Here is an eye-opening look at one of baseball's most intriguing and little known stories: the many-faceted relationship between Jews and black baseball in Jim Crow America.
In Out of Left Field, Rebecca Alpert explores how Jewish sports entrepreneurs, political radicals, and a team of black Jews from Belleville, Virginia called the Belleville Grays--the only Jewish team in the history of black baseball--made their mark on the segregated world of the Negro Leagues. Through in-depth research, Alpert tells the stories of the Jewish businessmen who owned and promoted teams as they both acted out and fell victim to pervasive stereotypes of Jews as greedy middlemen and hucksters. Some Jewish owners produced a kind of comedy baseball, akin to basketball's Harlem Globetrotters--indeed, Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein was very active in black baseball--that reaped financial benefits for both owners and players but also played upon the worst stereotypes of African Americans and prevented these black "showmen" from being taken seriously by the major leagues. But Alpert also shows how Jewish entrepreneurs, motivated in part by the traditional Jewish commitment to social justice, helped grow the business of black baseball in the face of the oppressive Jim Crow restrictions, and how radical journalists writing for the Communist Daily Worker argued passionately for an end to baseball's segregation. In fact, the campaign to convince manager Branch Rickey to integrate the Brooklyn Dodgers was initiated by Daily Worker sports writer Bill Mardo, in an open letter in the paper.
Deftly written and meticulously researched, Out of Left Field offers a unique perspective on the economic and social negotiations between blacks and Jews in the first half of the 20th century, shedding new light on the intersection of race, religion, and sports in America.

The Cubs were at the end of the best five-season run of any team in history, based regular season wins. The team featured Three Finger Brown, the famed double play combination of Tinker to Evers to Chance, and the other players who together won 530 games in the 1906-1910 seasons. They won four National League pennants and were the first team to win consecutive World Series, in 1907 and 1908. After winning 104 games in 1909 and finishing second in the League, the Cubs came back in 1910 to win the pennant again-they seemed unstoppable. Going into the World Series, the Cubs-favored to win-were at the end of a great run and the Philadelphia A's were at the start of one. This book tells the story of the changing of the guard in baseball in 1910, and how these two great teams assembled. The narrative takes in the history of early 20th century baseball, featuring men like Ben Shibe, Connie Mack, Eddie Collins, Frank Baker, Chief Bender, and many others.

Despite his outstanding pitching record, James Francis ""Pud"" Galvin (1856-1902) was largely forgotten after his premature death. During his 17-year career pitching for Pittsburgh, Buffalo and St. Louis, he was one of the best-paid players in the game. He died penniless. The diminutive hurler was the first to reach 300 wins, long before that statistic was considered a benchmark of excellence. Only four pitchers have amassed more victories. But because he played in two leagues today not considered ""major,"" not all of his wins have been counted by the baseball establishment. Through the efforts of a determined researcher, Galvin's record was documented decades after his death and he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1965 with 365 wins. This book offers the first comprehensive telling of Galvin's story, covering his complete record and his use of a testosterone-based concoction-with eye-popping results-which earned him criticism as a pioneer of performance enhancing drugs.

From its colorful and scandalous beginnings more than a century ago, baseball's annual Most Valuable Player Award has evolved into the most prestigious-and contentious-individual honor in the sport. No award means more to the players, the media, or the fans-and as any observer of the game can attest, no other award can claim a voting history so rich in snubs, grudges, conspiracies, and incompetence. Baseball's MVP Mysteries: Baffling Ballots and What They Tell Us looks at the past, present, and future of the MVP Award by diving into the most controversial ballots of all time. Which of the so-called ""worst MVPs"" can hold up to contemporary statistical analysis? Who cast the single worst vote in MVP history? Does racial bias influence the MVP vote? Who really deserved the award in a given year? Baseball's MVP Mysteries: Baffling Ballots and What They Tell Us will attempt to answer these questions, right some wrongs, unravel some threads, and look at some very familiar faces in unfamiliar ways. This book won't settle every argument about the most infuriating of major sports awards, but it will have fun in trying.

From the vaudeville gyrations of New York Giants star pitchers Rube Marquard and Christy Mathewson, to Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as hoofing infielders in Take Me Out to the Ball Game, to the stage and screen versions of Damn Yankees, the connection between baseball and dance is an intimate, perhaps surprising one. Covering more than a century of dancing ballplayers and baseball-inspired dance, this entertaining study examines the connection in film and television, in theatrical productions and in choreography created for some of the greatest dancers and dance companies in the world.

Cincinnati Reds leadoff hitter Johnny Temple batted over .300 three times between 1954 and 1959. A tobacco chewing, tough-talking hustler, he had a fiery disposition on the field which led many sportswriters, teammates and opposing players to refer to him as a throwback to baseball's early days-an Eddie Stanky or Enos Slaughter type who would challenge anyone to a fight. He and Milwaukee Braves shortstop Johnny Logan engaged in one of the Major League's longest-running feuds. Temple was an expert glove man, forming one of the premier double play combinations of the 1950s with shortstop Roy McMillan. Following his retirement in 1964, making ends meet became a daily struggle. Temple's life ended in disappointment and disgrace.

The history of baseball is filled with players whose careers were defined by one bad play. Mike Torrez is remembered as the pitcher who gave up the infamous three-run homer to Bucky ""Bleeping"" Dent in the 1978 playoffs tie-breaker between the Red Sox and Yankees. Yet Torrez's life added up to much more than his worst moment on the mound. Coming from a vibrant Mexican American community that settled in Topeka, Kansas, in the early 1900s, he made it to the Majors by his own talent and efforts, with the help of an athletic program for Mexican youth that spread through the Midwest, Texas and Mexico during the 20th century. He was in the middle of many transformative events of the 1970s-such as the rise of free agency-and was an ethnic role model in the years before the ""Fernandomania"" of 1981. This book covers Torrez's life and career as the winningest Mexican American pitcher in Major League history.

The New York Yankees were the strongest team in the major leagues from 1948-1960, capturing the American League Pennant 10 times and winning seven World Championships. Ask the average baseball fan who made the Yankees so dominant and most will mention players such as Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, or Mickey Mantle. Some may insist that manager Casey Stengel was the key. But sports pundits at the time, and respected sports historians today consider the real genius behind the Yankees' success their general manager, a portly, often taciturn, and very shy man named George Martin Weiss. Weiss loved baseball but lacked the ability to play the game. What he had was the savvy to run a baseball team better than virtually anyone he competed against. Weiss spent more than 50 years in baseball, including nearly 30 years with the Yankees. Before he was Yankee GM, he created and ran their superlative farm system that continuously supplied talented players to the parent club. When the Yankees fired him at age 67, because he was ""too old"", the newly franchised New York Mets immediately hired him to build their team. This is the first in-depth biography of George M. Weiss, who, when inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1972, was hailed for contributing ""as much to baseball as any man the game could ever know.

The National Pastime's rich history and vast cache of statistics have provided fans and researchers a gold mine of narrative and data since the late 19th century. Many books have been written about Major League Baseball's most famous games. This one takes a different approach, focusing on MLB's most historically significant games. Some will be familiar to baseball scholars, such as the October afternoon in 1961 when Roger Maris eclipsed Babe Ruth's single-season home run record, or the compelling sixth game of the 1975 World Series. Other fascinating games are less well known: the day at the Polo Grounds in 1921, when a fan named Reuben Berman filed a lawsuit against the New York Giants, winning fans the right to keep balls hit into the stands; the first televised broadcast of an MLB game in 1939; opening night of the Houston Astrodome in 1965, when spectators no longer had to be taken out to the ballgame; or the spectator-less April 2015 Orioles-White Sox game, played in an empty stadium in the wake of the Baltimore riots. Each game is listed in chronological order, with detailed historical background and a box score.

Long before Hank Greenberg earned recognition as baseball's greatest Jewish player, Jews had developed a unique, and very close, relationship with the American pastime. In the late nineteenth century, as both the American Jewish population and baseball's popularity grew rapidly, baseball became an avenue by which Jewish immigrants could assimilate into American culture. Beyond the men (and, later, women) on the field, in the dugout, and at the front office, the Jewish community produced a huge base of fans and students of the game. This important book examines the interrelated histories of baseball and American Jews to 1948-the year Israel was established, the first full season that both major leagues were integrated, and the summer that Hank Greenberg retired. Covered are the many players, from Pike to Greenberg, as well as the managers, owners, executives, writers, statisticians, manufacturers and others who helped forge a bond between baseball and an emerging Jewish culture in America. Key reasons for baseball's early appeal to Jews are examined, including cultural assimilation, rebellion against perceived Old World sensibilities, and intellectual and philosophical ties to existing Jewish traditions. The authors also clearly demonstrate how both Jews and baseball have benefited from their relationship.

This history follows up on the well-received first volume and traces the arc of Jews in baseball after Hank Greenberg retired in 1948. During this postwar period, Jews saw greater acceptance into the American mainstream as organized anti-Semitism was largely displaced by greater affluence, education, and a more geographically dispersed Jewish community. Jews continued to flourish in baseball - new stars like Al Rosen, Sandy Koufax and Shawn Green debuted, and off the field the era brought more Jewish owners, executives, sportswriters, broadcasters, and even a commissioner. This book further demonstrates how and why Jews and baseball have continued to grow together.

Ralph Kiner (1922-2014) was one of the most feared power hitters of his era. Babe Ruth predicted Kiner would be the slugger most likely to break Ruth's single season home run record. While the left fielder from New Mexico missed that mark, he did break one of the Babe's records, leading his league in home runs for seven consecutive seasons-a record unbroken since. Kiner set his records while playing for some of the worst teams ever to take the field. With little support in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup, pitchers were often able to pitch around Kiner, walking him dozens of times per season. Despite this, Kiner made them pay for their mistakes, sending towering flies over the fences. After just 10 years in the league, Kiner's career on the field was cut short by chronic back pain. At retirement, his 369 home runs placed him sixth on the all-time list. He didn't leave baseball, however, serving as general manager of a minor league team and later announcing for the newly formed New York Mets in 1962, where he would be the voice of the team for more than 50 years. This is his story.

The Arizona Territory is known for saloons, gun fights, outlaws and shady women. But the history of baseball in Arizona is long forgotten. The national pastime came first to the territory's many military posts and soon gained a foothold in early towns such as Tombstone, Tucson, Prescott and Phoenix. Gaining popularity in the 1880s, the game spread through the territory with the help of railroads. Soon company nines were competing against town clubs. In the early 1900s, the major leagues made several tours through Arizona. This book takes a first-ever look into Arizona's rich baseball history, with never before seen photographs of the earliest baseball clubs and games.

When Jeremy Lin began to knock down shots for the New York Knicks early in 2012, many Americans became aware for the first time that Asian Americans actually play basketball. Indeed, long before Lin startled the NBA world, Asian Americans have not only played basketball, but have played it with passion and skill. This book provides a comprehensive history of Asian American basketball. It traces how Asian Americans have used basketball to provide them a sense of community. It examines how through basketball Asian Americans have traversed racial and ethnic barriers. It demonstrates that perhaps a surprising number of Asian American have excelled at high school, college, and professional hoops. It reminds readers that it has not always been easy. Asian American basketball was and continues to be played in the shadows cast by an anti-Asian bigotry much too prevalent in historical and contemporary America.

As part of every Reds game broadcast on the Reds Radio Network, Greg Rhodes, noted baseball historian and director of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, presents a brief, colorful account of a memorable moment in the history of America's longest-running baseball team. These pieces have become a favorite feature for Reds fans, who love to celebrate the Big Red Machine's long and storied history and traditions. This collection brings together every single one of Rhodes' pieces in a single book for both Reds fans and baseball aficionados. "Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Highlights" chronicles more than 130 years of history and five world series championships and includes over 300 short accounts of the team's greatest, saddest, wildest, and weirdest players and moments. Packed with over 100 photos furnished by the Reds and their museum, the book pays tribute to a team that remains one of America's favorites.

This combination reference book and history covers the inroads and achievements made on professional ball fields by Latin American athletes, the Major Leagues' greatest international majority. Following an ""on this date in Hispanic baseball history"" format, the author takes a commemorative look at generations of players from Central and South America, from the earliest pioneers through the well-known stars of today. An appendix cross-references players and their accomplishments by country of origin.

It was a novel experiment as baseball's leading men formed the National Association, bringing order to the hodgepodge of professional and amateur clubs that made up the sport from the end of the Civil War through 1870. It was an imperfect beginning to organized professional sports in America-the league was plagued by gambling, contract jumping and rumors of dishonest play-but it laid groundwork for the multibillion dollar enterprises of the 21st century. Like most sporting endeavors, it was entertaining, with the best players in the world displaying their talents throughout the northeastern and mid-western United States and, in 1874, during a ground-breaking journey to England. In its second edition, this book covers all the action-both on and off the field-of the NA's early years, providing the definitive history of the first professional sports league in the U.S.

The earliest forms of baseball incorporated the defensive strategies and skills of protecting one's territory against others. The ancient arts of throwing (distance warfare), hitting (close quarters combat), and running (attack and retreat) were incorporated into the game. Early humans recognised the importance of the sun and knew that without it life would be doomed. They sought to placate the sun by respectfully deifying it. The sun was viewed as a living entity and which like every living being must also be in need of drink and food. The game developed under the early Celts/Druids served them as a means for military, religious, and social education. As the Celts/Druids came under the control of their Roman overlords, and later the Christian Church, their customs and practices, including their games, fell out of favour. Despite this persecution, some of their 'folk-games' survived the millennia and are known in recorded history under such innocuous names as 'stool-ball', 'tut-ball,' and 'base-ball.' Others such as the Teutonic and Scandinavian peoples added their contributions to early British traditions. The descendents of the Early British, despite the loss of their traditions and languages, were still able to connect with each other and enjoy themselves in their ancestral games. These variant games were taken to the New World where the accepted standardization of their various informal rules led to the rapid spread and development of the modern game of baseball.

The struggle to integrate the Baltimore Orioles mirrored the fight for civil rights. The Orioles debuted in 1954, the same year the Supreme Court struck down public school segregation. As Baltimore experienced demonstrations, white flight and a 1968 riot, team integration came slowly. Black players - mostly outfielders - made cameo appearances as white fans screamed racial epithets. The breakthrough came in 1966, with the arrival of a more enlightened owner, and African American superstar Frank Robinson. As more black players filled the roster, the Orioles dominated the American League from 1969 through much of the 1970s. Attempts to integrate the team's executive suite were less successful. While black players generally did not participate in civil rights actions, several under Robinson's leadership pushed for front office jobs for former black players. Drawing on primary sources and interviews with former executives, players and sportswriters, this book tells the story of the integration of the Orioles. The author describes how tensions between community leaders and team officials aborted negotiations to both increase black attendance and put an African American in the club's executive ranks.

Born in Austin, Texas in 1899, standing six feet in height, Bibb August Falk was a classic stereo type of a tall Texan; a man who brimmed with confidence and played the game of baseball with a swagger. He played three years of varsity football and baseball at the University of Texas before being signed by Chicago White Sox following graduation in 1920. Falk reported to the White Sox that summer without ever having played one game in the minor leagues. Little did he know that in just a couple of months after arriving on the south side of Chicago, he as an untested rookie, would be called upon to confront the daunting challenge of replacing the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson in the White Sox lineup when he was banned from organized ball for complicity in the scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series. Retiring from major league baseball after a brilliant playing career following the 1931 season, Falk returned to the University of Texas in 1940 as head baseball coach and proceeded to become a Longhorn legend. During his twenty-five year stint as head coach, Falk's teams won two National Championships, fifteen Southwest Conference titles and four co-championships. When Bibb Falk died at the age of 90 in June 1989 he was the last surviving member of the 1920 Chicago White Sox.

With virtually the same lineup that had won both the National League pennant and the World Series the previous season, the 1926 Pittsburgh Pirates were favored by the majority of preseason prognosticators to capture the pennant for the second year in a row. But they finished in third place, four and a half games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. That failure has largely been attributed to the ""ABC Affair,"" the alleged dissension between vice president and assistant to the manager Fred Clarke and several players who attempted to remove him. This retelling of the story shows that the blame assigned to Clarke has mostly been misplaced and that the reasons for the Bucs' 1926 failure were far more complex.

In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first openly all-professional baseball club in the world. The history, geography, demography, and economy of the area contributed to making Cincinnati a baseball town par excellance. During professional baseball's formative years in the 19th century, Cincinnati was almost always represented by a club called the Reds in one league or another. As chairman of the National Commission after he had helped broker peace between the National and American Leagues, Cincinnati owner Garry Hermann became known as the "Father of the World Series". The Reds proceeded to win the Series in 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, and 1990. Under the ownership of the controversial Marge Schott and managed on the field by the mercurial Lou Piniella, the Reds led the National League West wire-to-wire in 1990, defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Championship Series, and swept the powerful Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Stars such as Barry Larkin and Eric Davis, along with pitcher Jose Rijo and the trio of relievers known as the Nasty Boys deserve much of the credit for the Reds' success, but lesser known players, for example, Billy Hatcher and Glenn Braggs, made significant contributions. Although they have come close the Reds have not yet won another pennant since the glorious 1990 season.

Road-Tripping the South Atlantic League: A Guide to the Teams, Ballparks and Cities, is a comprehensive guide for planning Minor League Baseball Road Trips. The primary focus of the book is on the teams, ballparks, and cities of the South Atlantic League. But, it also details how you can adjust your travel plans to include games of teams in other Minor Leagues that overlay the regional footprint of the South Atlantic League. This book reviews the methodology you need to plan an efficient, cost effective baseball road trip and includes information for developing a rich and rewarding baseball road trip itinerary. Provided are detailed outlines of suggested travel routes, a listing of interesting eateries in or near each city, and the location of other baseball and visitor attractions accessible from the South Atlantic League travel route. Finally, the book is also about the baseball played on the fields of the modern South Atlantic League. It traces the history of the league, profiles each of its current teams, and identifies a number of players that led the league in either a batting or pitching statistic. The team profiles list more than 300 players that played their A level ball with a South Atlantic League team and then went on to have a long, successful Major League career. The book offers insight and stories about the Minor League and/or Major League careers of a number of them.

Ross reveals the story of New York Yankees baseball, as told by Yankee players, coaches, opponents, fans, and the media. It salutes the great pinstripers and the unrivaled championship teams, major moments, and the tradition. Includes a tribute to the immortal No. 7, Mickey Mantle.

Baseball fans might know the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but they don't know the whole story. Until now. David Krell brings the magic of the Brooklyn Dodgers to life in Blue Magic: The Brooklyn Dodgers, Ebbets Field, and Baseball's Greatest Legacy. Utilizing archival documents, contemporary press accounts, and interviews with fans, he chronicles the genesis, glory, and demise of the team that changed baseball--and America--in excruciating detail that will satisfy the diehard baseball enthusiast. With a Foreword by Branch Barrett Rickey--Branch Rickey's Grandson--Blue Magic fills voids in Dodgers scholarship by exploring the impact of the Brooklyn Dodgers on popular culture, illuminating the genesis of the team's history, and revealing personal stories of the fans that embraced Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Carl Erskine, Roy Campanella, and the other sentinels of Ebbets Field.