Full Description
Between 1870 and 2010, 165 Jewish Americans played Major League Baseball. This work presents oral histories featuring 23 of them. From Bob Berman, a catcher for the Washington Senators in 1918, to Adam Greenberg, an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs in 2005, the players discuss their careers and consider how their Jewish heritage affected them. Legends like Hank Greenberg and Al Rosen as well as lesser-known players reflect on the issue of whether to play on high holidays, responses to anti-Semitism on and off the field, bonds formed with black teammates also facing prejudice, and personal and Jewish pride in their accomplishments. Together, these oral histories paint a vivid portrait of what it was like to be a Jewish Major Leaguer.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
BOB BERMAN, Washington Senators, 1918
AL SCHACHT, Washington Senators, 1919-1921
ANDY COHEN, New York Giants, 1926, 1928-1929
HANK GREENBERG, Detroit Tigers, 1930, 1933-1941, 1945-1946; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1947
HARRY DANNING, New York Giants, 1933-1942
GOODY ROSEN, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1937-1939, 1944-1946; New York Giants, 1946
SAM NAHEM, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1938; St. Louis Cardinals, 1941; Philadelphia Phillies, 1942, 1948
CY BLOCK, Chicago Cubs, 1942, 1945-1946
AL ROSEN, Cleveland Indians, 1947-1956
MICKEY RUTNER, Philadelphia Athletics, 1947
MARV ROTBLATT, Chicago White Sox, 1948, 1950-1951
CAL ABRAMS, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1949-1952; Cincinnati Reds, 1952; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1953-1954; Baltimore Orioles, 1954-1955; Chicago White Sox, 1956
SAUL ROGOVIN, Detroit Tigers, 1949-1951; Chicago White Sox, 1951-1953; Baltimore Orioles, 1955; Philadelphia Phillies, 1955-1957
LOU LIMMER, Philadelphia Athletics, 1951, 1954
ED MAYER, Chicago Cubs, 1957-1958
LARRY SHERRY, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1958-1963; Detroit Tigers, 1964-1967; Houston Astros, 1967; California Angels, 1968 and NORM SHERRY, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1959-1962; New York Mets, 1963
MIKE EPSTEIN, Baltimore Orioles, 1966-1967; Washington Senators, 1967-1971; Oakland Athletics, 1971-1972; Texas Rangers, 1973; California Angels, 1973-1974
RON BLOMBERG, New York Yankees, 1969, 1971-1976; Chicago White Sox, 1978
ELLIOTT MADDOX, Detroit Tigers, 1970; Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, 1971-1973; New York Yankees, 1974-1976; Baltimore Orioles, 1977; New York Mets, 1978-1980
JOSE BAUTISTA, Baltimore Orioles, 1988-1991; Chicago Cubs, 1993-1994; San Francisco Giants, 1995-1996; Detroit Tigers, 1997; St. Louis Cardinals, 1997
JESSE LEVIS, Cleveland Indians, 1992-1995, 1999; Milwaukee Brewers, 1996-1998, 2001
ADAM GREENBERG, Chicago Cubs, 2005
Appendix: Jewish Major Leaguers
Index
