Dodgers Past & Present - Hardcover

Travers, Steven

5

5 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760335273 ISBN 13: 9780760335277

Publisher: MVP Books, 2009

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From their origins as the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1884, through their departure from their beloved borough in 1957, to their record-breaking popularity in sunny Los Angeles, the Dodgers baseball team has been an unstoppable force in professional baseball for well over a century. The franchise has captured a record 21 National League titles, won six World Series championships, and produced dozens of Hall-of-Famers. The Dodgers revolutionized the sports landscape with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947 and have boasted a list of players that reads like an all-time all-star team—from Walter Alston to Zack Wheat, Wee Willie Keeler to Pee Wee Reese, Dazzy Vance to Sandy Koufax, Duke Snider to Jeff Kent. The team’s two longtime homes—Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field and Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium—stand out in the pantheon of great baseball palaces.

Dodgers Past & Present traces the history of this storied franchise from its origins in the 1880s to its latest accomplishments on the field. Pairing historic black-and-white photos and contemporary images of the modern game, the book explores the ballparks and the fans, the players and the teams that have defined Dodger baseball and captured the attention of fans nationwide.

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From the Inside Flap:

From the urban streets of Brooklyn to the hills of sunny Los Angeles, the Dodger franchise has been at the forefront of our national pastime for more than a century. Dominating lineups, long-standing rivalries, dozens of all-stars and Hall of Famers, and a rich collection of characters and baseball pioneers have inspired millions of passionate fans on two coasts, year after year. And despite decades of disappointment as the club fell short of a World Series victory, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles have established one of the most successful legacies in the history of professional baseball.

With more than 250 photographs and illustrations chronicling a century and a quarter of team history, Dodgers Past & Present explores every facet of the game and illustrates how things have changed and how they have remained constant for fans and players of Dodger baseball through the decades. Features highlight everything from team uniforms past and present, and the best player nicknames, to the greatest Dodger teams and the top players at each position on the diamond. With such storied ballparks as the classic Ebbets Field and the pristine Dodger Stadium, the club’s home fields have been baseball landmarks for generations.

Exploring the role of the borough of Brooklyn in the origins and development of organized baseball, author Steven Travers illustrates how the franchise’s role in revolutionizing the game continued with the landmark decision to relocate across the continent in 1958. From Jackie Robinson to Hideo Nomo, the Dodgers have also been on the forefront of the sport’s melting-pot environment.

From the legends of the dead-ball era, through the heroes from the 1950s-era “Boys of Summer,” to the modern-day stars of tomorrow, Dodgers Past & Present is the ultimate tour of a true baseball and American institution.

From the Back Cover:

Explore 125 years of Dodgers baseball in this richly illustrated tour of the players, teams, ballparks, and moments that surround this storied franchise. From its origins as the Brooklyn Atlantics through its rise as perennial pennant winners to its move to California and its most recent on-field successes, the Dodger ball club has long been a pioneering organization and a leader in the game of baseball. The team that broke baseball’s color barrier also helped to usher in an influx of talent from Latin America and Asia in the twenty-first century. Loyal Dodger fans on two coasts have seen their share of triumphs—including 22 league pennants—and their share of frustrations, but always with passion and enthusiasm. Dodgers Past & Present goes around the horn to celebrate the Dodger legends at each position on the field—from the little-remembered stars of the nineteenth century to the heroes of tomorrow. Visit the classic ballparks that housed the team known as the Superbas, Robins, Bridegrooms, and Dodgers—Brooklyn’s Washington Park, legendary Ebbets Field, the odd Los Angeles Coliseum, the modern marvel Dodger Stadium. Dodgers Past & Present presents the players, dugout and front-office wizards, voices from the broadcast booth, hard-luck heroes, and the myriad rites of spring that keep fans coming back year after year.

“Steve Travers is a phenomenal writer, an artist who labors over every word to get it just right, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and history.”

— StreetZebra magazine

“Travers' work is every baseball aficionado's dream.”

— Fairfield Daily Republic

“A baseball player who can write—who knew? This one sure can!”

— Arnie Spanier, sports radio host

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