Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball from Itself
- ISBN-10
- 142995227X
- ISBN-13
- 9781429952279
- Series
- Bottom of the Ninth
- Category
- Sports & Recreation
- Pages
- 320
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2010-04-27
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Author
- Michael Shapiro
Description
Fifty years ago, as baseball faced crises on and off the field, two larger-than-life figures took center stage, each on a quest to reinvent the national pastime In the late 1950s, baseball was under siege. Up-and-coming cities that wanted teams of their own were being rebuffed by the owners, and in response Congress was threatening to revoke the sport's antitrust exemption. These problems were magnified by what was happening on the field, as the New York Yankees were winning so often that true competition was vanishing in the American League. In Bottom of the Ninth, Michael Shapiro brings to life this watershed moment in baseball history. He shows how the legendary executive Branch Rickey saw the game's salvation in two radical ideas: the creation of a third major league—the Continental League—and the pooling of television revenues for the benefit of all. And Shapiro captures the audacity of Casey Stengel, the manager of the Yankees, who believed that he could bend the game to his wishes and remake how baseball was played. Their stories are interwoven with the on-field drama of pennant races and clutch performances, culminating in three classic World Series confrontations. As the tension built on and off the field, Rickey and Stengel would find themselves outsmarted and defeated by the team owners who held true backroom power—defeats that would diminish the game for decades to come. Shapiro's compelling narrative reaches its stunning climax in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, when one swing of the bat heralds baseball's eclipse as America's number-one sport.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2018-04
- 76 pages
- Paperback
- Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Similar books
-
Bottom of the Ninth
By Kirk Gibson, Lynn HenningThis unique pictorial autobiography is exciting and inspirational -- a true Hollywood story. Kirk Gibson dramatically motivated his teammates to two World Series Championships and numerous other titles. Bottom of...
-
Bottom of the Ninth: An Oral History on the Life of Harry "The Hat" Walker
By Larry PowellBut the good news for us was that we scored four runs in the ninth inning and had the tying runs on base. That convinced us that we could beat them. We swept the next four games. Enos Slaughter and Walker Cooper led the offense, ...
-
Bottom of the Ninth: Great Contemporary Baseball Short Stories
By John McNallyThe ball squirts down the first - base line , where it is struck again by his bat — which has slipped out of his ... In the bottom of the ninth Apples retires the first batter on a pop - up to Frank that Narvel should have taken ...
-
Bottom of the Ninth
By Amy SmithAn old love returns, friendships are tested and demons of the past are overcome along the way. Will Gillian and Brad still be in the game in the Bottom of the Ninth?
-
Bottom of the Ninth: A Pop-Up Book
By Dale GottliebWith his team, the Howlers, down by three in the bottom of the ninth, it is up to switch-hitter Harry Canfield to hit a game-winning home run, in a pop-up story narrated by sports announcer Grayson White Sims.
-
The Ninth Grade Opportunity: Transforming Schools from the Bottom Up
By Ray Moore, Alan Seibert, Scott HabeebThe Ninth Grade Opportunity provides educators with a useful framework to build and implement a team-based Freshman Transition program, ultimately allowing teachers to play an integral role in ensuring every student's success.
-
The Bottom of the 9th
By Anthony GiangregorioOn a beautiful day in the summer, with a baseball game in full swing, an old man arrives and joins the spectators in the bleachers.
-
Bottom of the Ninth: Seattle Skookums Baseball
By Jami DavenportThis long-awaited story of the third Wolfe brother introduces the Seattle Skookums baseball team.
-
Bottom of the Ninth
By Roger F. MillerLife is pretty dreary for the residents of the Eastview Retirement Center.
-
Bottom of the Ninth
By Anthony SocciThe comedy provided by these characters and unfolding of the touching story will keep you in your seats through the "bottom of the ninth."