Pepper Martin: A Baseball Biography

Pepper Martin, the "Wild Horse of the Osage," is most famous for having dominated the October 1931 World Series--stealing bases, sliding on his chest, making diving catches, and driving in runs. He also captivated many Americans in the Depression Era with his homegrown honesty and love of pranks. To many, he epitomized the very spirit of baseball.

This biography follows Martin's rise from Oklahoma farmboy, buying his first glove with money from a paper route, to being one of America's most successful and beloved professionals. It closes with an account of his coaching career in Florida and his death in 1965, a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and a loving grandfather. The work includes accounts of important games and intimate glimpses of his romance with his wife and the arrivals of his daughters. Information is drawn from research on the careers of key players and managers from the Cardinals, back issues of periodicals, and interviews with Don Gutterridge, Martin's teammate.

Thomas Barthel, a professor emeritus in the State University of New York system, has written nine books on subjects ranging from the Civil War, to baseball history to civil engineering. He lives in Clinton, New York.