Full Description
Rather than as a Falstaffian figure of limited intellect, Edmund Wehrle reveals Babe Ruth as an ambitious, independent operator, one not afraid to challenge baseball's draconian labor system. To the baseball establishment, Ruth's immense popularity represented opportunity, but his rebelliousness and potential to overturn the status quo presented a threat. After a decades-long campaign waged by baseball to contain and discredit him, the Babe, frustrated and struggling with injuries and illness, grew more acquiescent, but the image of Ruth that baseball perpetuated still informs how many people remember Babe Ruth to this day. This new perspective, approaching Ruth more seriously and placing his life in fuller context, is long overdue.
Contents
Acknowledgments/ xi
Introduction/ 3
Chapter 1: BASEBALL'S SEARCH FOR ORDER/ 13
Chapter 2: FRENZY!/ 41
Chapter 3: CHALLENGE TO AUTHORITY, PART I/ 65
Chapter 4: "A REMARKABLE CHANGE IN THE KING OF SWAT": COMEBACK I/ 95
Chapter 5: CHALLENGE TO AUTHORITY, PART II/ 115
Chapter 6: "IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF PHYSICAL CONDITION": COMEBACK II/ 141
Chapter 7: TRIUMPH/ 161
Chapter 8: "FAIR ENOUGH IN TIMES LIKE THESE"/ 185
Chapter 9: Removing Ruth/ 203
Chapter 10: "A WELL-PAID SLAVE IS NONETHELESS A SLAVE"/ 223
Notes/ 239
Bibliography/ 275
Index/ 283
