OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS in Literature!

[DODGER DEB]

In addition to the two history threads already posted, I thought it appropriate to set up a thread for OUR BROOKLYN DODGER LITERATURE.

I will start by posting this book, written by RED BARBER in 1947, the beginning of OUR incredible 10 year run (1947/1957). There have been many, many books written about OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS, so please include them here on this thread for all to see.


http://i14.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/47/b4/f8_1.JPG


From an eBay listing.

c.

[theAmazingMet]

WOW! There are so many books out there. Where to start?
"Boys of Summer", by Roger Kahn is considered the bible of Brooklyn Dodger history, and is an excellent read. The movie made with the same name is also an excellent doc.
"Images of Sports: Brooklyn Dodgers" by Mark Rucker has tons of vintage photos encompassing the entire history of the Brooklyn team. One of my favorite photo books.
"Tales from the Dodgers Dugout" by Carl Erskine includes hundreds of ancedotes from him about the Dodgers teams he played on. A great read, the type of book you can read for 5 minutes or hours. Lots of funny, and informative short stories.
"The Last Good Season" by Michael Shapiro paints a beautiful picture of 1956 Brooklyn, not just the team, but the borough, and the shady behind the scenes dealings of O'Money. While Shapiro lays equal blame on Robert Moses, the book does include good research on the team and the city.

[DODGER DEB]

For those who have not read this book, you are in for a real treat. Though it is fiction, to all US loyal and true BROOKLYN DODGER fans, it tugs at OUR hearts with a forever ...."if only"!


http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3c/46/44_1.JPG


From an eBay listing.

c.

[Flatbush Flock]

Another is The Sporting Life by Iriving Rudd, the press agent for the Brooklyn Dodgers, This is what he says "Here we live and die with the guys. Brooklyn is a state of mind, not a place. It is our team, our game, and we gigure, our rights are being violated. It is the richest team in the majors and still the O is going to pull up stakes in the city."
Unlike many associated with the team, Rudd resigned rather than go to Los Angeles.

[DODGER DEB]

Another is The Sporting Life by Iriving Rudd, the press agent for the Brooklyn Dodgers, This is what he says "Here we live and die with the guys. Brooklyn is a state of mind, not a place. It is our team, our game, and we gigure, our rights are being violated. It is the richest team in the majors and still the O is going to pull up stakes in the city."
Unlike many associated with the team, Rudd resigned rather than go to Los Angeles.


That he did, indeed!

c.

[zman]

http://www.booksamillion.com/bam/covers/1/41/848/155/1418481556.jpg

All the way through the regaling that Joseph McCauley works in his tale of Ebbets Field, you have an inkling of the envy you'll eventually feel when you come to finish this really great story of a truly unique time in the history of man -- when one could trust his eight-year-old daughter to her ten-year-old brother and a fistful of change, alone at a double-header in a major league ballpark, surrounded by what had become to them the family of Dose Bums and their fans! I resolved, as I put down this book, that I wished to be 50 years older, when you had a chance to be a member of that great gathering.

McCauley tells the story of more than merely a structure. His is the story of a place and a time when professional ball players talked with you and you talked with them as friends and co-admirers, not combatants; when the players lived in your neighborhood and, at times, even knew you by name; when you heard not only the crack of the bat at the crack of dawn, but often the closing of the bar with some of the team, much later after the game, win of lose. As McCauley tells it, you went to Ebbets not merely to support your Dodgers but 'cause that's what there was to do 'round Brooklyn -- and what there was to do there was lots of fun!

And was there a lot to do! McCauley spins the stories out nearly faster than they can be caught -- of games won and lost, championships had and missed, players coming and going and always remaining memorable, of Holy Name Society gatherings and college football matches and circuses and side shows and hot-dog venders and amateur musicians, and more variants thereon than I had thought possible, finally coming to conclusion 'midst the mess of a demolition derby preceding the demolition ball.

When the grand ole' place finally meets her demise, you lament not only for what was but for all those who partook, as performers whether on the field or in the stands -- and you wish you could've been there, too!

(Review and Photo from Amazon.com)

[Big Blue Dodger]

"Bums" by Peter Golenbock is an incredible book about the Brooks that has first hand accounts by just about every important figure involved in Brooklyn Dodger baseball from the mid-30's through 1957. The book was released in 1984, so alot of those who have left us :( are heard from in the book. One of my favorite books of all time, along with "Boys of Summer."

[DODGER DEB]

http://www.booksamillion.com/bam/covers/1/41/848/155/1418481556.jpg

All the way through the regaling that Joseph McCauley works in his tale of Ebbets Field, you have an inkling of the envy you'll eventually feel when you come to finish this really great story of a truly unique time in the history of man -- when one could trust his eight-year-old daughter to her ten-year-old brother and a fistful of change, alone at a double-header in a major league ballpark, surrounded by what had become to them the family of Dose Bums and their fans! I resolved, as I put down this book, that I wished to be 50 years older, when you had a chance to be a member of that great gathering.

McCauley tells the story of more than merely a structure. His is the story of a place and a time when professional ball players talked with you and you talked with them as friends and co-admirers, not combatants; when the players lived in your neighborhood and, at times, even knew you by name; when you heard not only the crack of the bat at the crack of dawn, but often the closing of the bar with some of the team, much later after the game, win of lose. As McCauley tells it, you went to Ebbets not merely to support your Dodgers but 'cause that's what there was to do 'round Brooklyn -- and what there was to do there was lots of fun!

And was there a lot to do! McCauley spins the stories out nearly faster than they can be caught -- of games won and lost, championships had and missed, players coming and going and always remaining memorable, of Holy Name Society gatherings and college football matches and circuses and side shows and hot-dog venders and amateur musicians, and more variants thereon than I had thought possible, finally coming to conclusion 'midst the mess of a demolition derby preceding the demolition ball.

When the grand ole' place finally meets her demise, you lament not only for what was but for all those who partook, as performers whether on the field or in the stands -- and you wish you could've been there, too!

(Review and Photo from Amazon.com)


Zman, do you know that Joe is a member of OUR Forum, and has been for a long time?

This book was a labor of love for him, when you consider that he never stepped foot into OUR Ebbets Field. It never ceases to amaze me how far and wide OUR wonderful story of OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS and OUR Ebbets Field reached. and how alive it still remains, after all these years. :gt

c.

[zman]

Zman, do you know that Joe is a member of OUR Forum, and has been for a long time?

This book was a labor of love for him, when you consider that he never stepped foot into OUR Ebbets Field. It never ceases to amaze me how far and wide OUR wonderful story of OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS and OUR Ebbets Field reached. and how alive it still remains, after all these years. :gt

c.

I made the connection only recently, Deb. Easy to understand the great reviews it's gotten. In addition to the wonderful writing there's plenty of rare photos to rekindle the memories of fans who were there and to conjure up a taste of the magic for those of us who wern't. A hearty thanks and congratulations to you, Mr. McCauley.

[Paulmcall]

You guys really made my day!!!
The past few years have been a lot of fun. Talking with and meeting Dodger fans all across the country really impressed me and made this book a labor of love for all of you.
I was impressed with the Brooklyn faithful I saw at my speech at the Hall of Fame on June 18th. Former batboy Bil Phifer came all the way from Pennsylvania and he had some great stories (many I couldn't put in the book) that he shared with me.
I even met some Dodger faithful in Ann Arbor, Michigan when I made an appearance at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library with former Dodger Don Lund.
I had many ask for signed copies and I have done whatever I could to get out the word. Ernie Harwell even mentioned the book in his newspaper column.
The best place to order the book is at Authorhouse.com. They sell it for around $20.
Unfortunately, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com have it at over $32 and that kind of screwed book sales. There was nothing I could do with their pricing.
Thanks again for the kind words. :clapping

[DODGER DEB]

If you haven't read this book, you should! It is a terrific read. The Lords of Baseball by Harold Parrott,(pictured with The Captain and Preacher Roe), a former Business Manager and Traveling Secretary for OUR Dodgers.....

http://i17.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/52/bc/3c_1.JPG

From an eBay lisitng.

c.

[callingit]

Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a magnificient recollection of a young girl's adolescence ruled by devotion to the Dodgers. Ms. Goodwin is historian, baseball historian, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. A great read.



Branch Rickey's Little Blue Book, (preface by Stan Musial) is a wondrous primer on the great innovator's methods & philosophies.



Carl Prince's Brooklyn's Dodgers is also a slender,quick paced account of Brooklyndom.

[Paulmcall]

The Harold Parrott and Carl Prince books are great.
Every Diamond Doesn't Sparkle by Fresco Thompson is pretty interesting and darn funny.

[tonypug]

If you haven't read this book, you should! It is a terrific read. The Lords of Baseball by Harold Parrott,(pictured with The Captain and Preacher Roe), a former Business Manager and Traveling Secretary for OUR Dodgers.....

http://i17.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/52/bc/3c_1.JPG

From an eBay lisitng.

c.
This is a book everyone should read, it is very enlightening. A real behind the scenes look.

[EbtsFldGuy]

This is a book everyone should read, it is very enlightening. A real behind the scenes look.


I found the book disappointing because it says virtually nothing about the move to LA and the cirumstances which led to it.

[Lprof]

For those who have not read this book, you are in for a real treat. Though it is fiction, to all US loyal and true BROOKLYN DODGER fans, it tugs at OUR hearts with a forever ...."if only"!


http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3c/46/44_1.JPG


From an eBay listing.

c.
Thanks! I plan to check Amazon.com right away to track this one down; if only it WEREN'T fiction.

[DODGER DEB]

Thanks! I plan to check Amazon.com right away to track this one down; if only it WEREN'T fiction.

IF you can't find it there, Lprof, try Abebooks.com.

BTW, welcome to OUR little corner of the BBF, Lprof. Nice to have new members join OUR group.

c.

[Number 4]

I'm currently reading Thomas Oliphant's Praying for Gil Hodges. Is Oliphant's descriptions and emotions fairly accurate for those of you living in Brooklyn during the late 1940s through 1957?

[Centreville82]

I'm 23 yrs old and a Cardinals fan first, and have been reading this forum for awhile, and I have to say, THE BROOKLYN Dodgers (Not LA) became my 2nd favorite yesteryear team, thanks to this forum and other publications.

[DODGER DEB]

I'm 23 yrs old and a Cardinals fan first, and have been reading this forum for awhile, and I have to say, THE BROOKLYN Dodgers (Not LA) became my 2nd favorite yesteryear team, thanks to this forum and other publications.

WE thank you for that Centerville82!

YOu are always welcome here to join in OUR discussions, or pose questions that WE will try to answer.

c.

[Centreville82]

WE thank you for that Centreville82!

YOu are always welcome here to join in OUR discussions, or pose questions that WE will try to answer.

c.

Thanks, Dodger Reb. :)

[VIBaseball]

There were a couple of threads started previously on this book, but I believe it's worth mentioning Bob McGee's "The Greatest Ballpark Ever" again. It and Joe McCauley's book are good companions. I just finished Bob's effort -- it's heavier on text and detail, while Joe's gets more into other non-baseball events and benefits from more photos.

[strummer]

Has anybody read Duke Snider's new book, "The few and the Chosen"? Is it a good read? New stuff or old stuff rehashed?

[CaliforniaCajun]

WOW! There are so many books out there. Where to start?
"Boys of Summer", by Roger Kahn is considered the bible of Brooklyn Dodger history, and is an excellent read. The movie made with the same name is also an excellent doc.
"Images of Sports: Brooklyn Dodgers" by Mark Rucker has tons of vintage photos encompassing the entire history of the Brooklyn team. One of my favorite photo books.
"Tales from the Dodgers Dugout" by Carl Erskine includes hundreds of ancedotes from him about the Dodgers teams he played on. A great read, the type of book you can read for 5 minutes or hours. Lots of funny, and informative short stories.
"The Last Good Season" by Michael Shapiro paints a beautiful picture of 1956 Brooklyn, not just the team, but the borough, and the shady behind the scenes dealings of O'Money. While Shapiro lays equal blame on Robert Moses, the book does include good research on the team and the city.


How do you rate Bums, written by Peter Golenbock?

[CaliforniaCajun]

For those who have not read this book, you are in for a real treat. Though it is fiction, to all US loyal and true BROOKLYN DODGER fans, it tugs at OUR hearts with a forever ...."if only"!


http://i9.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/3c/46/44_1.JPG


From an eBay listing.

c.

I like the concept, but a pregnant pitcher made it too weird for me. Because of that I was disappointed. The first part of the book was great, when they tore down the apartments and put everything back right where it was. After I finished I gave it to a history professor who is a Dodger fan.

[CaliforniaCajun]

"Bums" by Peter Golenbock is an incredible book about the Brooks that has first hand accounts by just about every important figure involved in Brooklyn Dodger baseball from the mid-30's through 1957. The book was released in 1984, so alot of those who have left us :( are heard from in the book. One of my favorite books of all time, along with "Boys of Summer."

That's the book that switched my primary allegiance from the Dodgers to the Angels (I'm an L.A. native). Los Angeles had a Los Angeles Angels minor league team from 1903-1957. That is the ancestral name of L.A. baseball, contrary to Frank McCourt's ad campaign last year. O'Malley swapped the Ft. Worth Cats to the Cubs for the L.A. Angels to have territorial rights to the area.

Anyway, I learned from that book that the Angels were the native L.A. team. When the Dodgers moved, Los Angeles took a mistress. I don't think it should have happened. The Angels are the native son and therefore my team.

[Paulmcall]

Thanks VIBaseball for the nice words about my book, Ebbets Field: Brooklyn's Baseball Shrine.
I tried to get as many fan's stories in the book as I could.
The photos were a big part of the project. I did get quite a few in there that had never been published before.
It was my first book and I would have done a few things differently if I had to do it over again. However, it turned out pretty good and I'm glad I got to meet so many great Dodger fans in the process.:atthepc

[Brownie31]

Has anybody read Duke Snider's new book, "The few and the Chosen"? Is it a good read? New stuff or old stuff rehashed?

strummer:

I have just finished the book. It is a pretty good read, but far from
the best baseball book I've read.

Neither the best nor the worst in other words.

As to it being a rehash of old stuff, if by that you mean simply
familiar tales from Snider's playing days, the answer is no.

Snider gives his opinion of the top Dodger players by position
from all eras-ranging from the days of Uncle Robbie and
Zack Wheat to Eric Gagne and others today.

Since the book details Dodger greats from both the Borough
of Churches and the City of Angels, this might diminish it's
appeal to many in this forum.

Brownie31

[CaliforniaCajun]

strummer:

I have just finished the book. It is a pretty good read, but far from
the best baseball book I've read.

Neither the best nor the worst in other words.

As to it being a rehash of old stuff, if by that you mean simply
familiar tales from Snider's playing days, the answer is no.

Snider gives his opinion of the top Dodger players by position
from all eras-ranging from the days of Uncle Robbie and
Zack Wheat to Eric Gagne and others today.

Since the book details Dodger greats from both the Borough
of Churches and the City of Angels, this might diminish it's
appeal to many in this forum.

Brownie31


Snider definitely DID NOT want the Dodgers to leave Brooklyn, and he is a Los Angeles area native.

What I wonder is how the 60s Dodgers would have fared at Ebbets Field with their pitching and defense emphasis and lack of power.

[Brownie31]

Snider definitely DID NOT want the Dodgers to leave Brooklyn, and he is a Los Angeles area native.

What I wonder is how the 60s Dodgers would have fared at Ebbets Field with their pitching and defense emphasis and lack of power.

CaliforniaCajun:

Snider did not want to leave, especially having to play
in the LA Coliseum. This hurt his home run totals rather
dramatically.

As to your second question, if the Dodgers had stayed,
it is likely that would soon have had a new stadium,
perhaps the dome O'Malley spoke of. Anyway, could we
be certain that had they not left Brooklyn that Dodgers
of the '60s would have evolved as they did in LA?

Very good question. Perhaps others may have a
clearer answer than I did.

Brownie31

[DODGER DEB]

I don't know how many of you have read THE GREATEST BALLPARK EVER: EBBETS FIELD and the story of the BROOKLYN DODGERS, written by Bob McGee, but I suggest you treat yourself, if you have not. It is a wonderful book.

I just learned this afternoon that Bob has been awarded The Dave Moore Award for 2005, announced by Elysian Fields Quarterly on May 1, 2006, which is located in St. Paul, MN. This Award seeks to recognize the "most important book on baseball" published each year.

Kudos to Bob for such a terrific book! :clapping

c.

[Brownie31]

If you haven't read this book, you should! It is a terrific read. The Lords of Baseball by Harold Parrott,(pictured with The Captain and Preacher Roe), a former Business Manager and Traveling Secretary for OUR Dodgers.....

http://i17.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/52/bc/3c_1.JPG

From an eBay lisitng.

c.

I have just finished reading this book and what DODGER DEB says
is true. It is really a great read, as sharp or even sharper than
"Veeck As In Wreck"!

Those who have posted recently about about former employees
never attacking O'Malley have not read this book. The Big Oom
from Room 40 of the Bossert Hotel is skewered in a wry and
satirical manner reminescent of Westbrook Pegler in his
sportswriting days.

This is much more deadly and effective than a bitter rant.
As someone once said, it hurts and stings far worse to
be laughed at than to be yelled at.

Nor is The Big Oom the only baseball moguls skewered
by Mr. Parrott. Phil Wrigley, Charlie O. Finley and quite
a few others come in for their share.

This book is a forgotten gem of baseball!

Brownie31

[DODGER DEB]

I have just finished reading this book and what DODGER DEB says
is true. It is really a great read, as sharp or even sharper than
"Veeck As In Wreck"!

Those who have posted recently about about former employees
never attacking O'Malley have not read this book. The Big Oom
from Room 40 of the Bossert Hotel is skewered in a wry and
satirical manner reminescent of Westbrook Pegler in his
sportswriting days.

This is much more deadly and effective than a bitter rant.
As someone once said, it hurts and stings far worse to
be laughed at than to be yelled at.

Nor is The Big Oom the only baseball moguls skewered
by Mr. Parrott. Phil Wrigley, Charlie O. Finley and quite
a few others come in for their share.

This book is a forgotten gem of baseball!

Brownie31


Glad you enjoyed it, Brownie!

c.

[tonypug]

I have just finished reading this book and what DODGER DEB says
is true. It is really a great read, as sharp or even sharper than
"Veeck As In Wreck"!

Those who have posted recently about about former employees
never attacking O'Malley have not read this book. The Big Oom
from Room 40 of the Bossert Hotel is skewered in a wry and
satirical manner reminescent of Westbrook Pegler in his
sportswriting days.

This is much more deadly and effective than a bitter rant.
As someone once said, it hurts and stings far worse to
be laughed at than to be yelled at.

Nor is The Big Oom the only baseball moguls skewered
by Mr. Parrott. Phil Wrigley, Charlie O. Finley and quite
a few others come in for their share.

This book is a forgotten gem of baseball!

Brownie31
Any time someone starts talking about O'Malley for the Hall Of Fame they should be told to read this book. This wasn't just some former employee complaining about his boss. Just about everything Parrott has written can be corroborated.The book was recently re-released by his children.

[ColtscorrAL]

Snider definitely DID NOT want the Dodgers to leave Brooklyn, and he is a Los Angeles area native.

What I wonder is how the 60s Dodgers would have fared at Ebbets Field with their pitching and defense emphasis and lack of power.I think it would have been a place that suited the type of team they had in the 60's. They were a pitching and defense team. If they had stayed in Brooklyn and Ebbets Field they might have been good enough to push across two runs a game and made Sandy, Don and Claude's jobs a bit easier.

[tonypug]

I think it would have been a place that suited the type of team they had in the 60's. They were a pitching and defense team. If they had stayed in Brooklyn and Ebbets Field they might have been good enough to push across two runs a game and made Sandy, Don and Claude's jobs a bit easier.
Don't forget in the 60's they had right handed power hitters Frank Howard and Tommy Davis, and willie Davis, Ron Fairly and Johnny Roseboro all lefthanded hitter would have used the short rightfield to their advantage. There would have been enough hitting.

[EbtsFldGuy]

I have just finished reading this book and what DODGER DEB says
is true. It is really a great read, as sharp or even sharper than
"Veeck As In Wreck"!

Those who have posted recently about about former employees
never attacking O'Malley have not read this book. The Big Oom
from Room 40 of the Bossert Hotel is skewered in a wry and
satirical manner reminescent of Westbrook Pegler in his
sportswriting days.

This is much more deadly and effective than a bitter rant.
As someone once said, it hurts and stings far worse to
be laughed at than to be yelled at.

Nor is The Big Oom the only baseball moguls skewered
by Mr. Parrott. Phil Wrigley, Charlie O. Finley and quite
a few others come in for their share.

This book is a forgotten gem of baseball!

Brownie31

It is an intertesting read, but I found it a disappointment in that it skips entirely the circumstances attending the move out of Brooklyn.

I read it to see what an "insider" might say about the decision to move, and was surprised to see that he never touched the subject.

Why? I don't know, and won't attempt to guess.

The absence of that dimishes the worth of the book, in my opinion.

[callingit]

I don't know how many of you have read THE GREATEST BALLPARK EVER: EBBETS FIELD and the story of the BROOKLYN DODGERS, written by Bob McGee, but I suggest you treat yourself, if you have not. It is a wonderful book.

I just learned this afternoon that Bob has been awarded The Dave Moore Award for 2005, announced by Elysian Fields Quarterly on May 1, 2006, which is located in St. Paul, MN. This Award seeks to recognize the "most important book on baseball" published each year.

Kudos to Bob for such a terrific book!



Heartily agreed, Dodger Deb! I'm about halfway through this and I'm amazed at just how thorough & detailed it is. Magnificient work by Bob, worthy of many more accolades.

[Paulmcall]

Don't forget to check out my book Ebbets Field: Brooklyn's Baseball Shrine.
It even has the full story on the park with events covered that had nothing to do with baseball. There is even a nice pic of Marilyn Monroe at Ebbets Field for a soccer game!:crazy
Many photos included have never been published before to.

[DODGER DEB]

In 1953 RALPH BRANCA was claimed on waivers by the Detriot Tigers. This photo recalls the day he wore his BROOKLYN cap for the last time and turned over his #13 uniform to Senator Griffin, as Carl Erskine watches.

http://i21.ebayimg.com/03/i/07/55/2c/f1_1.JPG

A wire photo from an eBay listing.

c.

[ColtscorrAL]

Heartily agreed, Dodger Deb! I'm about halfway through this and I'm amazed at just how thorough & detailed it is. Magnificient work by Bob, worthy of many more accolades. Ebbets Field was a classic and needs to be remembered and also introduced to those who have only heard the name. Am I hearing correctly, new Mets ballpark will look a lot like Ebbets Field?

[DODGER DEB]

Ebbets Field was a classic and needs to be remembered and also introduced to those who have only heard the name. Am I hearing correctly, new Mets ballpark will look a lot like Ebbets Field?

You heard right, ColtscorrAL!

Check out this thread (from a few months ago) on OUR forum, where you can see and read all about it.

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=39612

c.

[Dem Bums]

Has anybody read Duke Snider's new book, "The few and the Chosen"? Is it a good read? New stuff or old stuff rehashed?


I believe that it covers both old and new stuff through the decades of the Dodgers.

A good read is "The Duke Of Flatbush." Has anyone read it? I read it when it first came out about 15 years ago. If you're a true Dodger fan, than you'll definitely enjoy it.



Dem Bums :cool:

[catfishjon]

heres a couple more I don't think I saw mentioned yet:

"Baseballs Great Experiment" regarding the integration of Baseball, can't remember the authors name off the top of my head

"What I learned from Jackie Robinson" by Carl Erskine. Fantastic book written by one of baseballs great gentleman

"Brooklyn Remembered" by Maury Allen. This is a nice tribute to the 55 team and what it meant to those who lived there

"Why I Love Baseball" by Larry King. another tribute to the game written from a dodger fans perspective

"Once a Bum, always a Dodger" Don Drysdale

Mark Reese's great documentary series on the Dodgers is now out on DVD, BTW

[Paulmcall]

Ebbets Field: Brooklyn's Baseball Shrine now available on E-Bay.

[Lprof]

I don't know how many of you have read THE GREATEST BALLPARK EVER: EBBETS FIELD and the story of the BROOKLYN DODGERS, written by Bob McGee, but I suggest you treat yourself, if you have not. It is a wonderful book.

I just learned this afternoon that Bob has been awarded The Dave Moore Award for 2005, announced by Elysian Fields Quarterly on May 1, 2006, which is located in St. Paul, MN. This Award seeks to recognize the "most important book on baseball" published each year.

Kudos to Bob for such a terrific book! :clapping

c.

Deb: You should know that just yesterday I purchased a new book by Joshua Prager entitled "The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World." I am only a few chapters in, but it seems fascinating; it explores in detail how the Giants stole signs using a telescope. Apparently it was the idea of Hank Schenz, a fringe utility player whom they picked up from Pittsburgh. Also, at the bookstore I saw a new book about Jackie Robinson's first year, though I forgot the name.

p.s. Just for kicks I went on the NY Giants baseball fever website; pathetic.

[Lprof]

Any time someone starts talking about O'Malley for the Hall Of Fame they should be told to read this book. This wasn't just some former employee complaining about his boss. Just about everything Parrott has written can be corroborated.The book was recently re-released by his children.

I hate O'Malley as much as the next Brooklyn fan, but I read a book, I think it was called "The Dodgers Move West" (a scholarly book published, I think, by Oxford University Press; can't recall the author's name, I am afraid) suggesting that Robert Moses, parks commissioner, was an ego maniac who was responsible for a good deal of the intransigience. In my mind, however, nothing will ever let O'Malley off the hook.

[Lprof]

http://www.booksamillion.com/bam/covers/1/41/848/155/1418481556.jpg

All the way through the regaling that Joseph McCauley works in his tale of Ebbets Field, you have an inkling of the envy you'll eventually feel when you come to finish this really great story of a truly unique time in the history of man -- when one could trust his eight-year-old daughter to her ten-year-old brother and a fistful of change, alone at a double-header in a major league ballpark, surrounded by what had become to them the family of Dose Bums and their fans! I resolved, as I put down this book, that I wished to be 50 years older, when you had a chance to be a member of that great gathering.

McCauley tells the story of more than merely a structure. His is the story of a place and a time when professional ball players talked with you and you talked with them as friends and co-admirers, not combatants; when the players lived in your neighborhood and, at times, even knew you by name; when you heard not only the crack of the bat at the crack of dawn, but often the closing of the bar with some of the team, much later after the game, win of lose. As McCauley tells it, you went to Ebbets not merely to support your Dodgers but 'cause that's what there was to do 'round Brooklyn -- and what there was to do there was lots of fun!

And was there a lot to do! McCauley spins the stories out nearly faster than they can be caught -- of games won and lost, championships had and missed, players coming and going and always remaining memorable, of Holy Name Society gatherings and college football matches and circuses and side shows and hot-dog venders and amateur musicians, and more variants thereon than I had thought possible, finally coming to conclusion 'midst the mess of a demolition derby preceding the demolition ball.

When the grand ole' place finally meets her demise, you lament not only for what was but for all those who partook, as performers whether on the field or in the stands -- and you wish you could've been there, too!

(Review and Photo from Amazon.com) I love the cover; it really makes the place come alive again in ways most pictures don't; is Amazon the best place to get this, or is it sold in bookstores?

[strummer]

Does anyone know the details of a new book of photgraphs of the Brooklyn Dodgers (with a forward by Carl Erskine) to be published by Barney Stein's daughter this spring? The photos were all taken by Barney Stein, and many of them were never previuosly published.

[THE OX]

I remember so well from my school kid days a series of books by John R. Tunis on the subject of fictional player Roy Tucker, "The Kid From Tompkinsville," a member of the 1940s Brooklyn Dodgers. Check them out on the web, and perhaps still yet in your public or school libraries.

What a nostalgia trip. Hell, I can still enjoy them yet at age 60!

Slight deviation from subject here.... I am acquainted with a gentleman from west central Ohio who lives near Darrtown, the residence of the late Walter Alston. One year while visiting this man, he drove my wife and me by Walter's house and mentioned that he'd met all the 1950s/60s Dodgers there at postseason parties held by Alston. When I asked him how in the hell was he so privileged, he answered that his mother's maiden name was Alston! (Walter's niece, I think!)

[DODGER DEB]

A new biography of OUR Jackie has just been released which coincides with the 60th anniversary of that memorable day in 1947.

It is called "Opening Day" The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season", written by Jonathan Eig and published by Simon and Schuster.

Here is little about it....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17872168/site/newsweek/

c.

[brooklyndodger14]

ALL BROOKLYN DODGER FANS ARE URGED TO EXAMINE THIS BOOK...

"Through A Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein, 1937-1957" by Dennis D'Agostino & Bonnie Crosby copyright 2007, Truimph Books

After seeing an adjacent thread about the current sad state of the Ebbets Field site and the accompanying tragic irony of how much of Jackie Robinson's legacy is forgotten in that neighborhood on the 50th anniversary since his historic debut, the book "Through a Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein, 1937-1957" by Dennis D'Agostino & Bonnie Crosby (Barney Stein's daughter) will serve as a fitting emotional oasis celebrating that long ago era when the Dodgers were the top of the baseball world.

Accompanying the photos are many eyewitness accounts of the Dodger players he shot: For example, there is the famous picture of Don Newcombe & Duke Snider wearing soaking wet hats in their Yankee Stadium locker room after Johnny Podres won Game 7 of the 1955 World Series. What you will discover is the story behind that picture going back to when they clinched the NL Pennant.

Most rewarding to me, is seeing shots of life INSIDE Ebbets Field, most especially an EXCELLENT photo of the interior of the Rotunda to add to the meager pair that are known to exist... (see below)

Without trying to advertise, the book can be found at Barnes & Noble, but you can get it at a significant discount from both Amazon and Wal-Mart.

The pictures are amazing! Several of these shots were found on eBay as recently as 2 years ago, I remember one I posted here that showed the view from deep inside the barren Rotunda on that tragic auction day... Barney Stein had shot that one.

To see his photograph of the Rotunda during a game day is so gratifying and I'm sure it would be for anyone who actually had the enviable experience of having passed through it in reality....

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24868&stc=1&d=1181041096
http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24869&stc=1&d=1181041155
http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24870&stc=1&d=1181041230

[DODGER DEB]

ALL BROOKLYN DODGER FANS ARE URGED TO EXAMINE THIS BOOK...

"Through A Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein, 1937-1957" by Dennis D'Agostino & Bonnie Crosby copyright 2007, Truimph Books

After seeing an adjacent thread about the current sad state of the Ebbets Field site and the accompanying tragic irony of how much of Jackie Robinson's legacy is forgotten in that neighborhood on the 50th anniversary since his historic debut, the book "Through a Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein, 1937-1957" by Dennis D'Agostino & Bonnie Crosby (Barney Stein's daughter) will serve as a fitting emotional oasis celebrating that long ago era when the Dodgers were the top of the baseball world.

Accompanying the photos are many eyewitness accounts of the Dodger players he shot: For example, there is the famous picture of Don Newcombe & Duke Snider wearing soaking wet hats in their Yankee Stadium locker room after Johnny Podres won Game 7 of the 1955 World Series. What you will discover is the story behind that picture going back to when they clinched the NL Pennant.

Most rewarding to me, is seeing shots of life INSIDE Ebbets Field, most especially an EXCELLENT photo of the interior of the Rotunda to add to the meager pair that are known to exist... (see below)

Without trying to advertise, the book can be found at Barnes & Noble, but you can get it at a significant discount from both Amazon and Wal-Mart.

The pictures are amazing! Several of these shots were found on eBay as recently as 2 years ago, I remember one I posted here that showed the view from deep inside the barren Rotunda on that tragic auction day... Barney Stein had shot that one.

To see his photograph of the Rotunda during a game day is so gratifying and I'm sure it would be for anyone who actually had the enviable experience of having passed through it in reality....

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24868&stc=1&d=1181041096
http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24869&stc=1&d=1181041155
http://www.baseball-fever.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24870&stc=1&d=1181041230


Thank you for posting this in OUR BROOKLYN DODGER LITERATURE, Dennis. I agree, it is indeed spectacular!

If you want to read more comments about this book, check out the thread below, that I posted a few weeks ago about the book.... A WONDERFUL TREAT AWAITS ALL BROOKLYN FANS!

c.

[Paulmcall]

I agree that the book is a good buy. Bonnie had been trying to get the book
done for a few years. The final result is great and I just wish it didn't end.:dance

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

Thank you for posting this in OUR BROOKLYN DODGER LITERATURE, Dennis. I agree, it is indeed spectacular!

If you want to read more comments about this book, check out the thread below, that I posted a few weeks ago about the book.... A WONDERFUL TREAT AWAITS ALL BROOKLYN FANS!

c.

BTW. How is your book doing? Any progress?

[DODGER DEB]

BTW. How is your book doing? Any progress?

Unfortunately since the end of last year I've had several life situations to deal with, so my book has taken to the back burner. I am, however, determined to get back to it and complete it....and I will!

Thanks for asking.

c.

[DODGER DEB]

You will be interested to know that I just came across this information relative to book about Branch Rickey which was published in April. It's called "Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentlemen" by Lee Lowenfish. It was published by the University of Nebraska Press.

c.

[Spirit of '55]

Although not specifically about the Dodgers, WHEN BROOKLYN WAS THE WORLD 1920-1957 by Elliot Willensky is evocative of the whole Dodger era. Another book that mentions our Dodgers is PORTNOY's COMPLAINT by Phillip Roth, in which Portnoy has a fantasy where he is the Duke of Flatbush

[penncentralpete]

Opening Day......

[hit_sign_won_nothing]

I'm currently reading Roger Kahn's amazing book 'Memories of Summer'. There is a picture in the book taken just after the final pitch of the 55 series showing a mad dash for the mound. Does anyone know where I can see or order this pic. I've tried the UPI site and they don't have it.


Always a bum, even from the UK.

[bomck]

I've recently written a tale of the Dodgers, the 1949 NL pennant race, and the history of baseball in the Borough. The first chapter of "Bird Hunting In Brooklyn" is available for preview, and the book is available for download or purchase at the below link.

http://www.lulu.com/content/2093968

Bob Mack

[strummer]

There is a new book out, "We Would Have Played for Nothing" by Fay Vincent (former Commissioner). It is a transcript of interviews (present day) with heros of the 1950s and 1960s baseball. Among those interviewed ( and each player's interview and comments runs about 25 to 30 pages) are Branca, Snider and Erskine. They are very good; allowing the players to comment on what it was like playing in those days as well as on teammates and opposing players. A good read -- especially the ones by the Dodgers, giving new insights into life as a BUM!

[DickZ]

There is a new book out, "We Would Have Played for Nothing" by Fay Vincent (former Commissioner) ... A good read -- especially the ones by the Dodgers, giving new insights into life as a BUM!
But when is Dodger Deb's book coming out? That's the one that I think will beat all the others hands down. But that's only if it actually comes out. [Excuse my impatience, Deb.]

[DODGER DEB]

But when is Dodger Deb's book coming out? That's the one that I think will beat all the others hands down. But that's only if it actually comes out. [Excuse my impatience, Deb.]

To be sure, DickZ, my book will most definitely be "coming out".

I thank you for your continued interest and ask that you just be patient. It will most certainly be worth the wait. :nod: :nod:

c.

[DickZ]

To be sure, DickZ, my book will most definitely be "coming out".

I thank you for your continued interest and ask that you just be patient. It will most certainly be worth the wait. :nod: :nod:

c.
I'm sure it will be worth the wait, Deb. All the other books that have been published focus on the players down on the field, and that subject has been worked over pretty thoroughly by lots of people.

But yours is the first one I've heard of that will focus on the fans in the stands.

It sounds truly unique - I'll try to maintain my patience.

[VIBaseball]

This forum is an appropriate place for another word to mark the recent passing of Professor Jules Tygiel, the author of Baseball's Great Experiment, which apparently remains Rachel Robinson's favorite book about Jackie.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/02/BALD11IT7D.DTL

[tonypug]

This forum is an appropriate place for another word to mark the recent passing of Professor Jules Tygiel, the author of Baseball's Great Experiment, which apparently remains Rachel Robinson's favorite book about Jackie.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/02/BALD11IT7D.DTLThanks for posting that VI. His Book on Jackie Robinson is a must read for many reasons. He certainly will be missed.

[Paulmcall]

There's always ]Ebbets Field:Brooklyn's Baseball Shrine still available from amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com or authorhouse.com

[metrotheme]

George Shotgun Shuba has written a book documenting his career. You can find out more about it here:
http://www.georgeshuba.com/shubastore.shtml

[highpockets]

I remember so well from my school kid days a series of books by John R. Tunis on the subject of fictional player Roy Tucker, "The Kid From Tompkinsville," a member of the 1940s Brooklyn Dodgers. Check them out on the web, and perhaps still yet in your public or school libraries.

What a nostalgia trip. Hell, I can still enjoy them yet at age 60!

Hey Ox,
I was wondering if any Dodger forum members read those books. As I recall they had so much more depth and character than any of the other series I read as a kid. They were BOOKS. That they were about the Dodgers was just what made them perfect.

Glad to hear they hold up.

[VIBaseball]

George Shotgun Shuba has written a book documenting his career. You can find out more about it here:
http://www.georgeshuba.com/shubastore.shtml

The Brooklyn Historical Society, which is just a few minutes' walk from me, has this in stock. I should have checked to see if Mr. Shuba had signed the display copy or any others!

[VIBaseball]

I figured this must have received at least one mention here, and it did, in a birthday thread for shlevine42 from April 2008.

Who else besides aqib has read the 1981 novel by David Ritz, "The Man Who Brought the Dodgers Back to Brooklyn"? Comments?

Here is the New York Times review from '81:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E0DA1438F933A15756C0A9679482 60&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

[brooklyndodger14]

I figured this must have received at least one mention here, and it did, in a birthday thread for shlevine42 from April 2008.

Who else besides aqib has read the 1981 novel by David Ritz, "The Man Who Brought the Dodgers Back to Brooklyn"? Comments?

Here is the New York Times review from '81:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E0DA1438F933A15756C0A9679482 60&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all


I bought a copy of the book back in 1994, and loved the chapters where they were reconstructing Ebbets Field.

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[SeaverGooden]

I'm doing a long research paper for my senior thesis on the creation of the Mets franchise and the factors that lead to their existence. Obviously the departure of the Giants and Dodgers has much to do with that. If anyone has read the Shapiro book and could give me some feedback on it, I would be very appreciative. Also, if anyone knows of anything or any other books I could use that deal with their departure in-depth, or anyone who knows of people who would be available to interview who is accessible on the subject of the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn I would be really greatful, fans, players, management etc.

Thanx Brooklyn Dodgers fans.

[VIBaseball]

There's an article by one Henry D. Fetter that I'm keen to see. I believe it's still unpublished, though it won a SABR award last year. It's called "Revising the Revisionists: Walter O'Malley, Robert Moses, and the Death of the Brooklyn Dodgers."

Sounds to me like the onus may be shifted back where it belongs...

[MATHA531]

I'm doing a long research paper for my senior thesis on the creation of the Mets franchise and the factors that lead to their existence. Obviously the departure of the Giants and Dodgers has much to do with that. If anyone has read the Shapiro book and could give me some feedback on it, I would be very appreciative. Also, if anyone knows of anything or any other books I could use that deal with their departure in-depth, or anyone who knows of people who would be available to interview who is accessible on the subject of the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn I would be really greatful, fans, players, management etc.

Thanx Brooklyn Dodgers fans.


The Shapiro book is very biased in favour of O'Malley and against Robert Moses; understandable since the O'Malley family provided most of the information.

It takes the position that poor Walter O'Malley was forced to move the franchise because Bob Moses did very little to appease him. It passes over the fact that O'Malley wanted Moses to condemn the property at Atlantic/Flatbush despite the fact New York State law clearly prohibited it.

It passes over the fact that Moses was willing to give O'Malley a very sweetheart deal at Shea Stadium (or more accurately what was to become Shea Stadium) but O'Malley refused to consider it obstensibly because he would find it difficult to call the team the Brooklyn Dodgers if it played in Queens....O'Malley lied throughout 1957 that he was trying to keep the team in Brooklyn despite the fact he had made a verbal agreement with LA city officials in November 1956 to steal the franchise from Brooklyn.

The book is very inaccurate in its views that O'Malley was not an evil person and was forced to leave Brooklyn because of the refusal of Robert Moses to break the law.....

[VIBaseball]

This is a 1997 novel by Christopher Renino, telling the story of the '47 team. It has Jackie's picture on the cover.

It has been excerpted on baseballlibrary.com, and there's talk there of a reprint:

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/jackierobinson/index.php

[VIBaseball]

I'm not going to give this forthcoming release its own thread:

FOREVER BLUE: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles (Riverhead Books; March 19, 2009)

The author, Michael D'Antonio, apparently got access to O'Malley archives. Judging by this story, though, he's in the "Blame It on Bob [Moses]" camp.

http://rays.scout.com/a.z?s=322&p=2&c=837614

[VIBaseball]

Time magazine's story about the noted author on January 19, 1987 includes this passage:

The distraction from his work Roth most willingly tolerates is baseball. "My fandom," he says, without a trace of irony, "is the most interesting fact of my life." He talks eagerly about going to games as a boy and watching the old Newark Bears of the International League along with his older brother Sanford and his father, now a retired insurance-company executive. His boyhood passion was the Brooklyn Dodgers. "I went off to college, and then the Dodgers went off to L.A.," he says, shaking his head. Eventually, he transferred his allegiance to the New York Mets.

Apparently he has a photo of the '47 team at home. Al Gionfriddo is name-checked in Portnoy's Complaint, as is Ebbets Field.

[VIBaseball]

This is a work by another noted novelist, Don DeLillo. Subtitled "The Shot Heard Round the World", it was originally published in Harper's Magazine in October 1992. It then became the prologue to DeLillo's 1997 novel Underworld, with minor changes, such as a new opening line. In 2001, it was re-released as a novella.

Here's an excerpt from the Boston Review describing it. I am intrigued.

Underworld opens with a magnificent prologue of some 60 pages. The scene is the Polo Grounds on October 3, 1951, during the one-game playoff between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants won by the Giants on Bobby Thomson's fabled ninth-inning homer. An 11-year-old Harlem boy crashes the gate and eludes the guards before finding a seat in left field. Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, and the saloonkeeper Toots Shor share a field-level box with J. Edgar Hoover. A messenger brings Hoover news that the Soviet Union has just completed its second successful test of an atomic bomb. Willie Mays takes a knee in the on-deck circle, unable to get a commercial jingle for razor blades out of his mind ("push-pull-click-click"). Paper and garbage start to fall from the stands. Gleason stuffs one hot dog too many into his mouth and throws up on Sinatra's shoes. Upon the head of Hoover there descends, from somewhere in the upper deck, a color reproduction torn from a copy of Life magazine of Pieter Bruegel's The Triumph of Death. The Giants win the pennant, and the kid who sneaked into the stadium ends up winning the scuffle in the stands for Bobby Thomson's home run ball. This section, like the entire novel, is remarkable for its sense of whirring simultaneity and for the way the winds of dread ripple across the madcap surface.

[VIBaseball]

Here's something I was not aware of previously. This man's name has been mentioned just once in passing on this forum.

Lester Rodney covered sports for the Daily Worker -- a Communist newspaper published in New York. He was an active voice in favor of erasing the color line, and in addition to Jackie Robinson, his path crossed with many Dodger figures of the era.

This book about him by Irwin Silber came out in 2003. Here's a link to a thumbnail sketch, reviews, and an excerpt.

http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1648_reg.html

Lester Rodney, age 98, is still with us today and still goes out to the ballpark. See the end of this story.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1053-San-Francisco-Giants-Examiner~y2009m4d30-Giants-behind-Lincecum-and-Molina-beat-Manny-and-the-Dodgers

[penncentralpete]

I stumbled across a little paperback called "A Fan's Memoir" by Bill Borst (Krank Press 1982). It covers the Bums from 1953-1957. All about Pee Wee, Jackie, and the Duke. Nice little book. I found it a Amazon for $5.95 (used).

[tonypug]

Has anybody read "The Jackie Robinson Reader", I never knew there was such a book until today?

[VIBaseball]

I don't believe this one's been mentioned here yet. It is The Brooklyn Dodgers: An Informal History (1945) by Frank Graham, Jr. Looking back at old posts here, I see that Graham became the Dodgers' PR director in 1952.

http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Dodgers-Informal-History-Baseball/dp/080932413X

[Paulmcall]

That was one of the first books I read while doing research for my book on Ebbets Field. It was before the Jackie Robinson era but is essential for lovers of Dodger history.:gt