简介：InningOne,OurGame,looksattheoriginsofbaseballinthe1840sandtakesthestoryupto1900.BurnsrefutesthemyththatAbnerDoubledayinventedbaseballinCooperstownandtracesitsrootsinsteadtotheearliestdaysofthenation—therearerecordsofagamecalled"Base"playedatValleyForge. InningTwo,SomethingLikeaWar,takesviewersthrough1910andintroducessomeofthegame'smostcelebratedandcolorfulcharacters,includingTyCobb,HonusWagner,ChristyMathewsonandWalterJohnson. InningThree,TheFaithofFiftyMillionPeople,examinesthecentury'sseconddecade,whichwasdominatedbytheBlackSoxscandal.GeorgeHerman"Babe"Ruthmakeshisfirstmajorleagueappearance(asamemberoftheBostonRedSox)andawaveofimmigrationhelpsfillthestandswithnewfans,eagerto"becomeAmerican"bylearningAmerica'sgame. InningFour,ANationalHeirloom,concentratesonBabeRuth,whosephenomenalperformancethrilledthenationthroughoutthe1920sandrescuedthegamefromthescandalofthepreviousdecade. InningFive,ShadowBall,tellsthestoryoftheNegroLeaguesinthe1930s.Thetitlereferstoacommonpre-gamefeatureinwhichtheplayersstagedamockgamewithanimaginaryball.Thoughunintended,thepantomimewasanaptmetaphorfortheexclusionofblacksfrommajorleagueplayatthattime. InningSix,TheNationalPastime,coversthe1940sandincludesJoeDiMaggio'scelebratedhittingstreak,theawe-inspiringperformanceofTedWilliamsandwhatBurnscalls"baseball'sfinestmoment"—thedebutofJackieRobinson,whobrokethecolorbarrierasamemberoftheBrooklynDodgersin1947. InningSeven,TheCapitalofBaseball,takesviewersthroughthe1950swhenNewYorkCityhadthreesuccessfulbaseballteamsanddominatedtheWorldSeries.Bytheendofthedecade,theGiantsandDodgershadleftNewYork,asignalthattheoldgamewaschangedforever. InningEight,AWholeNewBallGame,movesthefieldtothe1960s.Thisepisodetracestheemergenceoftelevision,theexpansiontonewcitiesandthebuildingofanonymousmultipurposestadiumsthatrobbedthegameofitsintimacyandsomeofitsurbanfollowing. InningNine,Home,looksatbaseballfromthe1970stothepresent,includingtheestablishmentofthefreeagentsystem,theriseinplayersalaries,thecontinuedexpansion,thedilutionoftalent,theongoingbattlesbetweenlaborandmanagementandthescandals.…