The Pastime in Turbulence: Interviews with Baseball Players of the 1940s - Softcover

Kelley, Brent

9780786409754: The Pastime in Turbulence: Interviews with Baseball Players of the 1940s

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786409754 ISBN 13: 9780786409754

Publisher: McFarland, 2001

The 1940s were years of change in the world of baseball. Minor league free agents were introduced to the game in 1940 by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis; Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 and player after player left to join the war effort with players both below and well above draft age completing the rosters; 1946 marked the first time that two National League teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers, were tied for first place, forcing a best two-out-of three series; 1947 brought racial integration, with Jackie Robinson taking the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers; and the American League saw its own tie for first place in 1948 between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, which was played out in a one-game playoff. This work focuses on 27 players of the 1940s, guys--like Gene Thompson, Elmer Valo, Damon Phillips, Joe Cleary, and Cliff Chambers--who witnessed these changes and firsts personally. The players interviewed for this work had different experiences in the major leagues--some experienced long careers and benefited from the changes while others did not--and they come from diverse backgrounds as well.

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About the Author:

Brent Kelley, a retired equine veterinarian from Lexington, Kentucky, is the author of numerous McFarland baseball books.

From Library Journal:

Rather than celebrate stars of the time, Kelley (Negro Leagues Revisited, McFarland, 2000) relates the stories of John Berardino, Adrian Zabela, and 25 other baseball journeymen of the 1940s. Most of them had careers shortened by World War II, and several have since died. Notable interview subjects include a TV star, a minor league president, and an Irish-born pitcher with a mammoth earned run average. Veterinarian Kelley gives a sympathetic account of lesser players who pay generous tribute to the stars they knew. All clearly loved the game and often find fault with today's changes. This will appeal to nostalgic readers and larger public libraries serving them. Morey Berger, St. Joseph's Hosp. Lib., Tucson, AZ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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