The Golden Game

"Kevin Nelson's The Golden Game is the rare baseball book that transcends its regional emphasis to earn a place on the shelf of anyone who loves the game."
—San Francisco Chronicle

As someone who loves history as well as his home state of California, Kevin Nelson has written two award-winning works on California history, The Golden Game and Wheels of Change.

The Golden Game: The Story of California Baseball, was named one of the top ten books of the year in 2004 by the San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, and many others. Richly illustrated with more than 150 photographs, it was featured on NBC's Today Show as one of the must-read books of the summer and named as a national finalist for the prestigious Seymour Prize, awarded annually to the best baseball book of the year.

"Nelson's wholly charming and endearing book," writes the Los Angeles Times, "allows us to see baseball as a kind of benchmark for the birth and growth of California over the last century and a half." Sports Illustrated, Publishers Weekly,  Sacramento Bee, California Journal, Long Beach Press Telegram, Oakland Tribune, and Foreword Magazine all joined this chorus of praise.

In 2004 the state of California recognized September as "California Baseball History Month," in part due to the success of The Golden Game. In announcing this proclamation, then-Governor Schwarzenegger recognized "the great icons of the sport whose contributions to their fans will long be cheered"—icons such as Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams, all of whom play leading roles in California baseball history and the book.

KVIE-TV of Sacramento created a documentary inspired by The Golden Game, focusing on the origins and growth of baseball in the Sacramento area. Featuring interviews with Kevin Nelson and others, “The Golden Game: Baseball in Sacramento” has been shown around the U.S. and can be seen in its entirety here. You can also read an Excerpt from the Introduction to The Golden Game on CaliforniaAuthors.com.