Looking for a fun night to hang out with fellow sports fans at the best baseball bar in New York, a chance to meet MLB umpire Chris Conroy and Jeff Idelson, the former president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and have an opportunity to purchase a great holiday gift?
Foley’s NY Pub is the place to be on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. when photographer Jean Fruth will sign copies of her new book, Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin, which is also autographed by several Hall of Fame players.
In Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin, Fruth features more than 250 of the best images from all levels of the amateur game in the U.S., as well as several hotbeds of baseball around the world. Each chapter opens with a portrait of a baseball legend and a first-person essay recounting his early memories of playing the game. Some of the stars highlighted in this full-color book include Whitey Ford, Vladimir Guerrero, Hank Aaron, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Ichiro Suzuki.
Each chapter documents the game from sandlots to big time ballparks, and at every level of organized baseball, giving readers a window into how these legends’ careers began. With an introduction by Cal Ripken, Jr., a foreword by Steve Wulf, and an afterword by Johnny Bench.
The 224-page hardcover coffee table book has more than 250 images from Aberdeen, Cape Cod, Mobile, New York, Oakland, Round Rock, Tampa, Williamsport, the Caribbean Series, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The book’s 15 chapters includes sections on baseball greats, including: Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Wade Boggs, Whitey Ford, Vladimir Guerrero, Rickey Henderson, Randy Johnson, Juan Marichal, Tony Pérez, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ivan Rodriguez, Nolan Ryan, Hensley Meulens, Ichiro Suzuki, and Fernando Valenzuela. It makes the perfect gift for baseball fans of all teams.
“Photography and baseball are both arts. Jean beautifully captures the youthfulness and charisma of the game of baseball,” said Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr., about the book.
“When the opportunity came to us to support the charity with this book signing for Grassroots Baseball, I knew it was something I had to do,” said Shaun Clancy, owner of Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant (18 W. 33rd St.), New York’s premier baseball bar, which boasts a collection of over 3,500 autographed baseballs by players, celebrities, and others. “I’ve long admired the work done by UMPS CARE and am proud to help support their efforts.”
UMPS CARE provides behind-the-scenes ballpark visits for youth-based organizations, delivery of Build-A-Bear Workshop furry friends to pediatric hospitals, and college scholarships for children adopted later in life.
Each of the copies sold at Foley’s will include an autograph from one of the 10 legends who are featured in the book: Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Craig Biggio, Johnny Bench, Wade Boggs, Vladimir Guerrero, Randy Johnson, Tony Perez, Cal Ripken, Jr., Pudge Rodriguez, or, future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki. Book buyers can pick whichever legend they would like. The cost for a book signed by the author and one of the legends is $80, and proceeds from the sales will be donated by Grassroots Baseball to UMPS CARE Charities.