Author: Brent Kelley Publisher: McFarland ISBN: 0786482702 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 215
Book Description
In the mid-1940s, the post-war United States was a prosperous country, and baseball had its own share of this prosperity. An expanding minor league led to unprecedented competition for young baseball talent. The ill-conceived idea of a signing bonus quickly introduced an element of financial competition into the sport of baseball, much to the discomfort of many minor league teams. Unable to compete with major league teams, the minor leagues pressed for restrictions on the bonuses paid to players. Bonus rules--the first enacted in 1946 and the second implemented in 1953--attempted unsuccessfully to curb ever-rising bonuses and limit the damage this policy ultimately did to both teams and players. Containing 24 interviews, this volume focuses on players signed under the strict bonus rule of 1953-1957, which required that players signed to a bonus of $4,000 or more remain on the big league roster for two full seasons before being sent to the minor leagues. Organized chronologically, these interviews explore the lives and careers of the bonus babies with emphasis on their early big-league experience and its effect on their careers. Players interviewed in this volume include Harmon Killebrew, Reno Bertoia, Tommy Qualters, Jim Pyburn, John DeMerit, Von McDaniel, Don Pavletich, Mel Roach, Steve Boros, Dick Schofield, Jim Derrington, Mike McCormick, Jim Pagliaroni, Paul Giel, Buddy Pritchard, Jerry Walker, Jim Brady, Wayne Causey, Lindy McDaniel, Jim Small, Don Kaiser, Tommy Carroll, Jerry Kindall and Frank Zupo. An appendix provides a complete chronological listing of players signed under the bonus rule of 1953-1957. The work is also indexed.
Author: Brent P. Kelley Publisher: Scarecrow Press ISBN: 9780810830493 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 272
Book Description
The 'bonus rule' of 1953-1957 required baseball players who signed a contract for more than $4,000 to remain on the major league roster for two full seasons. Kelley tells the stories of the 'bonus babies' who reaped the benefits, and the others whose careers were destroyed by the rule.
Author: Robert Cull Publisher: McFarland ISBN: 0786422513 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 249
Book Description
Is it bedtime for America's pastime? In recent years, action on and off the diamond has left some fans predicting baseball's imminent death--or claiming to have already attended the funeral. This book refutes those claims with an in-depth look at baseball then and now. Comparing the baseball of the 1950s to the game of today, this author examines the widespread dissatisfaction with major league baseball, considers how modern teams differ from those of the past, and reflects on whether professional baseball remains a truly competitive sport. Excessive salaries, player movement and the evolution of the draft are all up for discussion, as is the Wild Card playoff format and how it has affected the overall competition. Tables show statistics on salaries, league attendance and the correlation between winning percentages and payroll. Appendices offer details on market size and attendance regressions. The facts and figures add up to a win for the long-lasting appeal of baseball.
Author: Michelle L. Kuykendall Publisher: AuthorHouse ISBN: 1728377129 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 102
Book Description
Throughout this book you will be told a story about a very special man. His life was an extraordinary one because he suffered a potentially fatal accident, but conquered. He achieved as much as he possibly could without the use of his hands and when he had no more to give of himself, he then created and gave the world Major League Baseball's first "Black Bonus Baby". This book is written from actual experiences and a wealth of material from 1919 through 2020. The pictures, letters, stories and excerpts from speeches and newspaper articles have been included in hopes that you, the reader, might be motivated to NEVER GIVE UP.
Author: Phil Coffin Publisher: McFarland ISBN: 1476651736 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 244
Book Description
Card by card--all 572 of the '59 Topps set--this book contemplates the lives and times of mid-20th century baseball. That season was in the heart of a period of turmoil: milestones in integration, franchise shifts to the West Coast, a potential rival league, the major leagues' expansion, and labor issues that included paying young prospects not to play. The cards help tell the players' stories, too. The slugger who had a date with Marilyn Monroe (no, not Joe DiMaggio), and the minor leaguer better known than Marilyn. The nephew of a Black Sox player, and the target of a bribery attempt. The lefty catcher. The pitcher from Mayberry. The only player to pinch-hit for Ted Williams. Strikeout kings and wildmen. Religious stalwarts and hell raisers. The stripper's husband. The coolest socks in baseball. Ballplayers who were also basketball players--including the NBA's No. 1 pick one year. Satchel's Six Rules and Twig's Six Rules. Coot, Rip, Turk, Puddin' Head, Whammy, The Rope and Captain Midnight. Pick any card, and you'll find another engaging tale about baseball.
Author: Richard Panchyk Publisher: Chicago Review Press ISBN: 1613747829 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 160
Book Description
A fascinating journey through the history of America's favorite pastime With this interactive book, kids will discover how the game of baseball has changed over the years by reading about topics such as the dead ball era, World War II, segregation and integration, free agency, and the designated hitter. Along the way, young readers will enjoy quotes, stories, and amusing anecdotes from more than 175 former major leaguers and get an intimate look at the game's greatest legends—including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays. With the 21 included activities, children will learn how to calculate a player's batting average and ERA, throw a palmball, design a logo for their favorite team, cook a bowl of Cracker Jack, and more. A time line of the sport's history and lists of books, websites, and places to visit are also included.
Author: Cappy Gagnon Publisher: Arcadia Publishing ISBN: 9780738532622 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 136
Book Description
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.
Author: Paul Dickson Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company ISBN: 0393073491 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 1001
Book Description
The definitive work on the language of baseball—one of the “Five Best Baseball Books” (Wall Street Journal). Hailed as “a staggering piece of scholarship” (Wall Street Journal) and “an indispensable guide to the language of baseball” (San Diego Union-Tribune), The Dickson Baseball Dictionary has become an invaluable resource for those who love the game. Drawing on dozens of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, as well as contemporary sources, Dickson’s brilliant, illuminating definitions trace the earliest appearances of terms both well known and obscure. This edition includes more than 10,000 terms with 18,000 individual entries, and more than 250 photos. This “impressively comprehensive” (The Nation) book will delight everyone from the youngest fan to the hard-core aficionado.
Author: Colin Howell Publisher: McFarland ISBN: 1476648735 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 146
Book Description
Part history, part memoir, part statistical analysis, this book tells the remarkable and largely forgotten story of how the baseball hotbed of Canada's northeastern Maritime provinces evolved into "NCAA North" during the 1940s and 1950s. A summer training ground for players from leading U.S. college programs, the region attracted talented players seeking higher salaries than they could get in the American minor league system. Major league organizations came to scout blue-chip prospects. In this competitive environment, only the best were able to crack the rosters of town teams in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine. A Quality of Competition Index for various northeast leagues provides major league equivalencies for selected players.
Author: Brent Kelley
Author: Brent P. Kelley
Author: Lee Lowenfish
Author: Robert Cull
Author: Michelle L. Kuykendall
Author: Phil Coffin
Author: Richard Panchyk
Author: Cappy Gagnon
Author: Paul Dickson
Author: Colin Howell