Full Description
Over the course of fifty years in the mid-twentieth century, Fred "Dixie" Walker lived several baseball lives. Dubbed the successor to Babe Ruth after his impressive major league debut in 1931, Walker went from sure-fire prospect to injury-plagued underachiever, to Brooklyn hero, to persona non grata because of his complicated relationship with Jackie Robinson, and finally to redeemed, well-respected minor league manager and major league batting coach. The only player to have been a teammate of both Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, Walker is remembered too often for the charge that he tried to keep Robinson from joining the Dodgers. This illuminating biography covers Walker's rollercoaster career, revealing him to be a gentle man, a fiery competitor, and one of the most colorful characters of baseball's most memorable era.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
PART I—BEFORE THE DODGERS
1. Born to Play Baseball
2. A Minor League Sensation
3. The Guy to Take Babe Ruth's Place
4. The Lost Years
5. Radical Surgery and a Career Revived
6. The Most Unpopular Man in Detroit
PART II—THE DODGERS
7. "All I knew about Brooklyn was that it was some strange outer world"
8. The People's Choice
9. An Almost Perfect Team
10. A Pennant and a World Series
11. The 1942 Dodgers Look to Repeat
12. "Men, you are going to lose this pennant"
13. The War Begins to Affect Baseball
14. The 1944 National League Batting Champion
15. "The most beloved baseball player of recent years"
16. The War Ends and the Battle with the Cardinals Resumes
17. Playoffs, Pensions, and a Promotion
18. "It was the dumbest thing I did in all my life"
19. Jackie Robinson Joins the Dodgers
20. Dixie and Jackie Bring a Pennant to Brooklyn
PART III—AFTER THE DODGERS
21. "The place doesn't look the same since you've gone, Dixie"
22. Managing in the Minor Leagues
23. Ending His Career in Dodger Blue
24. Was Dixie Walker a Racist?
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
