History of the National League: 1876-1900


Book Description

The newly formed NL was strong enough to defeat competition from 3 other leagues but was also guilty of codifying two ills: creation of the reserve clause which bound a player to 1 team, and barred blacks from play. The senior league underwent a host of rule changes (balls, strikes, distance from pitcher's mound to home plate), but ill-tempered players, riotous fans, and corrupt owners made the former Western League (now known as the American League) an attractive option in 1901.




Baseball in New Orleans


Book Description

In July of 1859, seventy-five young New Orleanians came together to form the seven teams that comprised the Louisiana Base Ball Club. They played their games in the fields of the de la Chaise estate on the outskirts of New Orleans near present-day Louisiana Avenue. As America's population grew through immigration, so did the popularity of what the largest newspaper in New Orleans, the Daily Picayune, called in November of 1860 "the National Game." Baseball quickly replaced cricket as the city's most popular participant sport. In 1887, local businessmen and promoters secured a minor league franchise for the city of New Orleans in the newly formed Southern League, beginning the city's 73-year love affair with the New Orleans Pelicans. From Shoeless Joe Jackson, to Hall of Famers Dazzy Vance, Joe Sewell, Bob Lemon, and Earl Weaver, to today's stars such as Jeff Cirillo and Lance Berkman, the road to the majors brought many notable players through New Orleans. From these early beginnings to the present-day New Orleans Zephyrs of the AAA Pacific Coast League, local fans have continued the tradition of baseball in New Orleans.




History of the National League 1901-2023


Book Description

Page through a year-by-year journey through MLB’s oldest league and this is what you will get… End-of-year standings that include teams who placed 1st in Batting, Pitching, and Fielding. League notes highlighting rule changes, trends, trades, suspensions, and winning/losing streaks. Noteworthy games: high scores, batting fetes, records set End-of-the-year awards: Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, MVP, those entering the Hall of Fame, and World Series outcomes. What NL team has won the most Series championships? Who’s 2nd? All NL teams – past and present, are here, including the Boston Braves, Montreal Expos, and the Houston Astros. Which NL team changed their name to the Bees? A few years later, another became the Blue Jays! Both returned to their former selves a few years later. Follow the dynasties (the St. Louis Cardinals, New York/San Francisco Giants, and the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers), or legends like Wagner, Dean, or Musial; Jackie Robinson, Mays, Koufax, Bench, and Seaver. Those who soon followed were Gwynn, Maddux, Bonds, Walker and Larkin. Current stars like Joey Votto, Clayton Kershaw, Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Jacob de Grom, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Fernando Tatis are also included.




Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870


Book Description

By 1871, the popularity of baseball had spread so thoroughly across America that one writer observed, "It is as much our national game as cricket is that of the English." While major league teams and athletes that played after this prophetic statement was made have been exhaustively documented and analyzed, those that led the game during its pioneer phase from 1850 to 1870 have received relatively little attention. In this welcome work, leading historians of early baseball provide profiles of more than fifty clubs and their players, from legendary teams such as the Red Stockings of Cincinnati and the Nationals of Washington to forgotten nines like the Pecatonica (Illinois) Base Ball Club and the Morning Star Club of St. Louis. Engaging narratives bring these long-ago clubs back to life, stimulating more research on this fascinating era and creating a standard reference source for all who study America's national pastime.




History of the Chicago Cubs 1901-2023


Book Description

Lovers of history, baseball, and most certainly the Chicago Cubs, get to follow the north siders on this year-by-year journey that starts in 1901. Long before Bryant to Baez to Rizzo was the legendary double-play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance. That dominant 1906-1910 team won two World Series (1907, 1908) but the franchise had to wait 108 years to claim another. Who’s Hippo Vaughn? Possibly the best lefty pitcher the Cubs ever had. Who’s Hack Wilson? His MLB RBI record still stands. And what’s with Babe Ruth’s Called Shot, the 1938 Homer in the Gloamin’, or the story behind a 4-legged goat? Who was the Cubs 1st MVP, 1st Rookie of the Year, or Cy Young Award winner? Follow Sammy Sosa in the famous home run race in 1998, and papa Joe Maddon’s crew as they brought home the long-awaited trophy in 2016. It’s all here. Yearly Standings also includes how the Cubs compared with others in Batting, Pitching, and Fielding. The club’s top pitchers and hitters, a list of rookies, and those obtained in a trade. Club news and dozens of noteworthy games (the winning or losing pitcher and batting stars) League news, listing of other league games, and year-end awards.




History of the American League 1901-2023


Book Description

In 1901, the 25-year-old National League once again had competition - but this time the new league stayed. In AL’s 1st year, the NY Yankees didn’t exist, the Cleveland and Boston clubs went by different names, and finances forced the Milwaukee Brewers to move to St. Louis where they were known as the Browns. AL’s peaks and valleys include the Deadball Era, the 1919 scandal, the 56-game hitting streak and baseball’s last .400 hitter – both in 1941; the Yankees’ continual dominance; expansion; strikes, the steroid era, etc. Yesterdays and today’s stars are all here! End-of-year standings that include who placed 1st in batting, pitching, and fielding. League notes that highlight rule changes, trends, trades, suspensions, and winning/losing streaks. Noteworthy games: high scores, batting fetes, records set or broken. End-of-the-year awards: Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, MVP, and those entering the Hall of Fame. World Series outcomes. What AL team is 2nd to the NY Yankees in championships? All AL teams are here (including when the Athletics were in Philadelphia), as are the legends: Cobb, Joe Jackson, Babe Ruth, Gehrig, Feller, DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Brooks Robinson, and Yaz. Those who followed include Kirk Gibson, Jose Canseco, Dennis Eckersley, Frank Thomas, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, and Alex Rodriguez. You also get current stars like Jason Verlander, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani.




America's Game


Book Description

This comprehensive survey of major league baseball looks at the national pastime’s legendary figures, major innovations, and pivotal moments, from the beginning of the twentieth century through World War II. In America's Game: A History of Major League Baseball through World War II, Bryan Soderholm-Difatte provides a comprehensive narrative of the major developments and key figures in Major League Baseball, during a time when the sport was still truly the national pastime. Soderholm-Difatte details pivotal moments—including the founding of the American League, the 1919 Black Sox scandal, and navigating the Great Depression and two World Wars—and concludes with a chapter examining the exclusion of black ballplayers from the major leagues. Central personalities covered in this book include baseball executives Judge Landis and Branch Rickey, managers John McGraw and Joe McCarthy, and iconic players such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. America’s Game isn’t simply about celebrating the exploits of great players and teams; it is just as much about the history of Major League Baseball as an institution and the evolution of the game itself. With significant changes taking place in baseball in recent times, this book will remind baseball fans young and old of the rich history of the game.




Arlie Latham


Book Description

One of early baseball's most popular celebrities, Arlie Latham played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1880s. A brainy hitter and base-runner, he was also the sport's brashest, funniest player, his "fresh" personality bringing him as much trouble as reward. He played with the 19th century's greatest names, and was friends with everyone from King Kelly to King George V. He parlayed his stardom into a vaudeville career and the first official major league coaching job. In his fifties he carried the game he loved into world war to cheer Allied troops and in his seventies went to work for the Yankees. Arlie Latham's baseball odyssey is made more compelling by the parade of players, gamblers, boxers, actors, women and mascots that passes through it, providing a unique glimpse into America's game and the people who loved it.







The Yankee Encyclopedia


Book Description