Product Description
In 1916, over 500 men played in a major league game. Many of those players' names are inseparable from baseball--39 are members of the Hall of Fame--while others have only one line in the record books. Some enjoyed highly productive careers after leaving the game; others lacked the temperament, skills or opportunities to find success after baseball. This book is the first to focus on a representative group of major leaguers, the Class of 1916, in seeking answers to the questions Who was the average major leaguer in the late deadball era? What was his background? and What became of him when his playing days ended? Introductory chapters offer background information on the era and discuss the 1916 season; provide information on the players' ethnic and geographic origins, ages, and average physical sizes; chart player performance; and summarize post-playing careers and mortality statistics for the group. The main body of the work, a biographical dictionary, is arranged alphabetically, and each entry includes career and biographical information, statistics, post-baseball accomplishments and death. Many rare photographs accompany the text.
Book Description
Now available in a handsomely produced oversized paperback—with expanded information and 24 pages of black-and-white photographs—The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues documents more than four thousand players on Negro League teams from 1872 through 1950. Called "one of the best reference books of the year" by Library Journal and named an outstanding academic book of the year by the American Library Association, this is the first book to cover comprehensively the careers of all African Americans who played with a team of major-league quality or whose careers are featured in the history of America’s Pastime. It delivers a wealth of information, from vital statistics and the standard baseball figures of batting averages and pitching records to career data, including years of active play, positions played, team affiliations, and even nicknames. To create this one-of-a-kind reference, baseball authority James A. Riley traveled the country to interview the surviving members of the Negro Leagues about their exploits and the careers of their now-deceased teammates. With this invaluable firsthand information, Riley brings to life the careers of such greats as Satchel Paige, Ray Dandridge, Josh Gibson, and Leon Day. Looking past Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in 1947, he profiles all Major League Hall of Fame players who also played in the Negro Leagues such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, and Roy Campanella. “A landmark publication in the fields of baseball history and African-American history … a one-of-a-kind work.”—Booklist
Customer Reviews:
An Essential Addition To The Bibliography Of The Negro Leagues.......2007-01-09
Exactly What It's title advertises - an alphabetical listings of players and personalities associated with the Negro Leagues of Baseball. Ranks with "Only the Ball Was White" and The works of John B.Holway as essntial to a study of the subject. Definitely recommended.
Celebrate The Legacy.......2006-12-19
Editor James A. Riley is a renowned expert on the rich history of Negro League Baseball. His crowning achievement is honoring more than 4,000 players and those involved in management between the years of 1872-1950 in this comprehensive biographical encyclopedia.
Included are biographies and statistics on each individual and team, a bibliography that lists the materials used in the research, along with a register of the interviews that Riley conducted.
The Negro Leagues had a major economic and social impact in the black community, featured some of the greatest players & teams that the sport has ever had and was an integrated business on the diamond, inside the front offices and in the stands.
I have always compared the play in the Negro Leagues v. the white MLB to that of the AFL v. NFL and ABA v. NBA; that it was on par or superior to the other major league. The encyclopedia is a celebration of the legacy left by those who not only challenged the institutionalized racial hatred of the times, but triumphed in ways that we can learn from and must never forget.
If You Love Baseball..........2001-08-08
...I question that love if you do not have this book. This is the most concise collection of biographies, stats, and information about every human involved with the development, management, and participation in every Negro League that ever existed. Even players whose first name was not known is listed with at least a few words about when they played and for whom. And the players with extensive history is detailed along with stats and other great side stories about them. There is even information on the teams in the Negro Leagues, which I found most interesting. I don't know of any other book that has as much information on the lesser-known players and behind-the-scenes people in the Negro Leagues than this one. If you are a Negro League fan, you probably already have this book. But if you are a baseball fan in general, you MUST have this book.
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Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: 1992-1995 Supplement for Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Other Sports
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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ASIN: 0313284318 |
Book Description
The sixth volume of the Biographical Dictionary of American Sports, this supplement provides biographies for 616 athletes, coaches, managers, officials, administrators, writers, and broadcasters who have played an active role in American sports or helped to promote them. Most of the entries are from team sports, including baseball (202), football (181), and basketball (58). Some entries treat individual sports, including track and field (29), golf (14), and tennis and other racquet sports (16). Other sports covered include ice hockey, horse racing, boxing, swimming, bowling, skating, shooting, wrestling, skiing, and cycling. Thirty women athletes are included.
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- Delightful Blast From The Past
- HOME RUN
- Trivia Heaven
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Baseball Players of the 1950s: A Biographical Dictionary of All 1,560 Major Leaguers
Richard Marazzi , and
Len Fiorito
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 078641281X |
Book Description
The playing and post-playing careers of all 1,560 players who appeared in a major league box score between 1950 and 1959—the "golden age," many say—are profiled in this exhaustive work. From Aaron to Zuverink: this treasure-trove of anecdotes, many gathered from personal interviews, are full of historical facts, controversy, and trivia.
For example, readers will learn, or be reminded, that Humberto Robinson, a Milwaukee Braves pitcher, was approached by a gambler and asked to fix a game against the Phillies, that Joe Adcock chased Giants pitcher Ruben Gomez with a bat around the field, Bob Turley reached the top of the corporate ladder after his playing days, Casey Wise became an orthodontist, Bobby Brown became a heart surgeon and president of the AL, and that Chuck Conners became an actor. All of this and much more can be found here.
Customer Reviews:
Delightful Blast From The Past.......2007-06-22
Though this book comes in encyclopedia format listing all 1560 players alphabetically who appeared in the major leagues during the 1950's it's a great read. I went thru the more than 440 pages finding great pleasure in seeing pictures of these players and reading anecdotes about them. I grew up with early to mid 50's baseball and this really brings back the memories. Superb work!!
HOME RUN.......2004-01-21
Over 150 years ago, John James Audubon published his classic book, "The Birds of America". In it, he cataloged the feathered creatures inhabiting the United States by painting exquisite portraits of every species of wild fowl he could find.
Each painting - whether that of a majestic eagle, or that of a common crow - was a work of art. At the same time, each painting conveyed far more than just a photographic image of its subject matter: They each conveyed the essence of its subject.
Taken as a whole, Audubon's work is nothing less than an encyclopedic portrait of America's myriad feathered inhabitants, and it continues to be appreciated and enjoyed throughout the world to this day.
What Audubon did for North American ornithology in paint, Rich Marazzi and Len Fiorito have done in words for baseball (as constituted by the players from the "golden age" of baseball) in their recently published book with the unassuming title of "Baseball Players of the 1950s".
Whether writing about a famous hall-of-fame baseball god, or a marginal journeyman who did nothing more than show up sober for a couple of innings in the "big leagues" between January of 1950 and December of 1959, Marazzi and Fiorito have breathed life into each of the 1,560 (!) biographies that make up their tome. And remarkably, Marazzi and Fiorito have somehow managed to find fresh and engaging things to say about players whose careers have been written about and analyzed in countless books and articles over the last 50 some odd years. At the same time - even more remarkably - they've also managed to come up with wonderfully readable and insightful blurbs on players whose brief time in the major leagues was not only short, but virtually invisible. And everyone in between is covered and accounted for in equally expert fashion.
Without a doubt, Marazzi and Fiorito's achievement - in its own way - is just as impressive as Audubon's, and "Baseball Players of the 1950s" is a book that baseball fans everywhere - as well as fans of good writing in general - will love and enjoy.
Trivia Heaven.......2003-12-23
I was so happy to see this book come out! I still have a dog-eared copy of the original version of this (Aaron to Zuverink) published about 20 years ago- talk about fascinating stuff!
I recently embarked on a project of my own to try and obtain the autographs of some of my boyhood idols- I'm 52 now- and this book has proven to be an invaluable source in terms of tracking these gentlemen down. The exhaustive research and amusing tidbits that Messrs. Marazzi and Fiorito have chosen to share give a true insight into the world of baseball at the time- 'Golden Age' indeed!
Book Description
Illus. in full color with black-and-white photos. "Covers not only the story of Robinson's prowess and his problems as the first black man to play in the major leagues, but also the story of the rise and fall of black baseball and some of its star players and managers. Nicely geared by vocabulary, sentence length, and print size to the primary grades audience."--Bulletin, Center for Children's Books.
Amazon.com
Baseball wonks rejoice! Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia is here with information about the men behind the magic numbers 755, 70, 56, 1.12, and 4,256. This weighty tome presents 2,000 capsule biographies of players, Negro Leaguers, umpires, executives, minor leaguers, owners, and broadcasters. All the big names--Aaron to Zisk--are included in this treasure trove, as are some lesser-known figures such as D.L. Adams (who has a pretty strong claim as "the father of baseball"), Bill Klem ("the Babe Ruth of umpires"), Branch Rickey (who signed Jackie Robinson to the major leagues), and Charles "Victory" Faust (the New York Giants' good luck charm and occasional pitcher, with no wins, losses, saves, walks, or strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.50, in two innings pitched). Each entry includes cumulative statistics, dates and places of birth and death, and a picture of the subject. The descriptions are warm, if not effusive, celebrating the achievements of the game's greats as well as highlighting the positive contributions of some less fondly remembered by history. Fred Merkle, for example, best known for the "Merkle Boner," is described as a fine player who performed well in six World Series. An excellent addition to any baseball fan's library, destined to be shelved alongside Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. --M. Stein
Customer Reviews:
Most interesting historical baseball book.......2002-07-20
With all the trouble baseball is in today, this book provides an outlet for the fan who loved the game before agents, Selig, Don Fehr, astroturf, overpaid performers, etc. You can browse through it again and again, and still enjoy the stories of these players. It is a great supplement to the statistics that we have for all the players of the past.
A beautiful book for the browsing baseball buff.......2001-10-21
I received this book as a gift and have enjoyed it very much. The number of players covered is extensive, and the biographies are generally fair, well-researched, and well-written. As a younger baseball fan who has long had an interest in the entire history of the game, I have particularly gotten a kick out of the analyses of the 19th and early 20th century ballplayers, as well as the pictures attached to each biography. I am a little disappointed, however, that the authors only use the classic, rather banal (generally) statistics in their biographical sketches, especially as the book was compiled by the editors of the bible of baseball, "Total Baseball". It's fine to read about how many wins Grover Cleveland Alexander racked up in his great career, but how good was he really in comparison to the other greats of his day, as well as in comparison to the greats of today? Stats like ERA+, PRO+, etc., would have really put each of these players in the proper historical perspective. I realize that this book is aimed at general audience, and that many baseball fans still deride advanced statistical analysis, but such analysis truly enriches evaluation of the long history of America's past-time. Don't get me wrong, the book is a lot of fun. I look forward, however, to when some accomplished sabermetricians expand the project. Reading about Babe Ruth's antics off the field accompanied by a searching analysis that truly reveals how mammoth a presence he was on the field, will be icing on the cake.
Microsoft and this book........2001-02-02
I bought this book and when I started reading it discovered that I had read the bios on the ballplayers previously. Wondering where I had, I started to do a search in my huge collection of baseball books and cds. Sure enough, I discovered that the biographical information had previously been released on the Microsoft: Complete Baseball Cd that was available in 1995. There is some new stuff in the book that was not on the cd.
Perfect For Any Baseball Fan.......2000-08-28
Without a doubt the most complete baseball reference book ever produced --- over 2,000 bios and photos which depict not only players but umpires, managers and front office executives as well. This book is the perfect companion piece to more statistical oriented books such as the "Baseball Encylopedia".
The game's biggest icons --Aaron, Koufax, Ruth,etc.-- are rightfully rewarded 2 or 3 page entries. While much of this material will be familiar to dedicated fans (Babe Ruth's called shot in the 1932 World Series for example), casual fans will get a thorough baseball education. Hardcore fans will relish the seemingly endless stream of juicy tid-bits regarding hundreds of lesser known players. For example the book describes in detail a brutal pre-game brawl in 1965 between Philly teammates Richie Allen and Frank "Big Donkey" Thomas. The conflict, in which both bats and fists were thrown, was allegedly ignited by Thomas' insensitve racial taunts toward quiet slugger Wes Covington. Or perhaps you'll be moved by the trials of Ryne Duren, a scary reliever who sported Coke-bottle lenses, a 100 mph fastball and a penchant for booze. Duren couldn't find the strike zone (batters feared for their lives), but he sure could find the hotel bar. Duren straightened out his life after leaving baseball. No, this ain't Frank Merriwell, this is down and dirty baseball.
The "Biographical Encyclopedia" brings hundreds of forgotten heroes (and villains) back to life in a most animated, interesting manner. Not only does it make for great reading material, but it's downright educational as well. Heck, maybe Winter won't seem so long this year as I'll have my nose buried this book for weeks on end ! Perfect for any baseball fan.
The best biographical reference work yet.......2000-06-18
Compiling essays on the 2,000 most influential people inbaseball history is a massive undertaking. Somehow, David Pietrusza,Matthew Silverman, Michael Gershman and the editors at Total Sports managed to pull it off -- and set a new standard for quality in the process. Previous biographical compendiums pale by comparison. Some limited their scope, concentrating on only the top players (for whom there already is ample biographical information elsewhere). Others attempted to cover more players but, for many players, provided little more than a summary of the player's statistical accomplishments. The Biographical Encyclopedia doesn't skimp on either count. It covers not only the top players, but also the most notable sportswriters, broadcasters, front office executives and statisticians. More often than not, an individual's essay includes unique biographical info that can't be found in other reference works. The worst one can say is that the book has its share of typos and that the writing is at times uneven. It goes without saying that editing a book of this length must have been a monumental task; the errors, however, rarely obscure pertinent information and are more annoying than damaging. The essays were penned by a number of different authors, so it is perhaps inevitable that some entries are better than others. The least impressive, however, are no worse than those from similar books in the past. Overall, the book marks a substantial improvement over previous efforts, and is priced quite reasonably. It would be a valuable additon to a serious fan's library, and would give a more casual fan hours of enjoyment.
Customer Reviews:
It doesn't hit for average........2002-11-05
Ok, I didn't have any high expectations when I purchased this book. After all, any project with Jerome Holtzman involved is going to be hit or miss. Unfortunately, this one misses much more than it hits.
I've always heard that some of the greatest stories don't come from the superstars. Sometimes, they are found in the lesser stars or the ones who had just a brief moment in the spotlight. Unfortunately, many of these players and their experiences are sacrificed for long-winded accounts of players that had been written about in excess over the years.
Don't get me wrong -- there is some interesting information here. However, I've found a number of errors in dates, statistics and references. In addition, the book seems to have been rushed to print without the benefit of thorough proofreading.
The good thing? It's fairly inexpensive. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for here.
Doesn't fix the errors of the first edition.......2002-08-09
When the first edition of this book came out, it was a breath of fresh air. It carved a niche in the market by covering not just baseball players but baseball people. But it also had loads of mistakes. I had looked forward to the second edition hoping that the factual errors would be fixed. Unfortunately, very few of them were fixed. Incredibly, this book still clings to myths such as the story of Ford Frick attaching an actual asterisk to Roger Maris' home run record. Dewey and Accocella's writing is certainly more consistent than that of competing volumes, so it is unfortunate that they didn't take advantage of the opportunity a second volume presented them to fix the mistakes that are almost inevitable in a first edition. Also, some of ther additions/subtractions are puzzling - why was Dusty Baker in the first volume and not in this volume when his baseball career has only gotten more significant since the first edition?
Average customer rating:
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A Biographical Dictionary of Major League Baseball Managers
John C. Skipper
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0786410213 |
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Earl Weaver put his best defensive players on the field early in the game instead of just making late-inning defensive replacements. Whitey Herzog became one of baseball's great managers by his use of players who could bunt and by playing for one run over and over again. Both of these men are known for their styles and tactics and full coverage of them, along with many other managers, can be found in this biographical dictionary. The entries are based on interviews, data and anecdotes from owners, coaches, and players on the more than 600 men who have managed major league teams over the past 125 years. The entries include birth and death dates, the teams and dates they managed, win-loss records, winning percentages, and standings. Listings are included of managers of 1,000 games or more, managers with one-game careers, managers with the best winning percentages, and managers with the most wins. A complete listing of managers in the history of each team is provided.
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A Biographical Dictionary of the Baseball Hall of Fame
John C. Skipper
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 0786406038 |
Book Description
In January 1936, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson became charter members in an exclusive club: the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. By 1998 the membership had grown to 237 players, managers, coaches, umpires, executives, writers and broadcasters. This biographical dictionary provides pertinent information on all 237 of the Hall of Fame inductees. Statistical summaries are complemented by revealing insights into little-publicized aspects of the careers of baseball's greatest achievers. A brief history of the Hall of Fame is also included.
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A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches (American Sports History Series)
Jeff Marcus
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0810840073 |
Book Description
Jeff Marcus provides, in alphabetical order, the year-by-year coaching records for every pro major league coach in basketball history beginning with the American Basketball League (ABL), which formed in 1925 and was the first league to play in larger arenas on the East Coast and in the Mid West, then tracking the birth of the National Basketball League (NBL) from its onset in 1937 to its convergence 12 years later with the BAA, forming what we know today as the NBA. Brief but detailed biographical sketches are provided for every coach in these leagues.
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