When the Dodgers Were Bridegrooms


Book Description

Urbane real estate investor Charles Byrne and hustling news editor George J. Taylor joined forces in 1883 to create the club that would become the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nicknamed the "Bridegrooms" by sportswriters after several players got married, they won their first major league pennants in 1889 and 1890 under pioneering manager Bill "Gunner" McGunnigle. This first history of the birth of the Dodgers franchise chronicles the owners' efforts to build the team, woo fans, and oversee the antics of the colorful cast of athletes--with nicknames like "Adonis," "Needles," and "Oyster"--who filled the Bridegrooms' roster.




Dodgers!


Book Description

In the 1880s, a Brooklyn baseball manager plotted to steal pitching signs and alert batters with a hidden electrical wire. In 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers were robbed of a pennant via a sign-stealing scheme involving a center field office, a telescope and a button connected to the bullpen phone. In 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers were robbed of a World Series championship via a sign-stealing system involving a TV camera, a monitor, a trash can and a bat. History has often repeated itself around the Dodgers franchise. From their beginnings as the Brooklyn Atlantics to their move from Flatbush to L.A. and into the 21st Century, the Dodgers have seen heartbreaking losses and stirring triumphs, broken the color barrier, turned the game into a true coast-to-coast sport and produced many Hall of Famers, This is their story.




"Our Bums"


Book Description

Baseball fans may know the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but they don't know the whole story. With a foreword by Branch Barrett Rickey (grandson of Branch Rickey), this book fills the void in Dodgers scholarship, exploring their impact on popular culture and revealing lesser-known details of the team's history. Personal stories are included from the fans who embraced Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Erskine, Roy Campanella and other icons of Ebbets Field. Drawing on archival documents, contemporary press accounts and fan interviews, the author brings to life the magic of the Dodgers, chronicling in detail the genesis, glory and demise of the team that changed baseball--and America.




The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All Time


Book Description

The Dodgers have played more than 10,000 games as a franchise. Their 50 greatest games span two coasts and three centuries worth of baseball. They include: • A doubleheader that lasted six and a half innings combined • A single game that featured three teams on the field • A game in which the Dodgers didn’t record a hit – and won • The games in which the single-season and career home run records were broken • Three perfect games and two no-hitters • The longest game in major league history • The first major league game ever televised • A game in which the Dodgers’ pitcher lost consciousness on the field • An exhibition game that drew 93,103 spectators • The first integrated game in major league history The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games features all the best players to don the uniform: Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, Kirk Gibson, Zack Wheat, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Clayton Kershaw, Steve Garvey, Don Drysdale, Pee Wee Reese and more. It also features some of the unsung heroes of baseball history, like Cookie Lavagetto, Vic Davalillo, Sandy Amoros, Al Gionfriddo and Joe McGinnity. For the first time, their performances are laid side-by-side in this account of the greatest Dodgers games ever played. Which game ranks number one?




Dodgers in the Hall of Fame


Book Description

Among the most successful franchises in the long and glorious history of baseball, the Dodgers have captured 25 pennants and have been crowned world champions seven times; only five teams in history have claimed more World Series titles. The Dodgers are baseball's most transformative franchise. In 1947, Jackie Robinson changed the face of baseball and America. They built Dodgertown in 1948; became the first major-league team to own a plane; and spurred the move west in 1958, where Sandy Koufax redefined pitching dominance. Herein lies the story of the men who have worn Dodger blue on their way to becoming baseball immortals, forever enshrined in Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame.




A Companion to American Sport History


Book Description

A Companion to American Sport History presents a collection of original essays that represent the first comprehensive analysis of scholarship relating to the growing field of American sport history. Presents the first complete analysis of the scholarship relating to the academic history of American sport Features contributions from many of the finest scholars working in the field of American sport history Includes coverage of the chronology of sports from colonial times to the present day, including major sports such as baseball, football, basketball, boxing, golf, motor racing, tennis, and track and field Addresses the relationship of sports to urbanization, technology, gender, race, social class, and genres such as sports biography Awarded 2015 Best Anthology from the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH)




Historical Dictionary of Baseball


Book Description

Dating back to 1869 as an organized professional sport, the game of baseball is not only the oldest professional sport in North America, but also symbolizes much more. Walt Whitman described it as “our game, the American game,” and George Will compared calling baseball “just a game” to the Grand Canyon being “just a hole.” Countless others have called baseball “the most elegant game,” and to those who have played it, it’s life. The Historical Dictionary of Baseball is primarily devoted to the major leagues it also includes entries on the minor leagues, the Negro Leagues, women’s baseball, baseball in various other countries, and other non-major league related topics. It traces baseball, in general, and these topics individually, from their beginnings up to the present. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 900 cross-referenced entries on the roles of the players on the field—batters, pitchers, fielders—as well as non-playing personnel—general managers, managers, coaches, and umpires. There are also entries for individual teams and leagues, stadiums and ballparks, the role of the draft and reserve clause, and baseball’s rules, and statistical categories. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the sport of baseball.




Los Angeles Dodgers, The


Book Description

A revised Team Spirit Baseball edition featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers that chronicles the history and accomplishments of the team. The Team Spirit series paints an engaging, detailed yet accessible picture of professional sports teams. By focusing on the history, great victories and memorable personalities, the books have an enduring quality that will not go out of date quickly. The text is enhanced with plenty of full color photographs as well as reproductions of vintage trading cards and team memorabilia.




Los Angeles Dodgers


Book Description

Sandy Koufax. Don Drysdale. Maury Wills. Steve Garvey. Don Sutton. Fernando Valenzuela. Tommy Lasorda. Shawn Green. Eric Gagne. Since 1958, names like these have made the Los Angeles Dodgers into one of baseball's most successful and envied teams. Over the years, the team has won an astonishing nine National League championships and five World Series.Some familiar faces from their Brooklyn roots, including Gil Hodges and Duke Snider, led the Dodgers to their first championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1959; and a sparkling new Dodger Stadium featured the 1960s-era stars of Drysdale, Koufax, and Wills. The 1970s brought a record-setting infield and a Big Blue Wrecking Crew, led by manager Lasorda who claimed to "bleed Dodger blue." The 1980s placed the spotlight on "Fernandomania" and Kirk Gibson's World Series home run, which was later voted "the Greatest Moment in Southern California sports history." The team also heralded a new era of international players into the ranks of the major leagues, thanks to Valenzuela and later to Hideo Nomo, who made a successful transition from Japan to the Dodgers in 1995.




The Dodgers


Book Description

In the annals of baseball, the history of few other teams can compare to the rich legacy of the Dodgers. Stout provides their definitive story, from their birth in Brooklyn in 1884 to their move to Los Angeles to present day.