Baseball's Untold History: The Wild Side

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ISBN 978-1-938545-54-2
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978-1-938545-55-9
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In the third volume of the highly acclaimed "Baseball's Untold History" series, historian Michael Lynch turns his focus to some of the most amazing, unthinkable, and, well, wildest players and plays the game has ever known. Tales of gamblers, brawlers, ball-ballers, shady owners, shameless umps, and even murderers fill the pages, told with the rich historical detail and humor Mike Lynch is so well known for. In this volume, read about

  • The bat boy who stole $2,500 in cash and jewelry from Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics during an exhibition game in Baltimore.
  • The obscure Deadball Era pitcher whose “wife” shot her actual husband to death.
  • The speedy infielder who raced a horse around the bases.  And almost won.
  • The pitcher who suffered a stroke while pitching to Babe Ruth and the Yankees, but lived to be 79.
  • The manager and players who were almost hit by a train during a spring training hike in 1902, one of whom became a legend, another of whom tried to kill a policeman later that year.
  • The umpire who ejected two batters in the same at-bat for arguing balls and strikes.
  • The pitcher who administered CPR on two different fans in the 1970s.
  • The batter who had to hit three times in one official at-bat. 
  • From stars like Bill Dickey, Babe Ruth, Tom Seaver, and Eddie Collins, to lesser beings like Frank Lucchesi (whom Lynch speculates could be the worst manager in the history of the major leagues), Zeb Terry (who was thrown out in 24 of 27 stolen base attempts over a 2-year period), to "Big Ed" Morris, who fought teammates, the police, and ultimately was stabbed to death at a fish fry for either making a pass at a man's wife or for uriniating into a pot of boiling peanuts.

Collecting stories like these is all in a day's work for the fanatical and fantastic Mike Lynch, who can teach a thing or three about baseball history to even the most ardent of fans.

 

 

I. Gamblers, Brawlers, and Cheats

Behind the Eight Ball: Buck Weaver’s First Gambling Scandal

Byrd’s Eye View

Hey Matty, Wanna Bet?

Lenny Randle: Spring Training Slugger

Spitball Cooties

Bill Dickey’s Sucker Punch

II. Dump the Ump

Arrested Development

The Memorial Day Brawl of 1932

Augie Donatelli’s Two Ejections in One At-Bat

Jeffrey Leonard’s Three Trips to the Plate in One At-Bat

 

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