Home Run Baker

"In an era characterized by urbanization and rapid industrial growth, Frank "Home Run" Baker epitomized the rustic virtues that were becoming essential to baseball's emerging bucolic mythology. Born and raised in a tiny farming community on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Baker developed his powerful back, arms, and hands by working long hours on his father's farm. Like the rugged president who defined the century's first decade, the taciturn Baker spoke softly but carried a big stick--a 52-ounce slab of wood that he held down at the handle and swung with all the force he could muster. One of the Deadball Era's greatest sluggers, Baker led the American League or tied for the lead in home runs every year from 1911 to 1914, and earned his famous nickname with two timely round-trippers against the New York Giants in the 1911 World Series. Baker later insisted that his hard-swinging mentality came from his country roots. 'The farmer doesn't care for the pitchers' battle that resolves itself into a checkers game,' he once declared. 'The farmer loves the dramatic, and slugging is more dramatic than even the cleverest pitching.'"
SABR

1911 The Legend of Home Run Baker
"He was a man of unassuming character, unassuming size—and by today’s standards, unimpressive power numbers. But Frank Baker of the Philadelphia A’s would awe the fans of his day with a slugging exhibition during the 1911 season—followed by his slugging heroism in the World Series. In the six years previous to 1911, only two American League players, Harry Davis and Jake Stahl, had reached double figures in season home run totals—and they both barely made the grade. Welcome to the deadball era; the pitchers were in control, legally allowed to throw any kind of pitch in the book. They had the extra advantage of using the same ball in play for, sometimes, the entire game. If any hitter were fool enough to make a living smacking the lifeless, beat-up ball over the fence, the hideously long distances to the outfield walls would give them second thoughts."
This Great Game

"John Franklin 'Home Run' Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era. During his 13 years as a Major League player, Baker never played a single inning at any position other than third base. Baker was born in Trappe, Maryland, was a butcher by trade, and broke into the major leagues in 1908 with the Athletics. Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname 'Home Run' during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in Game 2, and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game 3."
Wikipedia

Philadelphia Has a New King; “Home Run” Baker
"(October 18th, 1911) NEW YORK– William Penn and Ben Franklin were seen milling around the visitors clubhouse late yesterday afternoon. They were there to extend an invite to one “Mr. Frank Baker”, heretofore known as “Home Run”, to join that rare pantheon of Philadelphia immortals, men whose names and deeds shall be remembered in the city of Brotherly Love long after they are physically gone. It is funny what makes men heroes in this game. We are not cheering their intellect, stamina, or charm. We are cheering their ability to lift a piece of lumber off their shoulder and hit a spheroid in an act that takes places in tenths of a second. And the later in the contest they can do perform this rather random act, the louder we cheer."
Philly Sports History

amazon - Frank "Home Run" Baker: Hall of Famer And World Series Hero

The House was Built by Johnson and Griffith - John Thorn

NY Giants Golden Hours 1900

"The esteemed John Thorn, MLB’s official historian for good reason, recently penned (is anything actually penned anymore?) an article titled The House that McGraw Built – meaning the Yankee franchise. In contrast though, I see the franchise’s genesis as a product of Ban Johnson and Clark Griffith’s efforts. John McGraw with all his bluster and vindictiveness was more an impediment to the development of the American League than an impetus. His 'contribution' was more the destruction of the Baltimore franchise than the erection of one in New York City. Baltimore’s fair-haired friend in the end helped erase the city from major league maps for over a half a century. Similarly, he would consciously set out to destroy the fledgling club in New York. The following multi-part article is pulled from my biography of Clark Griffith, examining the formation of the New York Highlanders and Griffith’s near solo effort in running the franchise through its first half-decade."
The House was Built by Johnson and Griffith, Part 1

"The new club, initially called the Americans, departed for spring training in mid-March 1903. Opening Day was set for April 22. They spent most of their time in Atlanta and New Orleans playing the Crackers and Pelicans, respectively, of the Southern Association. The New York newspapers were initially hostile to the new ball club. Freedman still had some connections after all. Griffith hired reporter Jim Bagley to travel with the team and remit stories back to several Gotham dailies. Clark also paid sports editor Jim Price of the New York Press to cover the southern trip. Bagley’s stories proved sufficiently entertaining that the city’s main papers were forced to pick up coverage of the Americans. The American League was now legitimate in New York."
Part 2

"Griffith made another important acquisition at the end of 1904. On October 4, he drafted pitcher Doc Newton and a seemingly benign first baseman named Hal Chase from Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast League. Newton had just led the league with 39 wins; however, he copped only twenty victories in five seasons with New York. Chase was a find, the first homegrown Yankee superstar. Some still call him the best fielding first sacker of all-time… Willie Keeler was the first Highlander to sign for 1905. Out of the blue, he walked into Frank Farrell’s offices in the Fuller Building at 23rd and Broadway on November 22 and penned his name to a contract. The club didn’t expect any others to sign until Griffith returned from his Montana ranch sometime around Christmas. Walter Clarkson, recently signed out of Harvard University and brother of Hall of Famer John Clarkson, spent November and December at the Griffith ranch hunting and trying to put on weight for the upcoming season."
Part 3

Baltimore 1894

"The Highlanders slipped to fifth place in 1907. Griffith, the pitcher, only entered four games all in relief. Before the season even started, it was evident that Clark was getting restless. He entered into a partnership with his old California buddies Joe Cantillon and Norris L. “Tip” O’Neill to buy a sheep ranch in Montana. The plan was to each put up about $7,000 as an initial stake. O’Neill, president of the Western League, would oversee the operation during the summer while the other two attended to their ball clubs. Clark was already successfully raising cattle but saw a bigger windfall in sheep. The idea never left the planning stages. In the fall, Griffith contemplated leaving baseball to breed horses full-time. He already had over a hundred on his ranch, and figured the enterprise would be much more lucrative than baseball. Perhaps the graying manager was looking to settle down at age 37 after twenty years in the game. Clark made even bigger plans in 1908; he wanted a ball club."
Part 4

2012 October: The House That McGraw Built - John Thorn

bee-liner

"A batted ball that travels fast and straight, not far from the ground; a low line drive. IST USE. 1900. 'Newell scored on to bee-liner by Hamilton' (Idaho [Boise] Daily Statesman, May 3; Peter Morris)."
Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary

Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Cards

"Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Cards chronicles the history of baseball cards from the latter part of the 19th century up until WWI. Prior to the popularity of 'bubble gum cards,' which refers to baseball cards issued in packs of bubble gum throughout the mid to late 20th century, there were a great deal of baseball cards issued alongside other products. This book covers those cards that came packaged with tobacco, cigarettes, caramels, clothing, and other products. Compared to the famed Topps and Bowman sets of the 1950’s, little to nothing is known about these early cards. This book touches on the more well-known sets, such as the T206’s and Cracker Jack cards, and also delves into the lesser known sets, such as the Boston Store or Tango Egg cards. Regardless as to whether you’re an avid card collector or just a general history buff, this book will surely educate you on a fascinating group of sports cards."
amazon

The Rebirth of the T207- Brown Background Set – 100 years later
"A couple years ago, when I was co-writing my first e-book, Before there was Bubble Gum: Our favorite pre-World War I baseball cards, I became fascinated by the unique look of the T207 set. The T207 set, commonly known as the brown background set, was originally manufactured by the tobacco industry giant, the American Tobacco Company, in 1912. The T207 baseball cards measure 1½” by 2-5/8”. Shortly after this set was printed, the American Tobacco Company would be dissolved due to the Sherman anti-trust legislation that broke the monopoly on tobacco."
DeansCards

Washington Park

Washington Park 1911

"Washington Park was the name given to three major league Baseball parks on two different sites in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, located at 3rd St. and 4th Ave. The first two sites were diagonally opposite each other at that intersection. The third site was the same as the second site. ... The second Washington Park was bounded by 1st and 3rd Streets, and 3rd and 4th Avenues. It was located at 40°40′30″N 73°59′10″W. The park sat 18,800. It consisted of a covered grandstand behind the infield and uncovered stand down the right field line. The Brooklyn National Leaguers, by then often called the 'Superbas' as well as the 'Dodgers', moved into this new ballpark in 1898, where they would play for the next 15 seasons. On April 30, 1898, the Dodgers played their first game at new Washington Park and 15,000 fans attended. One of the more unusual features of the Park was the aroma from nearby factories and Gowanus Canal, which was a block away and curled around two sides of the ballpark. [Washington Park #2] Meanwhile, owner Charlie Ebbets slowly invested in the individual lots on a larger piece of property in Flatbush, which would become the site of Ebbets Field once he had the entire block. So in 1913, the Dodgers, at that time most often called the 'Robins' for their manager Wilbert Robinson, abandoned Washington Park."
Wikipedia

Washington Park

"Until October, 2010, along Third Avenue in Brooklyn, between First and Third Streets, and a little way along each street too, stood a very old brick wall. Just a third of the wall now remains, serving as the edge of a Con Edison storage yard, but this wall was once part of Washington Park. The question we want to answer is: which Washington Park? Is it part of the pre-Ebbets Field Dodger version, or was the wall erected in its entirety by the Tip Tops in 1914? The conventional wisdom is that the wall dates from perhaps 1899, a year after the Dodgers built the wooden Washington Park at this site, when they added a carriage house. As Barry Petchesky wrote in the New York Times in 2007: It is believed to be the oldest standing piece of a major league ballpark in the country. Certainly the original sketchy plan, from the Brooklyn Eagle in 1898, supports the idea of a carriage house along Third Avenue from the First Street corner."
The Washington Park Wall

Washington Park II, circa 1910

Stoic Link to Baseball History Stands Guard
"Once upon a time in Brooklyn, they used to play baseball here. Tucked away among ancient factories and garages is a massive relic of the Dodgers’ old ballpark. Not Ebbets Field, but Washington Park, where Brooklyn played before moving to Flatbush. It is believed to be the oldest standing piece of a major league ballpark in the country. And almost nobody knows it is there. At the foot of Park Slope, a block from the Gowanus Canal, is a Con Edison truck depot and storage facility bounded by First and Third Streets and Third and Fourth Avenues. Running the length of Third Avenue is a 20-foot-high stone wall that makes up part of a loading dock. The high, small windows of the wall have been bricked up. From 1898 to 1912, Washington Park was the home of the team alternately nicknamed the Bridegrooms, Superbas and Trolley Dodgers."
NY Times

4th Ave and 1st Street

Brooklyn wall loses Dodger pedigree, gains Wrigley connection
"After all the hoohah over the last surviving remnant of the Brooklyn Dodgers' home before Ebbets Field, it turns out that the wall in question isn't actually so much a Dodgers wall after all. 'I can say with absolute certainty that this wall was not part of Washington Park prior to the Brooklyn team's departure [in 1912],' historian and Brooklynpix proprietor Brian Merlis declares in today Daily News. 'It's still an historic wall, but there's no evidence ... that it's the original wall.' This will come as no surprise to readers of the BrooklynBallparks.com site (run by my Field of Schemes colleague David Dyte), which for years now has been quietly laying out evidence that the windowed brick wall running along Third Avenue between 1st and 3rd Streets in Gowanus was built in 1914, after the Dodgers' departure, when Washington Park was reconstructed to play host to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League."
Village Voice

1910 World Series

Remembering Philadelphia's first World Series champs
"It was a brisk October Sunday afternoon in 1910 at Chicago’s old West Side Park when Athletics pitcher Jack Coombs etched an indelible mark on Philadelphia’s baseball landscape. The right hander, who had already won Games 2 and 3 of the World Series behind a pair of complete games, was staked to a 3-1 series lead over the highly favored Cubs when he was given the ball again in Game 5. A win would not only give the Athletics their first World Series pennant, but also give Philadelphia its first major sports championship. Coombs weaved through the Cubs lineup for eight innings, scattering eight hits. He walked four, struck out four and surrendered two earned runs."
Philadelphia Baseball Review

Philadelphia Won the 1910 World Series Using Only Two Pitchers
"... The Athletics and Cubs were evenly matched. Fielder Jones, the veteran former Chicago White Sox manager, rated the Series a toss up. 'I don't believe anyone is wise who tries to name the winner of the upcoming World Series. If Chance's pitchers are as good as they were in 1907 and 1908, Chicago should have the edge. I know something about Bender, Plank, and Coombs, and that is they are three of the best in the business.' Chief Bender started the first game at Philadelphia. He went the distance, allowing only one unearned run in the ninth inning as the Athletics beat the Cubs, 4-1. The next day, Jack Coombs defeated Mordecai Brown, 9-3, in what was considered a sub par complete game performance. After a day for travel, Coombs started Game 3 on one day's rest. "The big fellow demonstrated that his poor showing in the Tuesday game had been due to lack of work. The lack of it was still apparent at the start of today's battle, but once through the second inning, with a strong margin of runs to work on Coombs struck his gait, and was unbeatable...."
Yahoo

"The 1910 World Series was a series of transition, featuring one team on the way up and another on the way out. On the way out was the Chicago Cubs, looking for one more championship to cap their their run of four National League championships in five years. Like always, the Cubs had a great pitching staff, leading the league in virtually every pitching staff. For once, they added a strong offense, leading the league in home runs and triples. But with most of their stars getting into their 30s (which was old for ballplayers in that era), they were running out of opportunities to win. On the way up was the Philadelphia Athletics. Though they had played in the World Series in 1905, much of their team had turned over by 1910. In their place was talented youngsters, including three-fourths of what would become the $100,000 Infield. Third baseman Frank Baker, shortstop Jack Berry, and second baseman Eddie Collins were in the starting lineup, and first baseman Stuffy McInnis was in his final year as a bench player. Those four would come to be known as the $100,000 Infield because of their eventual combined salaries. Yes, combined. The point is, they were stars, and their careers were just getting started."
The Sambard's Lair

Chief Bender

"A century ago Philadelphia sports fans followed their beloved Athletics as rabidly as the fans of today support their Phillies. The Athletics christened a new baseball stadium, Shibe Park, in 1910. Constructed at a cost of $315,249, the American League franchise shared the field with the National League Phillies. The park, with its distinctive French Renaissance style facade, ornate tower and arched windows, was the envy of the baseball world. A ticket to the 1910 World Series, matching the American League champion A's against the National League Chicago Cubs, was a prize possession. Three days before the series began at Shibe Park, the Tamaqua Courier advised local fans not to venture to the ballpark if they didn't have a ticket to the game. One writer said that Schuylkill County baseball fans would have a difficult time even obtaining a bleacher seat."
The local area was well represented at the 1910 World Series

"The 1910 World Series featured the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago Cubs, with the Athletics winning in five games to earn their first championship. Jack Coombs of Philadelphia won three games and Eddie Collins supplied timely hitting. The greatest Cubs team in history closed out its glory years, only ten years into the new century."
Wikipedia

1910 World Series Footage
Game footage of the 1910 World Series between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago Cubs. Eddie Collins, Connie Mack, Frank Chance, Chief Bender, Jack Coombs, Frank Baker,
YouTube

Big Ed Walsh

"Edward Augustine 'Ed' Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. From 1906 to 1912, he had several dominant seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his career. Walsh holds the record for lowest career earned run average, 1.82. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a remarkable major league career. He made his major league debut in 1904 with the Chicago White Sox and pitched his first full season in 1906, going 17–13 with a 1.88 ERA and 171 strikeouts. From this season through 1912, Walsh averaged 24 victories, 220 strikeouts and posted an ERA below 2.00 five times. He also led the league in saves five times in this span. His finest individual season came in 1908 when he went 40–15 with 269 strikeouts, 6 saves and a 1.42 ERA. In 1910, he posted the lowest ERA (1.27) for a pitcher with at least 20 starts and a losing record. Walsh also set an American League record by pitching 464 innings in a season."
Wikipedia

"From 1907 to 1912, Big Ed” Walsh tested the limits of a pitcher's endurance like no pitcher has since. During that stretch the spitballing right-hander led the American League in innings pitched four times, often by staggeringly large margins. He hurled a total of 2,248 innings, 300 more than any other pitcher in baseball. He started 18 more games than any other pitcher, and led the American League during that stretch in games finished and saves, though the latter statistic would not be tracked for another 60 years. His finest season came in 1908, when Walsh became the last pitcher in baseball history to win 40 games, and hurled an incredible 464 innings, 73 1/3 more than any other pitcher in baseball. A fierce competitor, Walsh wanted the heavy workload the White Sox hoisted upon him. He also fielded his position with as much agility as any pitcher in the history of the game. During his six-year stretch of historic greatness, Walsh accumulated 963 assists, an amazing 344 more than any other pitcher in baseball. He fielded bunts like a territorial animal."
SABR

Ed Walsh Remembers"... Did you ever see Larry Lajoie bat? No. Then you missed something. I want to tell you that there was one of the greatest hitters–and fielders, too–ever in baseball. There’s no telling the records he’d have made if he’d hit against the lively ball. To tell you about my greatest day, I’ll have to go back there to October, 1908, when I fanned Larry with the bases full and the White Sox chances for the pennant hanging on every pitch to the big Frenchman. That was October 3, and the day after I had that great game with Addie Joss and he beat me 1 to 0 with a perfect game; no run–no hits-no man reached first. There was a great pitcher and a grand fellow, Addie. One of my closest friends and he’d have been one of the best of all time only for his untimely death two years later. That game was a surprise to both of us for we were sitting on a tarpaulin talking about having some singing in the hotel that night, when Lajoie, who managed Cleveland, and Fielder Jones told us to warm up. A pitcher never knew when he’d work in those days."
Our Game - John Thorn

Dressed to the Nines: Lettering

 Spalding’s Official Metropolitan Base Ball Book of 1910

 "The interlocking 'NY' logo of the New York Yankees, the Old English 'D' of the Detroit Tigers, and the scripted 'Dodgers' of Los Angeles are immediately recognizable design elements of the baseball uniform. They not only identify the club, but help define a marketable look. Above all, they 'scream' baseball. While some clubs have changed lettering styles over the years, and some continue to alter designs in their search for the perfect look, each team is trying to present a unique and immediately recognizable design. In the early days of baseball, most clubs wore uniforms with either no lettering or only a single letter. If a single character was displayed on a uniform, it was generally the first letter of the team’s host city or town, but team nicknames were also represented. Lettering styles varied from club to club, but a single letter in an Old English font was particularly popular during baseball’s amateur era."
Dressed to the Nines: Lettering

Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner

"Welcome back to our 30 for 30 documentary short series. The latest film is Holy Grail: The T206 Honus Wagner from Nick and Colin Barnicle. The T206 Honus Wagner is the most famous baseball card in the world. Bought and sold many times over, the copy once owned by Wayne Gretzky has now appreciated to nearly $3 million. But, this gem may have been doctored. From mere speculation, the accusations of alteration have risen all the way to federal indictments. But this is still 'just' a baseball card. It is a small square in the tapestry of our national pastime. And, as the art world readily illustrates, it may be that no matter what was done or not done to 'The Card,' its value really does lie in the eye of the beholder."
Grantland (Video)

"... The film, which features interviews with the Daily News’ Michael O’Keeffe and broadcaster/collector Keith Olbermann, tracks how sports memorabilia king Bill Mastro bought the Gretzky T206 Wagner in the 1980s and turned it into the most desired and expensive baseball card in history. The short also examines how longstanding rumors that the card was trimmed sparked an FBI investigation that resulted in a fraud indictment for Mastro and several associates. Mastro was expected to plead guilty to one count of fraud earlier this month in Chicago federal court – and to acknowledge that the T206 Wagner had been trimmed. But the judge rejected his plea deal, and Mastro is scheduled to return to court on March 19."
NY Daily News

1903 photograph of Honus Wagner. Chicago Daily News

T206 Honus Wagner
"The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time. The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue, either because he did not want children to buy cigarette packs to get his card, or because he wanted more compensation from the ATC. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 60 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public. In 1933, the card was first listed at a price value of US$50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog, making it the most expensive baseball card in the world at the time. The most famous T206 Honus Wagner is the 'Gretzky T206 Honus Wagner' card. The card has a controversial past, as some speculate that it was once altered, based on the card's odd texture and shape. The Gretzky T206 Wagner was first sold by Alan Ray to a baseball memorabilia collector named Bill Mastro, who sold the card two years later to Jim Copeland for nearly four times the price he had originally paid. Copeland's sizable transaction revitalized interest in the sports memorabilia collection market."
Wikipedia

The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card
"Only a few dozen T206 Wagners are known to still exist, having been released in limited numbers just after the turn of the twentieth century. Most, with their creases and stains, look like they've been around for nearly one hundred years. But one—The Card—appears to have defied the travails of time. Its sharp corners and still-crisp portrait make it the single-most famous—and most desired—baseball card on the planet, valued today at more than two million dollars. It has transformed a simple hobby into a billion-dollar industry that is at times as lawless as the Wild West. Everything about The Card, which has made men wealthy as well as poisoned lifelong relationships, is fraught with controversy—from its uncertain origins to the nagging possibility that it might not be exactly as it seems. In this intriguing, eye-opening, and groundbreaking look at a uniquely American obsession, award-winning investigative reporters Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson follow The Card's trail from a Florida flea market to the hands of the world's most prominent collectors. The Card sheds a fascinating new light on a world of counterfeiters, con men, and the people who profit from what used to be a pastime for kids."
amazon

Danger Talbert

"... Versatile ballplayers like Talbert get pegged in retrospect as utility men, as substitutes. These terms seem to apply a fill-in role. This was not the case when he was a pro. As a young teenager, he began as a catcher and then moved to many spots. In the late 1890s with local clubs, he in fact did bounce between positions. As a pro, he covered second base and shortstop for stretches but played much of entire seasons as at third base. His movement from position to position indicates not only his versatility but it just as much indicates his team’s needs on a year-by-year basis. He played a decade with the top black clubs, mainly in the west for Frank Leland’s clubs, beginning at age 23. However, he had at least eight years of competitive experience before hitting Chicago permanently."
Baseball History Blog

Chicago Tribune 5/7/1913

"Dangerfield F. 'Danger' Talbert (March 8, 1878 – January 1, 1913) was an African-American baseball third baseman in the pre-Negro leagues. Talbert was born in Platte City, Missouri and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, attending the public schools there. He began his career as a baseball player at Omaha High School, working as a catcher at 16 years old. Talbert came to Chicago in 1900 signing with W. S. Peters' Chicago Unions, playing third base where he stayed for most of his career. He played mostly for Chicago teams, with the exception of a couple years with the Algona Brownies of Iowa. He played a winter season with the Cuban X-Giants and returned again for regular season play with the Leland Giants. Talbert played with the Leland Giants until a court battle split the team in 1910. Wright went with Frank Leland to the Chicago Giants and played there in 1910 and 1911."
Wikipedia

[PDF] Big Game on the South Side - Wisconsin Historical Society

amazon: The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues

Mack, McGraw And The 1913 Baseball Season

"The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics met in the World Series three times between 1905 and 1913. Each team had its future Hall of Famers. The Athletics had owner and manager Connie Mack as well as Eddie Plank, Chief Bender, Eddie Collins, and Frank 'Home Run' Baker. The Giants had manager John McGraw and pitchers Christy Mathewson and Rube Marquard. Adler, a microbiologist and baseball historian, tells the story of the legendary 1913 season. Early on, he focuses on the lives of Mack and McGraw, then segues to chapters on each team’s regular season and on each game of the epic World Series. An epilogue recaps the subsequent careers of the principals. Adler includes fascinating period details to provide a context and fleshes out the players and managers so they are more than just shadowy black-and-white images. Readers will need to bring an interest in baseball history to this volume, but those who do will be rewarded with a revealing look at both some of the game’s greatest players and one of the most memorable World Series of all time. --Wes Lukowsky"
amazon