A collection of essays which "describe developments in the game's past, assess their impact, and explain how they reflect the period in which they occurred; ... explore baseball's influences outside the field of play as well as the effect of external factors on the game; ... [and] discuss such key issues as demographics, communities, social mobility, race and ethnicity."--Cover.

At the end of the 1883 baseball season, things looked rosy--attendance had skyrocketed and the National League and American Association were at peace. A year later, however, the sport was in total disarray. A third major league, the Union Association, had come on the scene and waged a bitter war that rocked the baseball world. By the dawn of the 1885 season, the UA had dissolved in a sea of red ink, the AA had dropped four teams, and the minor leagues were desperately hoping to make it through the season.Amid the chaos of 1884 were some historic moments. Iron-man pitcher Hoss Radbourn won 59 games and led the Providence Grays to victory over the New York Metropolitans in the first World Series. Fleet Walker broke baseball's first color line. There were a record eight no-hitters and a cast of fascinating figures--some famous, some lost to history--like Radbourn, Hustling Horace Phillips, Dan O'Leary, and Edward (The Only) Nolan. This book tells the story of the momentous yet overshadowed 1884 season.

It's been more than a century since Connecticut had big league baseball, but in the 1870s, Middletown, Hartford, and New Haven fielded professional teams that competed at the highest level. By the end of the decade, when the state's final big league team, Mark Twain's beloved Hartford Dark Blues, left the National League, baseball's transition from amateur pastime to major league sport had been accomplished. And Connecticut had played a significant role in its development. The history of the Nutmeg State's three major league teams is described here in full, and the author thoughtfully examines their influence within the regional baseball scene.

Frommer's latest book takes us to the birthplace of America's most beloved sport. Starting from baseball's humble beginnings, Frommer vividly introduces the reader to the trailblazing personalities that shaped baseball's history. From the first games in Madison, New York to the rise of the National League, Frommer vividly recreates the energy of this early time. Frommer's expertise lends itself to tell the magical story of baseball's history and insight into an era that is not to be forgotten.

Although on the decline, the threat of gambling on games continued menacing baseball in the 1880s. One issue that certainly was not in decline, however, was the abuse of umpires. Arguments and rows between players, fans, and umpires ranks among the most important issues in the game in this decade. Several major fights broke out every season. Many times, umpires narrowly escaped with their life. At least twice, they killed fans in their own self-defense. How did the situation grow so serious? Equally regrettably, the 1880s was the decade in which baseball drew its color line, banning African Americans from the game. Even after that decision, however, racism showed its face in more subtle ways. Learn how prejudice continued to mar the game throughout the decade, especially when it came to baseball's treatment of mascots.

The 20th-anniversary edition of Warren Goldstein's history of baseball's early decades and the roots of the game's modern controversies.