Rube Waddell

Rube Waddell PDF

Author: Alan H. Levy

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-11-17

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 0786481129

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George Edward "Rube" Waddell was one of the zaniest characters ever to play baseball. The legendary Connie Mack, who saw quite a few cards during his nearly seven decade stint in the majors, once observed that no other screwball he ever saw could hold a candle to Rube. Mack also said that Rube's curveball was the best he'd ever seen. Indeed, Waddell was one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game. Rube won 191 games in 13 seasons, had four straight 20-win seasons for Mack and the Philadelphia A's, and claimed six consecutive strikeout titles. In 1904 he struck out 349 batters, a record that held for six decades. This biography traces his early life in western Pennsylvania, the fits and starts of his first years in professional baseball, his big years with the A's, and his subsequent fade into obscurity and his early death in a sanatorium on April Fool's Day, 1914.

The United States of Absurdity

The United States of Absurdity PDF

Author: Dave Anthony

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Published: 2017-05-09

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0399578765

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The creators of the podcast The Dollop present illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous, NSFW, and downright absurd tales from American history that you weren't taught in school. The United States of Absurdity presents short, informative, and hilarious stories of the most outlandish (but true) people, events, and more from United States history. Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds cover the weird stories you didn't learn in history class, such as 10-Cent Beer Night, the Jackson Cheese, and the Kentucky Meat Shower, accompanied by full-page illustrations that bring each historical "milestone" to life in full-color.

Just a Big Kid

Just a Big Kid PDF

Author: Paul Proia

Publisher:

Published: 2007-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781424168620

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The most famous player prior to Babe Ruth, Rube Waddell set pitching records that stood for generations. In fact, Waddell died before Ruth swatted his first homer. As baseballs attention turned to hitters, it wasnt until Bob Fellers run at Rubes single-season strikeout record that people looked back at the free-spirited lefthander who turned baseball on its ear. Unfortunately, thirty-two years passed between Rubes death and Fellers run; the memories of sportswriters and former managers like Connie Mack had distorted with time. So, stories told about Rubestories still told todaytook shape in predictable forms, but failed to get the details right. In Just a Big Kid: The Life and Times of Rube Waddell, Paul Proia looks at what people wrote when Rube was alive and double checks the memories of the players, managers and writers who watched him pitch, and loved to tell stories about the greatest personality of his generation.

Rube Marquard

Rube Marquard PDF

Author: Larry D. Mansch

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 1998-08-01

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9780786404971

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Rube Marquard's life was touched by success and scandal at nearly every turn. In 1906, the teenage pitcher defied his father and became a ballplayer. Two years later, the Giants purchased his contract for the then record $11,000. He soon became the best left-handed pitcher in the game; over the course of his career he won 201 games, threw a no-hitter and pitched in five World Series. Off the field, Marquard was a master at marketing himself, recreating his story as it suited him. He wrote his own newspaper column, starred in movies, delighted crowds by catching balls thrown off high buildings, and even appeared as a female impersonator. But it was his affair and brief marriage with vaudeville sensation Blossom Seeley that caused the most uproar. Along with Seeley, Marquard became the toast of Broadway to the chagrin of his baseball fans. Throughout his life, the pitcher re-created his story as it suited him; his largely fanciful account of his career in Lawrence Ritter's Glory of Their Times (1966) was largely responsible for his election to the Hall of Fame in 1971. This book gives for the first time the true story of one of the most colorful and controversial baseball players of the century.

Twisted Justice

Twisted Justice PDF

Author: Donald R. Waddell

Publisher: Booklocker.Com Incorporated

Published: 2004-10-01

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 9781591135906

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Waddell recounts the details of a marijuana smuggling operation that went awry, leaving four innocent people dead. The man who was convicted of the murders was 150 miles away from the crime. What really happened?

Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame

Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame PDF

Author: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-04-02

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1451676727

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Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs, Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame brings to vivid life the greatest treasures of baseball’s shrine, most of them rarely if ever displayed to visitors. For any baseball fan, a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is the thrill of a lifetime—no matter how many times you visit. But whether you go only once in your lifetime or make the pilgrimage annually, you’ll never be able to see every treasure in the museum’s collections. With Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame, readers can go behind the scenes to see seldom- or never-displayed items from among the 40,000 treasures in Cooperstown, in addition to some of the most important and popular items on exhibit at the museum—all gorgeously photographed in color. Captions written by Hall of Fame experts explain each object’s significance and relate unique stories associated with it. Here are just a few highlights from the nearly 200 objects in this beautiful book: -An 1887 ball-strike indicator from the only season when it took five balls to walk and four strikes to strike out -Pitcher Harvey Haddix’s glove from the 1959 game when he pitched 12 perfect innings—and lost 1–0 in the 13th -Shoeless Joe Jackson’s shoes -The Wonderboy bat and trombone case that Robert Redford used in The Natural -Rube Waddell’s glove from his 4–2, 20-inning victory over Cy Young on July 4, 1905 -A promissory note from the sale of Babe Ruth by Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee to New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert -The bat Joe Carter used to hit his 1993 World Series–ending home run -The oldest known photograph of two baseball teams, the New York Knickerbockers and the Brooklyn Excelsiors, taken on a ball field in 1859 Whether you’re a dedicated student of the game’s history or a newcomer to our National Pastime, Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame will fascinate you. You’ll find a surprising photograph or a story you didn’t know, complete with new insight into America’s game and culture. Take the trip of a lifetime inside baseball’s national museum and discover the game’s fabulous history—or reawaken beloved memories.

Baseball in the Garden of Eden

Baseball in the Garden of Eden PDF

Author: John Thorn

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-03-20

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0743294041

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Think you know how the game of baseball began? Think again. Forget Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown. Did baseball even have a father--or did it just evolve from other bat-and-ball games? John Thorn, baseball's preeminent historian, examines the creation story of the game and finds it all to be a gigantic lie. From its earliest days baseball was a vehicle for gambling, a proxy form of class warfare. Thorn traces the rise of the New York version of the game over other variations popular in Massachusetts and Philadelphia. He shows how the sport's increasing popularity in the early decades of the nineteenth century mirrored the migration of young men from farms and small towns to cities, especially New York. Full of heroes, scoundrels, and dupes, this book tells the story of nineteenth-century America, a land of opportunity and limitation, of glory and greed--all present in the wondrous alloy that is our nation and its pastime.--From publisher description.

The Glory of Their Times

The Glory of Their Times PDF

Author: Lawrence S. Ritter

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2013-07-02

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 0062309617

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“Easily the best baseball book ever produced by anyone.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer “This was the best baseball book published in 1966, it is the best baseball book of its kind now, and, if it is reissued in 10 years, it will be the best baseball book.” — People From Lawrence Ritter, co-author of The Image of Their Greatness and The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time, comes one of the bestselling, most acclaimed sports books of all time. Baseball was different in earlier days—tougher, more raw, more intimate—when giants like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb ran the bases. In the monumental classic The Glory of Their Times, the golden era of our national pastime comes alive through the vibrant words of those who played and lived the game. It is a book every baseball fan should read!

Wicked Curve

Wicked Curve PDF

Author: John C. Skipper

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-11-26

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0786481781

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When in 1911 Phillies pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander set the National League record for wins by a rookie (28), it was a sign of things to come. Alexander went on to win 373 games over his 20-year career, the third highest total in major league history, and he would lead the league in ERA four times, shutouts seven times, complete games six times, and wins six times. But he also became a deeply troubled man. After the Shell-Shocked pitcher returned from World War I, he would battle alcoholism, epilepsy, and personal demons that damaged his reputation and proved disastrous for his life outside of baseball. This biography sheds new light on the pitcher and the man, focusing on Alexander's personal life, especially his complex relationship with his wife, Aimee, as well as their marriages and divorces. His Hall of Fame career, wartime service, and long decline are also documented.

Rube Waddell

Rube Waddell PDF

Author: W. G. Braund

Publisher: Foundation University Press USA

Published: 2015-01-15

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780990760955

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You just got a raise to $12.50 a week so you decide to splurge and shell out a dollar to sit in the grandstand behind home plate. You know you're in for a treat. Rube Waddell, the most exciting twirler in baseball, will be in the pitcher's box. It turns out you've wasted your money. The phenom doesn't pitch. In fact, he's not even in the stadium. You later learn that he chose to play sandlot ball with some kids he passed on his walk from the hotel to the ballpark. You're delighted the next time you go to see him and Rube takes the mound. He's a bit late so you ask the booster sitting beside you what might have been the holdup. He tells you that Rube often soaks his pitching arm in cold water before the game to take some of the speed out of it, otherwise Rube says his shoots will burn up the catcher's mitt. He is absolutely overpowering. You wonder why hitters even bother going up to the plate. "Is there anything he can't do out there?" you ask the cranks around you. A man with a red handlebar moustache says, "Ya. Rube can't throw at batters to keep them off the plate like other twirlers do. He's afraid of killing somebody. And he refuses to throw spitters. Says it ain't sanitary."