CONTENTS

24 A New Golden Age Of Hitting
As the season begins, some of the sweetest swingers in the history of the game, many of them youthful, go to bat
by Ron Fimrite

30 A Real Rap Session
Three great lefthanded hitters—Ted Williams, Wade Boggs and Don Mattingly—dine and discuss the new art of batting

Strokes Of Genius

44 Boston's Wade Boggs is a fowl guy but a pretty fair hitter
by Peter Gammons

50 With a tiny truncheon, Tony Gwynn puts up big numbers
by Ron Fimrite

54 Don Mattingly invites comparison with the Yankee legends
by E.M. Swift

62 Those Baby Boomers
This year's fence-busting crop of rookies appears to be a throwback to the sluggers who ruled the game in the '60s
by Craig Neff

66 The Good Wood
From corking jobs to Wonderboy, here is everything you ever wanted to know about baseball bats—and then some
by Hank Hersch

82 Inside Baseball
Presenting a new feature: this week, the antics of spring training and the 10 smart trades that should be made
by Peter Gammons

90 Scouting Reports
We analyze all the teams and rank them from 1 to 26

110 The Game That Time And Iowa Forgot
The author concocts a fantasy about an apocalyptic showdown between the Cubs and some Iowa farm boys
by W.P. Kinsella

DEPARTMENTS

19 Scorecard
135 For The Record
136 19th Hole

Cover photograph by Ronald C. Modra

PHOTO

RONALD C. MODRA

LEADING OFF: Their Royal majesties: (back row, left to right) Buddy Biancalana, George Brett, Bret Saberhagen; (front row) Steve Balboni, Willie Wilson, Jim Sundberg, Lonnie Smith, manager Dick Howser, Hal McRae, Darryl Motley and Frank White.>