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Where does that endless supply of facts, figures, statistics and trivia that braodcasters spout actually come from? SABR takes the inside story of the development of baseball research, its resources, techniques and fascinating anecdotes by the folks who dig it up.
The following men, significant to the game of baseball, share in common only their attendance at the University of Notre Dame: The greatest figure of 19th century base ball; the team president of the home team of the first ever major league game (National Association); the youngest man to pitch a minor league no-hitter and win 20 games in the majors; the first ever Native American in the majors; the only man to ever throw a double-header shout out; the creator of the All-Star game; the minor league executive credited with saving the minor leagues during the Great Depression; the sportswriter who became the general manager of the Chicago Cubs; the star of the 1967 Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season; and the hero of Game Seven of the 1997 World Series. These men and many more from Notre Dame-including a total of 72 (thus far) who have gone on to play in the major leagues-made great contributions to our national pastime.
Today the baseball catcher is a familiar but uninspiring figure. Decked out in the so-called tools of ignorance, he stolidly goes about his duty without attracting much attention. But it wasn't always that way, as Peter Morris shows in this lively and original study. In baseball's early days, catchers stood a safe distance back of the batter. Then the introduction of the curveball in the 1870s led them to move up directly behind home plate, even though they still wore no gloves or protective equipment. Extraordinary courage became the catcher's most notable requirement, but the new positioning also demanded that the catcher have lightning-fast reflexes, great hands, and a cannon for a throwing arm. With so great a range of needed skills, a special mystique came to surround the position, and it began to seem that a good catcher could single-handedly make the difference between winning and losing.
Arguing about the merits of players is the baseball fan's second favorite pastime and every year the Hall of Fame elections spark heated controversy. In a book that's sure to thrill--and infuriate--countless fans, Bill James takes a hard look at the Hall, probing its history, its politics and, most of all, its decisions.
With almost 150 years of baseball history, the stories of many players from before 1900 were long obscured. The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) first attempted to remedy this in 1989 by publishing a collection of 136 fascinating biographies of talented late-1800s players. Twenty-three years later, "Nineteenth Century Stars" has been updated with revised stats and re-released in both a new paperback and in ebook form.
Indiana boasts a rich baseball tradition, with 10 native sons enshrined in Cooperstown. This biographical dictionary provides a close look at the lives of all 364 Hoosier big leaguers, who include New York City's first baseball superstar; the first rookie pitcher to win three games in a World Series; the man who caught most of Cy Young's record 511 career wins; one of the game's first star relievers; the player who held the record for consecutive games played before Lou Gehrig; an obscure infielder mentioned in Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip; baseball's only one-legged pitcher; Indiana's first Mr. Basketball, who became one of baseball's greatest pinch-hitters; the first African American to play for the Cincinnati Reds; the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in the World Series; the skipper of the 1969 "Miracle Mets"; the pitcher for whom a ground-breaking surgical procedure is named; and the only two men to have played in both the World Series and the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Hal Chase is considered by many to be one of the best first basemen ever to play the game of baseball. He was able to make the routine look spectacular, the spectacular look routine. But Chase will never have his plaque in Cooperstown because he has gone down in history as the biggest crook in baseball. Chase was repeatedly accused of throwing games, bribing players, betting against his own team, and various other crimes, yet with his relaxed nature he always managed to get off the hook for his misdeeds by working his charm. His major league career lasted from 1905 to 1919, and by the mid-1930s he was a destitute alcoholic living off friends. The last fifteen years of Chase's life saw him hospitalized repeatedly for a variety of ailments, living off a sister and brother-in-law who loathed him. This work traces the turbulent life and times of Hal Chase from his humble beginnings to his sad end.
Roger Bresnahan began his major league baseball career in 1897 as an 18-year-old pitcher and ended it in 1915 as a catcher, after famously introducing shin guards for the position. He was so widely admired that the Baseball Hall of Fame awarded him a plaque only six years after it opened. He played every position, coached, and managed. He survived a near-fatal accident on the field and, as a first responder, helped save lives during the aftermath of a horrific railroad crash. He was later principal owner and president of the Toledo American Association franchise for eight years. This first-ever biography, based on many years of research, covers Bresnahan's entire life and playing career as it intersected with American history.
This is an anthology of 14 papers that were presented at the Ninth Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, held in June 1997 and co-sponsored by the State University of New York at Oneonta and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. To mark the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in major league baseball the 1997 Symposium was dedicated to Robinson. These papers focus on Robinson, baseball, and race relations and are divided into three parts: "Before Robinson," "Robinson and Social Change" and "The Legacy of Robinson." The preface is by series editor Alvin L. Hall, and an introduction is provided by the editor of the volume, Peter M. Rutkoff.
Though they never led the league in double plays turned, and though at times they actively disliked one another, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance of the Chicago Cubs have for decades been called one of the greatest, most colorful and most memorable double-play combinations of all time. But their places in the Hall of Fame have been disputed by some who believe their reputation rests with a piece of Franklin P. Adams doggerel. This triple biography of Tinker, Evers, and Chance covers each man's career and life before and after baseball, giving special attention to their relationship on and off the field. The author also considers the trio's induction into the Hall of Fame in 1946 and examines the arguments made on both sides of the debate.