The Minors: The Struggles and the Triumph of Baseball's Poor Relation from 1876 to the Present

Chronicles the turbulent rise, decline, and revival of the minor leagues from the nineteenth century to the present

Sullivan, author of The Dodgers Move West (LJ 6/1/87), has written a history of minor league ball that is intended to present a sampling of memorable minor league players, teams, and games. Sullivan's thesis is that despite the fact that the minors have always been considered secondary to the majors, the minors have a rich history of their own, and many minor league teams (e.g., the Pacific Coast League) could have become major league clubs if the owners of first the National League and then the American League (itself created from minor league teams) had allowed them to. Instead, major league teams were for decades confined to the Northeast until the Athletics, Dodgers, and Giants moved west at the expense of strong minor-league franchises. Sullivan argues that the minors are still where the beauty of the game can be rediscovered. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Jeffrey R. Herold, Bucyrus P.L., Ohio
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