The Presidents and the Pastime

The History of Baseball and the White House

by Curt Smith

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Pub Date 1 Jun 2018 | Archive Date 31 Jul 2018

University of Nebraska Press

History | Sports

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Description

The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith’s extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the “most American” sport, and the U.S. presidency.

Smith, who USA TODAY calls “America’s voice of authority on baseball broadcasting,” starts before America’s birth, when would‑be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America’s pastime in the nineteenth century, such presidents as Lincoln and Johnson playing town ball or giving employees time off to watch. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Wilson buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic FDR saving baseball in World War II; Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; Reagan, airing baseball on radio that he never saw—by “re-creation.”

George H. W. Bush, for whom Smith wrote, explains, “Baseball has everything.” Smith, having interviewed a majority of presidents since Richard Nixon, shares personal stories on each. Throughout, The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America’s leaders have treated baseball. From Taft as the first president to throw the “first pitch” on Opening Day in 1910 to Obama’s “Go Sox!” scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation.

The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith’s extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the “most...

Advance Praise

“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

“Curt Smith has delivered a gem of a doubleheader. His book is a superb blend of baseball lore and presidential history. He sharpens our images of our presidents over the last century and a half in a wonderful collection of anecdotal reflections relating the impact of baseball on the lives of America’s chief executives. A great read for baseball fans and history buffs.”—John H. Sununu, chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush and author of The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush

“Add The Presidents and the Pastime to what you love about baseball, politics, or both. Smith proves a master storyteller. Who knew that Andrew Johnson was a hero to the game, President McKinley dropped the ball, Teddy Roosevelt was not a fan, but President Taft sure was? Smith’s recollection of George W. Bush at Yankee Stadium for the first pitch after 9/11 will send chills and bring tears.”—Bruce DuMont, founder of the Museum of Broadcast Communications and host of Beyond the Beltway

“Curt Smith marvelously captures the baseball-presidential connection. His anecdotes and research are remarkable. This classic follows each president and his family from the earliest baseball era through FDR saving the game to political rivals but fellow fans Nixon and Kennedy onward to the love of the game felt by Bess Truman and Lillian Carter. As a history major and baseball broadcaster for almost forty years, I found Curt’s masterpiece irresistible.”—Joe Castiglione, radio voice of the Boston Red Sox

“The Presidents and the Pastime is a treasure for anyone who loves hardball, proving that the link between our commanders in chief and baseball is more than awkward first pitches and giant mascot races. Nobody is more qualified to discuss this fascinating connection than author and baseball historian Curt Smith, who goes deep in illuminating the game’s great influence on a wonderful aspect of American history.”—Dave Kaplan, founding director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center