly written. . . . Smith writes in a conversational tone that sports fans and historians can appreciate. . . . Smith has produced a balanced view of the presidents' interaction with baseball that is easy to digest."-Bob D'Angelo, Sport in American History "Smith's storytelling is comprehensive and vivid, and the sheer scale of the narrative reminds us of the resilience and importance of an institutional relationship as old as the Republic itself."-Chris Birkett, Presidential History Network "As a former presidential speechwriter and the author of Voices of the Game, the classic history of baseball broadcasting, Smith is the ideal person to unearth a rich vein of anecdotal material."-Ross Atkin, Christian Science Monitor "The Presidents and the Pastime is a sunny book and a perfect summer read. While acknowledging faults, Smith focuses on the good in baseball, and the presidents covered regardless of party."-Mark Lardas, Galveston County Daily News "Smith's book makes clear baseball's indelible mark on our national life and the president's own role in baseball's annual cycle. This comes through most clearly in his account of FDR-the president who more than any of his predecessors forged a personal bond with the American people, primarily through their radios but also through baseball."-Adam J. White, Weekly Standard "[The Presidents and the Pastime] is chock-full of interesting anecdotes that get to the heart of this long-standing relationship between the White House and the emerald diamond. We learn that the popularity of our national pastime among presidents may actually predate the presidency. Before becoming "the father of our country," George Washington found relief from the stresses of the Revolutionary War by playing the British game of rounders, an antecedent to baseball."-Scott Pitoniak, Rochester Business Journal "The Presidents and the Pastime is ultimately very satisfying, on the one hand a primer-or reminder-of the notable events (and sometimes scandals) of each administration, and on the other an examination of the changes in the game throughout the last 110 years, in particular. From Reagan's game recreations on Des Moines radio to Nixon's "Dream Team" selections to Taft's first pitch and inadvertent original "seventh inning stretch," Smith details it all in a book The Gipper would surely be proud of."-Jerry Milani, Gotham Baseball "Curt Smith, a former White House speechwriter, delves into the considerable relationship presidents have had with baseball, perhaps the most American of sports."-Ed Sherman, Chicago Tribune