THE REDISCOVERY of the BOOMING BATS OF THE '50s provided a platform from which to share our stories and passion for our national pastime, and When It Was a Game.

Baseball is a unique pastime from which we derive as much pleasure from recalling and reliving the times when we may have been in the stands as we do from actually being there or watching on the tube. Baseball "talk," always embellished by and often mediated by comparative statistical recall, affords connoisseurs of the game a perpetual forum to compare decades, eras and generations of players.

We at whenitwasagame.net (WIWAG) consider being a fan as a way of life which relates directly to family, loyalties and sharing the passion for the game. WIWAG's themes and content are dedicated to the remembrance, celebration and preservation of our baseball heritage.

Discovering a true treasure of game-used bats that had not seen the light of day for 40 years led to a labor of love involving many hours of research on each player represented in the collection. Although a book may ultimately morph from WIWAG, we recognized the unlimited interactive potential of the web to not only share our stories, but to also hear from the millions of baseball fans who still remember when it was a game.

Baseball a mirror of America for five generations

One of the most fascinating and enamoring characteristics of baseball is its paradoxical nature. The "grand old game" is both timeless, yet ever-changing. We will highlight the historical aspects of the game that have been a mirror of American society through five generations and address, in editorial fashion, the issues that impact baseball today.

Don't miss this edition's stories about breaking the color line in the Major Leagues; and a historic week in May, 1939 when Ted Williams broke in, and Lou Gehrig broke his consecutive game string.

The assault on the integrity of the game by the use of steroids and other illegal performance enhancing substances, and the feeble and transparently insolent management of the scourge by baseball governance has created general disgust with all involved by the majority of fans. >>Click here to read editorial<<

However, the great game of baseball has historically weathered adversity. The game today, just like in the "Golden Age" and the era of the BOOMING BATS, really belongs to us — the fans.

Join us in celebrating baseball and let's take it back to When It Was a Game.

WITH OLD BUSCH STADIUM as a backdrop in this photo illustration, whenitwasagame.net founders include three generations of Palermo's including (left to right) Joe, Jim, Jimmy, Anthony and Tom. America's Original Sportsbar is situated just beyond the left field grandstand.