In 1924, at the age of 27, manager and second baseman Stanley ""Bucky"" Harris--aka ""The Boy Wonder""--led the Washington Senators to their only World Series championship. His incredible debut season at the helm of the Senators marked the beginning of remarkable 29-year managerial career that earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. This detailed biography chronicles Harris's road to the top of his sport, including his youth in the coal mining region of eastern Pennsylvania, his brief stint in professional basketball, his early days as a baseball player, his 1947 world championship as manager of the Yankees, and his role in the racial integration of both the Senators and the Boston Red Sox. By highlighting Harris' easy-going nature and intelligence, this profile makes it perfectly clear why one player being traded to Harris' Senators declared, ""Ask any ballplayer who he'd like to play for and he'd say Bucky Harris.

As a young man living in the Anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania, it seemed Ed Walsh's course in life was set. But he emerged from the hardscrabble life of the mines to become one of the Deadball Era's greatest pitchers, winning fame, world championships, and eventually induction to the Hall of Fame. This biography closely describes Walsh's life and 14-year playing career, with special discussion of the spitball, a pitch that profoundly affected his fortunes????????????and ultimately his arm. The years 1905????????????1911 are explored in depth, especially his contributions to the 1906 world champion White Sox and his prominent role in the now-famous 1908 pennant race. Chapters are also devoted to his holdout in 1909, the athletic careers of his sons Bob and Ed, and his repeated attempts at comebacks after his arm injury.