Since 1876, approximately 16,000 young men have enjoyed at least a taste of glory by appearing in big league games, many of them only a few times. By the end of the 2009 season, out of the millions who have aspired, fewer than three thousand individuals had had the good fortune to be a major league regular for five or more seasons. The median age at which they hung up their spikes was 35. However, 197 men played in their last big league contest at the age of 30 or younger. With a focus on the stories of 15 greats and near-greats, this book provides information on these 197 men. Why did their careers end so soon? The reasons are varied and include drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, illness, injury, banishment, and declining ability among others.

Think you know how the game of baseball began? Think again. Forget Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown. Did baseball even have a father--or did it just evolve from other bat-and-ball games? John Thorn, baseball's preeminent historian, examines the creation story of the game and finds it all to be a gigantic lie. From its earliest days baseball was a vehicle for gambling, a proxy form of class warfare. Thorn traces the rise of the New York version of the game over other variations popular in Massachusetts and Philadelphia. He shows how the sport's increasing popularity in the early decades of the nineteenth century mirrored the migration of young men from farms and small towns to cities, especially New York. Full of heroes, scoundrels, and dupes, this book tells the story of nineteenth-century America, a land of opportunity and limitation, of glory and greed--all present in the wondrous alloy that is our nation and its pastime.--From publisher description.

When Jackie Robinson made his debut at Ebbets Field on opening day in 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first major league team with a black player anywhere in its organization. By the end of the Golden Era of baseball, a period in and around the 1950s, there would be an unprecedented number of notable black players in the major leagues, including Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson. While this era is defined by integration, it was also the age of the “boys of summer” Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankee dominance, and the first major change in the geographic landscape of the big leagues in half a century. In The Golden Era of Major League Baseball: A Time of Transition and Integration, Bryan Soderholm-Difatte explores the significant events and momentous changes that took place in baseball from 1947 to 1960. Beginning with Jackie Robinson’s rookie season in 1947, Soderholm-Difatte provides a careful and thorough examination of baseball’s integration, including the struggles of black players who were not elite to break into the starting lineups. In addition, the author looks at the dying practice of player-managers, the increasing use of relief pitchers and platooning, the iconic 1951 pennant race between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and more. Soderholm-Difatte also tells the stories of three central characters to this era, whose innovations, strategies, and vision changed the game—Branch Rickey, who challenged the baseball establishment by integrating the Dodgers; Casey Stengel, whose 1949-1953 Yankees won five straight championships; and Leo Durocher, whose spy operations was a major factor in the Giants’ 1951 pennant surge. In an age when baseball was at the forefront of American society, integration would come to be the foremost legacy of the Golden Era. But this was also a time of innovative strategy, from the use of pinch hitters to frequent defensive substitutions. Concluding with an overview of how baseball is still evolving today, The Golden Era of Major League Baseball will be of interest to baseball fans and historians as well as to scholars examining the history of integration in sports.

Propounding his "small ball theory" of sports literature, George Plimpton proposed that "the smaller the ball, the more formidable the literature." Of course he had the relatively small baseball in mind, because its literature is formidable--vast and varied, instructive, often wildly entertaining, and occasionally brilliant. From this bewildering array of baseball books, Ron Kaplan has chosen 501 of the best, making it easier for fans to find just the books to suit them (or to know what they're missing). From biography, history, fiction, and instruction to books about ballparks, business, and rules, anyone who loves to read about baseball will find in this book a companionable guide, far more fun than a reference work has any right to be.

Baseball during the late 1800s and the Deadball Era was filled with aggressive, hard-nosed players who had no qualms about exhibiting belligerent behavior while tenaciously achieving victory on the diamond. These unique and eccentric individuals helped the game grow in popularity through their brilliance on the field and their legendary exploits off it. From manager Miller Huggins fighting with a pitcher over thick, juicy steaks to Rube Waddell getting arrested for tossing doughnuts at the coiffure of a waitress, their stories kept baseball fans entertained throughout the season—and still entertain us today. In Characters from the Diamond: Wild Events, Crazy Antics, and Unique Tales from Early Baseball, Ronald T. Waldochronicles the adventures of an unparalleled group of players, managers, and umpires whose tales continue to define that era of baseball. From the days of Chris Von der Ahe when his St. Louis Browns dominated the American Association to the Great War, this book presents an array of unique stories, peculiar accounts, and humorous anecdotes involving the men who were the very fabric of the game during that time period. Baseball icons such as John McGraw, Willie Keeler, Ty Cobb, Frank Chance, Rube Waddell, and Mike Donlin are profiled in this book, while numerous lesser-known players—including Arthur Evans, Jack Rowan, Bill Kellogg, Bill Bailey, Ping Bodie, and William Dugan—are also given their moment in the sun alongside their more famous baseball brethren. Characters from the Diamond breathes life back into baseball from the late nineteenth century and Deadball Era. Illuminating, entertaining, and noteworthy, these stories surrounding some of the game’s most unique individuals paint a humorous, off-beat picture of an often-forgotten era for baseball lovers everywhere.

This is a book about baseball players who performed in the major leagues before the age of 21. For years the dream of many boys has been to enter the world of professional sports. Out of millions of boys who have played baseball, more than 17,000 have appeared in major league contests. Among them were hundreds who made their debut before their 21st birthday. However, most of these appeared in only a few games. Only 284 young men have played at least one season as a regular before or during the season in which they reached the age of 21. They are the subjects of this book. The text is divided into three parts. Part One deals with the careers of the ten prodigies who had the most productive seasons at the bat. Part Two discusses the ten young pitchers who had the most fruitful seasons on the mound. Part Three provides short sketches of the 172 players with at least five eligible seasons who do not rank among the above 20 prodigies. Data on the 92 players with at least one but fewer than five eligible seasons are given in an appendix.

Are today's major league baseball pitchers better than ever? Or do they pale in comparison to the great hurlers of 20, 30 or 40 years ago? This book tackles a debate that has been traveling baseball circles for several years. With changes in everything from the size of the playing field to the composition of the ball, it's a tall task to compare pitchers over the 170-year history of the sport in America. No stone is unturned as this work delves into every facet from the ancient roots of the game to the bigger size of today's players. The first chapters reach back to the first known "batting contests" in Egypt 5,000 years ago and bring readers to a popular 18th century English game called rounders, which evolved into organized baseball in 19th century America. The following chapters then pace through the changes in rules that helped mold baseball into its modern form, and discusses innovators like James 'Jimmy' Creighton and Asa Brainard, early stars like Cy Young and Walter Johnson, and modern day standouts such as Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood. The book explores rule changes, adaptations to pitching and pitching strategies, and the effect of pitcher injuries and conditioning, among other influences. Fourteen former major league players comment on the game. The final chapter reviews what has happened to major league pitching. Appendices give stats for major league starting pitchers with comparisons by era, list those with more than 5,000 career innings pitched, list relief pitchers and their single season save records, and a look at the increase in major league home runs from 1919 to 2004.