Full Description
At the end of the 1883 baseball season, things looked rosy--attendance had skyrocketed and the National League and American Association were at peace. A year later, however, the sport was in total disarray. A third major league, the Union Association, had come on the scene and waged a bitter war that rocked the baseball world. By the dawn of the 1885 season, the UA had dissolved in a sea of red ink, the AA had dropped four teams, and the minor leagues were desperately hoping to make it through the season.
Amid the chaos of 1884 were some historic moments. Iron-man pitcher Hoss Radbourn won 59 games and led the Providence Grays to victory over the New York Metropolitans in the first World Series. Fleet Walker broke baseball's first color line. There were a record eight no-hitters and a cast of fascinating figures--some famous, some lost to history--like Radbourn, Hustling Horace Phillips, Dan O'Leary, and Edward (The Only) Nolan. This book tells the story of the momentous yet overshadowed 1884 season.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Prologue to Chaos
1. "More money is made and expenses are less than is generally supposed"
2. The Game
3. The Players
4. "The blacklist shackle"
5. The Magnates
6. "More famous for his quaintness and eccentricity than his managerial skill"
7. "There are few men in any business who should be clothed with this authority"
8. The Drunks
9. "There will be no more foolishness this year": National League Preview
10. "Too many—it is going to weaken us": American Association Preview
11. The Wreckers: Union Association Preview
12. "He said he'd pitch his arm off to win the flag": National League Season
13. "The Metropolitan Club is a strong one": American Association Season
14. "To keep a correct record of the Union Association is worse than solving a Chinese puzzle": Union Association Season
15. The Pitchers
16. "Shadows of their former selves"
17. The Others
18. "Champions of the world"
19. "On the Ragged Edge"
Appendix A: Rules of the Brooklyn American Association Club
Appendix B: The Lake Front Battleground
Appendix C: Players Active in Multiple Leagues
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
