Baseball, our national pastime. The home run: our deepest passion electrified. The long ball is the stuff myths and legends: from the emergence of a Bunyanesque figure named Babe Ruth at the dawn of the century, to the tremendous displays of power by two modern players, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, as they battled for the coveted home run record at the end of the century. Going, Going, Gone...captures the magnificent history of the home run in original essays by award-winning writers who have spanned the history of America's favorite sport: Leonard Koppett describes the evolution of the home run: Ray Robinson chronicles some of the most dramatic, game-winning home runs of all time; the late Ed Linn takes us inside three memorable home run seasons; Robert Creamer profiles Babe Ruth; Donald Honig details the exploits of Hank Aaron: and the Berry Stainback recounts the feats of the elite group of men who surpassed 500 or more home runs in their careers. Going, Going, Gone...also features essays on legendary tape-measure home runs and the men who hit them: sluggers who were on the fringe of greatness; inside-the-park home runs; the grand slam; and the most complete and intriguing statistics section of its kind, compiled by the Elias Sports Bureau. The book is further complemented by an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Halberstam and a forward by the man who hit the fabled "shot heard round the world," Bobby Thomson. An affecting, insightful, richly illustrated tribute to the most revered feat in America's most beloved game, Going, Going, Gone... is a landmark exploration that will forever change the way we look at the power and grace of the home run.