British Baseball and the West Ham Club: History of a 1930s Professional Team in East London - Softcover

Chetwynd, Josh; Belton, Brian

4.2

10 ratings by Goodreads

9780786425945: British Baseball and the West Ham Club: History of a 1930s Professional Team in East London

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786425946 ISBN 13: 9780786425945

Publisher: McFarland, 2006

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Few people associate baseball with Great Britain, but for a brief period in the 1930s, America's pastime nearly gained a foothold with the British populace. Though never as popular as the beloved football clubs, or even greyhound races, baseball teams like the West Ham Hammers developed intense local followings, and played some excellent baseball in 1936, the Hammers defeated the U.S. Olympic team. The outbreak of World War II ended the rising popularity of baseball among Britons, but speculation remains that, under different circumstances, British baseball could have flourished. This book traces the history of baseball as a popular British sport, concentrating on one particularly successful and notable team, the West Ham Hammers. It places the West Ham club within the historical context of 1930s Great Britain, and covers team management, major players (e.g., Roland Gladu, the Canadian Babe Ruth ), and the fans, many of whom still cling fondly to faded memories of the club and West Ham Stadium. Eight appendices include team rosters, British baseball rules, and year-by-year records from 1890 to 2005.

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About the Author:

Josh Chetwynd is an award winning journalist who has worked as a staff reporter for USA Today and U.S. News & World Report. He currently serves as co-host of Major League baseball coverage on Five (TV) in the United Kingdom and resides in London, England. Brian A. Belton is a senior lecturer at the YMCA George Williams College in London, England. He lives in London.

Review:

"at last we have a detailed account of the brief period in British baseball history...excellent"--Baseball in Wartime.

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