Hailed as "a staggering piece of scholarship" by The Wall Street Journal, this is the definitive baseball dictionary that traces the etymology and origins of classic baseball terms. Drawing on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals and contemporary experts, the book explains the sources of well-known terms like "frozen rope" (a hard hit line drive) and more obscure phrases like "Alibi Ike" (a player that has an excuse for every mistake). Written by renowned baseball historian Paul Dickson, the dictionary has over 10,000 individual entries listed alphabetically, and many definitions are accompanied by an example sentence and the first recorded usage. Ideal for the astute or novice baseball fan, the reference book will allow you to use phrases like "Texas leaguer" (a pop-fly that falls between the infield and outfield) without feigning expertise. With 250 photographs.