Baseball Rowdies of the 19th Century: Brawlers, Drinkers, Pranksters and Cheats in the Early Days of the Major Leagues

During the 19th century, baseball was a game with few rules, many rowdy players, and just one umpire. Dirty tricks were part of a winning strategy, and drinking before a game was expected. This book chronicles some of the flamboyant, unruly, and occasionally criminal behavior of the baseball's early years, providing brief bios of dozens of players, managers, umpires, and owners.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 173 pages
\n Publication date: 30 July 2018
\n Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc
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Baseball, a sport that emerged during the 19th century, was characterized by a lack of strict rules, a rowdy atmosphere, and a single umpire overseeing the game. Players employed various tactics to gain an advantage, including spiking, body-blocking, cutting bases short, and hiding extra balls for strategic use. It was not uncommon for players to deliberately fail to catch a fly in order to force the game to be called due to darkness. Additionally, the expectation of drinking before a game was prevalent. This book provides concise biographies of dozens of players, managers, umpires, and owners, shedding light on the flamboyant, unruly, and occasionally criminal behavior that marked the early years of baseball.

During the 19th century, baseball was a game with few rules, many rowdy players, and just one umpire. Dirty tricks were simply part of a winning strategy—spiking, body-blocking, cutting bases short, or hiding an extra ball to be used when needed were all OK. Deliberately failing to catch a fly in order to have the game called due to darkness was also acceptable. And drinking before a game was perhaps expected. Providing brief bios of dozens of players, managers, umpires, and owners, this book chronicles some of the flamboyant, unruly, and occasionally criminal behavior of the baseball's early years.

Baseball, a sport that emerged during the 19th century, was characterized by a lack of strict rules, a rowdy atmosphere, and a single umpire overseeing the game. Players employed various tactics to gain an advantage, including spiking, body-blocking, cutting bases short, and hiding extra balls for strategic use. It was not uncommon for players to deliberately fail to catch a fly in order to force the game to be called due to darkness. Additionally, the expectation of drinking before a game was prevalent. This book provides concise biographies of dozens of players, managers, umpires, and owners, shedding light on the flamboyant, unruly, and occasionally criminal behavior that marked the early years of baseball.

\n Weight: 302g\n
Dimension: 150 x 224 x 17 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781476664873\n \n