In the mid 1800s the sport of baseball was working its way across the United States. Amateur teams were springing up and in 1858 the National Association of Base Ball Players was formed. Young men were eager to show their prowess on the field and in the batterrs"s box.Lipman Pikers"s father, a Dutch immigrant, runs a small haberdashery in Brooklyn, New York, though Lip is more interested in watching the ball players than working behind the counter. His mother doesnrs"t approve'”Jewish boys should be paying attention to more sensible matters. But when Lip is barely a teenager, hers"s invited to join the Nationals Junior Club and play first base. When he hits his first pitch over the right fielderrs"s head, Lip knows baseball is the sport for him.Award-winning author Richard Michelson chronicles the meteoric rise of one of baseballrs"s earliest (and unsung) champions.