Why NetShrine?  Well, some men raise goldfish.  Others build birdhouses.  Many more collect odd things that the majority of the population view as nonsensical.  For me, there is NetShrine.

Born slightly more than a month after what can be considered the most tension packed bottom of the 9th in baseball history, it’s little wonder that I developed into a full blown - and long time ago self confessed - baseball junkie.  

The more I learn about baseball, the more I yield to the unequivocal conclusion that there is infinitely even more still unknown that can yet be learned.

Everything there is to the game of baseball, and I use "everything" in the purest definition of the word, has a quicksand nature to it.  Just when you believe you've made some progress digging into it, along comes the realization that there's just as much still out there as when you first started.

Working on NetShrine provides a point of focus for me in this ever continuing search for baseball knowledge.  

Being self-taught in Web Design (with most of that through trial and error rather than book learning), I should never be confused with being an internet technician.  And, NetShrine's sophistication as a Website in terms of slickness reflects this fact.  I'm just a baseball enthusiast who finds the worldwide web as a satisfying means of expression.  

Nonetheless, as curator of NetShrine, I do hope that this site is an enjoyable one for those who visit it.

- Steve Lombardi  

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Thank you for taking the time to learn more about NetShrine.

First conceived in the summer of 1998, the foundation of this Website was built on the Labor Day which followed - the same day that Mark McGwire became the first player to tie Roger Maris’ single season homerun record of sixty-one. (Not that Big Mac’s achievement had anything to do with the NetShrine’s groundbreaking. More so, the mention is made to provide a significant point of perspective. Besides, would you have known where you were then if I said "the same day that Gregg Olson got his 200^th career save" - which also occurred on September 7, 1998?)

When the site went "live" four months later in January 1999, NetShrine’s original mission was to categorize those great and/or noteworthy RETIRED Major League Baseball players by the level of their accomplishments (as recognized by the general public) and the era in which they played. 

The primary goal of NetShrine was to serve as an "easy to use," low tech, and fast loading virtual mechanism for baseball fans to peruse, enjoy, and learn more about the those Major League Baseball players who stand out.  Basically, the Gallery was NetShrine.

However, an evolution of NetShrine subsequently took place.  

During that summer of 1999, baseball-related features became available at NetShrine.  (The site also underwent a slight redesign about nine months following going "live.")  In 2000, the first NetShrine Discussion Forum was launched which was upgraded 14 months later into a state of the art forum.  Starting in 2001, and happening just about each year thereafter, the site underwent more robust redesigns (including both enhancements and alterations).

In essence, through the years, NetShrine has become more of a celebration of baseball (in several different ways) than just the site's original intent.  Never complacent, we're not done yet.  There are projects always under consideration - of which, some make it, and some do not.  Regardless, NetShrine's mission is clear - to be "A Celebration of Baseball."  And, we hope you join us.

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NetShrine wants your feedback!
Suggestions, comments & questions are welcome and appreciated.

Like to make a recommendation?
e-mail suggest@netshrine.com

Need more information?
e-mail info@netshrine.com

Care to offer a critique?
e-mail feedback@netshrine.com

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