<DIV>There have been plenty of collections devoted to our national pastime's greatest players, but here, finally, is an amazing array of original writing dedicated to those whom, for reasons far more personal than stats-based, we call our favorites. The result is an assortment of reflections—by turns uplifting, woeful, and hilarious—on the love of the game and what it means to be beset by the strange, incurable condition known as baseball fandom.<P>Featuring: Roger Kahn on Jackie Robinson, Buzz Bissinger on Albert Pujols, Jonathan Eig on Lou Gehrig, Neal Pollack on Greg Maddux, Laura Lippman on Brooks Robinson, Jeff Pearlman on Garry Templeton, Carrie Rickey on Crash Davis, Jim Bouton on Steve Dembowski, Pat Jordan on Tom Seaver, Steve Almond on Rickey Henderson, and many more.</DIV>