by Zev Chafets
First published 2010
Chafets takes readers inside Cooperstown's most sacred institution to expose how the Hall of Fame really operates. He traces the Clark family's role in founding the shrine and follows newly inducted reliever Goose Gossage through his celebration day. The author examines the heated debates over steroid-era players and reveals the financial machinery behind each induction ceremony. He uncovers the behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts by players hoping to earn their plaques. Through interviews and insider access, Chafets shows how politics and economics shape baseball's temple of immortality. The book strips away the mythology to reveal the human drama and institutional maneuvering that determine which players achieve baseball immortality.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, non-fiction, baseball, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-access, investigative-journalism
Setting: Cooperstown
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury USA