The Cooperstown Chronicles: Baseball's Colorful Characters, Unusual Lives, and Strange Demises

Russo, Frank

ISBN 10: 1442236396 / ISBN 13: 9781442236394

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc, 2014

About this Item

272 pages. 9.25x6.50x1.00 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # x-1442236396

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Cooperstown Chronicles: Baseball's Colorful Characters, Unusual Lives, and Strange Demises
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442236396
• ISBN 13: 9781442236394
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.62 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

Professional baseball has always consisted of a variety of characters, from likeable youngsters to notorious rebels. From 1871 to the present, the sport has witnessed the likes of Germany Schaeffer, an infielder with a penchant for “stealing” first base; Joe Medwick, the only player ever removed from a game for his own safety; and first baseman Hal Chase, noted for being one of the most corrupt players in baseball history.

The Cooperstown Chronicles takes an entertaining look at the unusual lives, strange demises, and downright rowdy habits of some of the most colorful personalities in the history of baseball. Chapters profile the game’s well-known tough-guys, the hard-drinking revelers, head-hunting pitchers, players who took their own lives, and those who died far too young from accidents or diseases. Frank Russo goes beyond the stats and delves into each player’s personality, his life outside of baseball, and even his final resting place. The stories of little-known players like Terry Enyart, who pitched just one and two-thirds innings in the major leagues, are told next to those of superstars such as Mike Flanagan, who played professional ball for 18 years.

However brief or long a career he may have had, every major league player has a story to tell. The Cooperstown Chronicles gives a voice to many of those players who are no longer able to tell their stories themselves. Compelling, fun, and often surprising, this book will entertain baseball fans and historians alike.

About the Author

Frank Russo is a baseball researcher who runs the popular website thedeadballera.com. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and currently blogs for the Yankees on NYbaseballdigest.com. Russo’s writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated and in newspapers including the New York Post and the Boston Globe. Russo is the coauthor of Bury My Heart at Cooperstown: Salacious, Sad, and Surreal Deaths in the History of Baseball (2006).