The Team That Forever Changed Baseball and America: The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers (Memorable Teams in Baseball History) - Softcover

Society For American Baseball Research (SABR)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803239920 ISBN 13: 9780803239920

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 2012

Synopsis

Of all the teams in the annals of baseball, only a select few can lay claim to historic significance. One of those teams is the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, the first racially integrated Major League team of the twentieth century. The addition of Jackie Robinson to its roster changed not only baseball but also the nation. Yet Robinson was just one member of that memorable club, which included Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, Duke Snider, Eddie Stanky, Arky Vaughan, and Dixie Walker. Also present was a quartet of baseball’s most unforgettable characters: co-owners Branch Rickey and Walter O’Malley, suspended manager Leo Durocher, and radio announcer Red Barber.
This book is the first to offer biographies of everyone on that incomparable team as well as accounts of the moments and events that marked the Dodgers’ 1947 season: Commissioner Happy Chandler suspending Durocher, Rickey luring his old friend Burt Shotton out of retirement to replace Durocher, and brilliant outfielder Reiser being sidelined after running into a fence. In spite of all this, the Dodgers went on to win the National League pennant over the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals. And of course, there is the biggest story of the season, where history and biography coalesce: Jackie Robinson, who overcame widespread hostility to become Rookie of the Year—and to help the Dodgers set single-game attendance records in cities around the National League.

About this title

About the Author

Lyle Spatz’s many books include Dixie Walker: A Life in Baseball and (with coauthor Steve Steinberg) 1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York, winner of the Seymour Medal (Nebraska, 2010).

Review

"Though there have been numerous books on the Dodgers of that era and on the notable personalities, this is the first to present biographies of every member of the organization in that famous baseball year."—Margart Heilbrun, Library Journal (Margart Heilbrun Library Journal)

"The Team That Forever Changed Baseball and America: The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers is stunning in its thorough look at every player, coach and front office member of the team. After all, Robinson and Rickey had the leading roles, but they did not make history by themselves."—Bob D'Angelo, Tampa Bay Online (Bob D'Angelo Tampa Bay Online 2012-03-21)

"This extraordinarily detailed account of a pivotal year in Dodger history would make a fine Father's Day gift for the nostalgic Dodger fan."—Nancy Wong Bryan, Dugout Club Insider (Nancy Wong Bryan Dugout Club Insider)

"For Dodger fans, having a chance to relive this historic season, to go beyond the surface of Robinson breaking the color barrier, makes this book a wonderful resource. Fans of baseball in general, especially those of an age that can remember some of these names and players from their parents, will find it enjoyable as well."—C70 at the Bat (C70 at the Bat 2012-07-27)

"A welcomed contribution to baseball history, this publication contains extremely well written and researched essays presented in a user-friendly format. With their broad appeal to sports historians and baseball fans, the next volumes in this series are eagerly anticipated."—Gregory H. Wolf, Journal of Sport History (Gregory H. Wolf Journal of Sport History)

"Dodger devotees, baseball fans, historians, and others will find this a fascinating trip into yesteryear."—Duane A. Smith, The Historian (Duane A. Smith The Historian)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0803239920
• ISBN 13: 9780803239920
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400
• Editor: Spatz Lyle, Bouchard Maurice, Levin Leonard