Sorry, I don't think I'd be much help, I'm still mourning the loss of the Boston Braves. Ruth, who thought for years she was named after Babe At 2:53 PM -0500 1/29/03, Met History wrote: Cross-posted from H-Urban... From: Steven A Riess <[log in to unmask]> I have been invited by a major publisher to edit a 600,000 word Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Teams. This two-volume reference work is intended to fill a significant gap in the reference field. While there are encyclopedias of individual baseball teams, this work will consist of essays detailing the history of all the current thirty major league teams. The intent is for the articles to be scholarly, analytical narratives that go beyond the recounting of team glories year by year. My aim is to have essays written that not only recount each team's annual campaigns, their players, and managers, but also provide a social and economic history of each club. I do not expect these to works of original research. I'm pretty sure nearly everything one would need to fulfill the assignment is available in secondary sources. I am looking for essays that contextualize team histories in the broader picture of sport and the development of their histories. I am looking for essays that not only examine the teams' performance on the field, but off the field as well. The essays will deal in depth with the teams as urban business enterprises that deal with labor issues, local governments and politicians, and such major economic matters as the construction of ballparks. Hence an essay on the White Sox will examine Comiskey's development of his early ballparks, and will also consider how current owners of the team secured public financing of the ballpark. In fact, a major issue for the essays since the 1950s would be the evolving relationship between teams and cities as owners moved or threatened to move franchises to secure financial support from local governments. I also hope contributors will consider the particularistic relationship of a team to their hometowns. This letter is being sent to baseball experts in NASSH, who comprise a core, but certainly not all baseball scholars. While this project is intellectually a feasible and significant project, there are practical considerations. I am looking to you for some input as to viability. We know there are a sufficient number of experts to undertake the project, but there are practical considerations, namely time and money. I am indicating below the approximate length of contributions as I envision them, along with compensation. The compensation will include a stipend and a copy of the two volume work (the encyclopedia will sell for $150 a volume). The stipends vary depending on the length of the contribution. Stipends for the longer entries are real money, however, the cash compensation is certainly far below what each author's input should merit if I had an unlimited budget. The publisher has budgeted $10,000 for the thirty entries and $10,000 for visual materials. The author's sole responsibility is to complete a first-rate essay. All editorial work, including indexing will be done by the publisher. It would certainly be possible for authors to split assignments, especially for teams like the Braves that have moved a lot. I am not asking anyone to commit themselves to the project, but frankly am looking for interest or lack of interest. Please contact me if you are potentially interested. Please contact me if you are not interested and let me know why. Steve Riess Northeastern Illinois University -- Ruth Barton [log in to unmask] Westminster, VT -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>