Baseball Hall of Fame's Forgotten Nine

"The Forgotten Nine" takes you back to the greatest time in baseball history, the Fifties and Sixties, and it studies nine of the finest players of the game. This was a period of great changes in how baseball was played, organized, and recognized, during which baseball was truly America’s favorite game. The book dives into some of the numerical measures of judging and evaluating greatness, sabermetrics, which were not yet in use at the time, but whose theories may still impact how we understand these extraordinary but unsung players.

In "The Forgotten Nine" for the first time, these nine players—Richie Allen, Ken Boyer, Bill Freehan, Jim Gilliam, Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Vada Pinson, and Maury Wills—are studiously measured by author Harold Plues, Jr., using the standards of the all-time greats of both their era and others, as they all traveled together on a path toward the ultimate reward: The Hall of Fame.

Harold S. Plues, Jr. developed his deep love for sports during his youth in Brunswick, Ohio. Growing up with seven siblings in a traditional, blue-collar family taught him the value of hard work and the importance of building a strong community. As a result, he was very active in various church and athletic activities. He has remained an avid fan of football, basketball, and baseball throughout his life. In 1973, he moved to Arizona and joined the rapidly growing construction industry. He owned a successful contracting business, doing masonry and concrete construction, until his retirement in 2006. He now resides in northern Arizona with Cyndi, his wife of forty years. Together, they love to travel.