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- Baseball's Old Testament
- glory of their times
- Superb Baseball History
- Amazingly Fun.
- The Glory of Their Times
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The Glory of Their Times
Fred Snodgrass ,
Sam Crawford ,
Hans Lobert ,
Rube Bressler ,
Chief Meyers ,
Davy Jones ,
Rube Marquard ,
Joe Wood ,
Lefty O'Doul ,
Jimmy Austin ,
Goose Goslin , and
Bill Wambsganss
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
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ASIN: 1565112539 |
Amazon.com
The voices of the game's distant past continue to reverberate with a distinct freshness in Lawrence S. Ritter's The Glory of Their Times. An oral history of the game in the first two decades of the century, Glory sends out its impressive roster of players to tell their own stories, and what stories they tell--the story of their times as well as of their game; the scorecard includes Rube Marquard, Babe Herman, Stan Coveleski, Smoky Joe Wood, and Wahoo Sam Crawford. A delight from cover to cover, Glory is the next best thing to having been there in the days when the ball may have been dead, but the personalities were anything but.
Book Description
"Oh, the game was very different in my day from what it's like today. I don't mean just that the fences were further back and the ball was deader and things like that. I mean it was more fun to play ball then." - Davy Jones First published in 1966, The Glory of Their Times is a universally hailed classic. A loving look back at the way baseball used to be, and the legends who played the game--immortals like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and many others--it's a delightfully evocative work full of fascinating characters and wonderful anecdotes. This is also the story of author Lawrence S. Ritter's six year quest to find the heroes of a bygone era. He interviewed more than two dozen players from the turn of the century and the decades shortly thereafter, including many now in the Baseball Hall of Fame, then let them tell their own stories, in their own words. The scorecard includes Rube Marquard, Chief Meyers, Goose Goslin, Smoky Joe Wood, Wahoo Sam Crawford, and many more. This new audio compilation of the original interviews is great news for baseball fans and anyone who loves oldtime tales of America's national pastime. Includes a 32 page booklet with photos.
Customer Reviews:
Baseball's Old Testament.......2007-05-27
Statistically, baseball back then couldn't be more at variance with the game now. Cy Young threw 511 career victories, and 750 complete games. In 1909, Ty Cobb led the majors both in batting average (.377) and home runs (9). Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford hit over 300 triples in his career.
What to make of such numbers? Lawrence S. Ritter's "The Glory Of Their Times" strips away the statistical confusion by getting to the heart of Major League Baseball's early days, the players themselves. An economics professor, Ritter invested his downtime from 1962-66 in interviewing elderly men, baseball players all who knew what it was like to face a Walter Johnson fastball, or have Ty Cobb slide into the base they were covering.
"People were more unique then, more unusual, more different from each other," says Davy Jones, who played on the Tigers with Cobb and Crawford. "Now people are all more or less alike, company men, security minded, conformity - that sort of stuff. In everything, not just baseball."
Transcriptions of Ritter's interviews with Jones and 21 other former players, including Crawford and two others then in the Hall of Fame, makes up the whole of "The Glory Of Their Times," published in 1966 and later extended with four more interviews in 1984. Nearly all the interviews offer both testimony and color for the game as it was then.
Bill Wambsganss tells us about his unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series, and how Ring Lardner once used his last name to rhyme with "clam's chance" and "Ray Chapman's pants". Fred Snodgrass tells us about his famous muffed fly in the 1911 World Series, and how his New York Giants tried to psyche out the Philadelphia Athletics by sitting on the dugout bench, ostentatiously sharpening their spikes.
You hear so much about another famous World Series moment, the Merkle "boner" of 1908, that you feel like you were there on the field, too. There's a Rashomon-like quality to hearing various interviewees give their different takes on such things as the character of John McGraw and whether "Giant Killer" Harry Coveleski was run out of the league when he was caught chewing on bologna. (Snodgrass says so, while Harry's brother Stanley, a major-league pitcher himself, calls it "a lot of bull".
Not all the interviews are riveting. One wishes Ritter could have pushed some of the old players more, like the rumors that swirled around Smoky Joe Wood involving fixes. But allowing the subjects the reins probably drew more color out of them than a Grand Jury could have. I love how Crawford keeps telling Ritter he hasn't much time to talk, while giving Ritter one of the longest and most entertaining interviews in the book, describing how players would allow themselves to be rubbed down with "Go Fast," a noxious combination of Vaseline and Tabasco sauce that made them sweat like a sauna.
"I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't," Crawford says at the end. "There are a lot of the old-timers still left,you know, and they're liable to say, 'That fathead, who the hell does he think he is, anyway, popping off like that!'"
If you like baseball even a little, you will enjoy "The Glory Of Their Times" quite a lot.
glory of their times.......2007-05-19
If you love the game of baseball as it once was and still should be this is a "must read"...some of the players interviewed by Ritter were unknown to me and I was fascinated to learn of their exploits...I ordered an additional three books and sent them to long time fans of the game...If I was a GM today in MLB I would have every member of the team read this book so that they might appreciate the game as it was in its infancy...the modern player (in most cases)doesn't realize how fortunate he is to wear a major league uniform and earn the money today for playing a "game"
Superb Baseball History.......2007-05-05
This superb oral history of baseball circa 1900-1920's contains many priceless tales. After Ty Cobb died in 1961 author Lawrence Ritter (1922-2004) took his tape recorder and traveled the USA to interview 22 surviving players from that remarkable era. We hear from top stars and established players, including Ed Roush, Sam Crawford, Smokey Joe Wood, Chief Meyers, Sam Jones, Bill Wambsganss, etc. Each player reminisces in his own way, recounting games, teammates, owners, managers, crowds, ballparks, etc. Some talk at length while others are briefer, but each is articulate and illuminating. I particularly liked Rube Marquard's memory of visiting the Chicago firehouse where he'd once slept as a transient, Stan Coveleski's view that baseball kept him from the coal mines, and the remembrances of Davy Jones and Jimmy Austin. It was also interesting to see how these players viewed superstars Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth. This book provides readers with a superb sense of baseball before night games, air travel, TV, radio (except after 1922), farm systems, and in some cities, Sunday baseball.
Ritter set a standard with this superb oral history. The players interviewed here have all departed (the last in 1988), but their memories live on in this superb book. Fans might also enjoy BASEBALL WHEN THE GRASS WAS REAL, a similar effort about a later era by Donald Honig.
Amazingly Fun........2007-05-03
This book was a lot of fun to read, it showed a different side of the sport of baseball other than statistic. Told by the people themselves who played the game and in their own words. The author just let them go on for as long as they pleased with any stories they might have to tell. If you enjoy baseball history this is a must read.
The Glory of Their Times.......2007-03-09
Mr Ritter's time was well spent for all to enjoy! His efforts have made an unbelievable event for many to think upon. The times past thru the voices of the men who kicked up the dirt of the old ball fields live on thru his work! Here's to Mr. Ritter, "You won't be denied any of the past, only the fulfilment of it's Diamond Warriors"...Denny Walsh San Antonio, Tx.
Book Description
SPORTS, POLITICS, AND SEX COLLIDE IN HUNTER S. THOMPSON'S WILDLY POPULAR ESPN.COM COLUMNS, PROVING THAT THE GOOD DOCTOR IS IN -- AND AS INSIGHTFUL AND INCENDIARY AS EVER.
For decades, Hunter S. Thompson has galvanized American journalism with his acerbic wit, radical ideas, and gonzo tactics. He continues his reign as "The Unabomber of contemporary letters" (Time) with Hey Rube. Fear, greed, and action abound in this hilarious, thought-provoking compilation as Thompson doles out searing indictments and uproarious rants while providing brilliant commentary on politics, sex, and sports -- at times all in the same column.
Filled with critics' favorites, as well as never before published columns, Hey Rube follows Thompson through the beginning of the new century, revealing his queasiness over the 2000 election ("rigged and fixed from the start"); his take on professional sports (to improve Major League Baseball "eliminate the pitcher"); and his myriad controversial opinions and brutally honest observations on issues plaguing America -- including the Bush administration and the inequities within the American judicial system.
Hey Rube gives us a look at the gonzo journalist in his most organic form -- unbridled, astute, and irreverent.
Customer Reviews:
Buy "Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century" instead.......2007-03-18
This book (2004) and "Kingdom of Fear" (2003) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), "Kingdom of Fear" is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush.
The quality of the writing of the recent pieces in both books is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.
As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"
"Indeed," as Doc would say.
Ouch.......2007-02-06
I'm heartbroken. I admit it. I'm not a year around sports nut. I don't watch games all the time. I don't even get ESPN. And I've never allowed myself to get sucked into the uber-geeky world of fantasy leagues. But the Bears are special for me. And if you let yourself care enough, you'll get hurt. It's unavoidable. You can't experience the thrills without being vulnerable to the pain. Especially the way it happened. With the Bears jumping to a lead within the first 14 seconds, and having a nice action-packed first quarter, I couldn't help but believe. But the Colts managed to dominate. And what hurts the most, what's got me down, is that the Colts won by out Bearing the Bears. They played good hard-nosed defense and then wore down the Bears defense with a relentless running attack. Oh well. I still think Peyton's a bit of a goober but the Indiana coach seems to be a real class act, so I'll try and be happy for them. And I know it's just a game. There are bigger crises in the world. There are bigger crises in my life for that matter. Still, it hurts. This goes down in my top five for losses that hurt, along with the Bears of the late 80's being eliminated in the playoffs by the Redskins and then the Niners, and maybe along with some of those Nebraska victories over Colorado. Particularly those real close ones in that painful, smarmy Neuheisal era.
So when the soul is truly in pain, where else would I go for comfort but Hunter S? I didn't even know about this book until recently. I didn't know he was writing a regular column for ESPN's web site. But he was and these columns are among the last writings we'll have for him. And what better a topic for Mr. Thomson than gambling? Hunter was at his best when writing about those little vices, those things that can be wonderful, even enlightening, in the right doses, but much more entertaining to read about when they are pushed to and beyond the limits of self-destruction. Great stuff.
By the chance of timing, almost a twisted kind of serendipity, this collection contains a generous allotment of Mr. Thomson's political writings as well. The collection spans a period of time containing the Presidential coup in which Bush stole the election from Al Gore and then 9-11 and its aftermath as well. There is an essay written by Thomson dated September 11th, 2001, written that evening following the attack, with classic Thomson vitriol, filled with his trademark fear and loathing, as well as some paranoia that history reveals to be more prescient than delusional, warning that the power that be would use the tragedy of the terrorist attacks to justify further tragedy of an even grander scale. That may be near universal sentiment in hindsight but remember back to that time to realize how deranged and treacherous that would have sounded to the average citizen. Certainly to the chattering hens in the mainstream news media, who couldn't give the American public credit for anything more sophisticated than black and white thinking.
A great voice is gone. I suspect he may have been trying to commit suicide by lifestyle for decades, but when that repeatedly failed, he finally had to take more direct action. And the Chicago Bears are not the world champions. Maybe I should admit that the NFC really is a weak division this year. Or maybe the Bears got what they deserve for playing the entire game with their safeties twenty yards back, trying to win by being the more conservative team. With that mentality, not even the point spread could help Bears benefactors. What would Hunter have said?
Thompson's Swan Song - Fans Decide for Yourself.......2006-12-08
"Hey Rube" is Thompson's least interesting book. About 95% of it involves sports and gambling, mainly on football, and a lot of typical name dropping (Ed Bradley, Douglas Brinkley, Johnny Depp, ad nauseum). It's not surprising Thompson blew his brains out just a few months after this book's publication. He clearly was at the end of the road, defeated by a lifetime of alcohol and drug abuse, like one of his admitted "influences", Jack Kerouac. The book is boring as all get-out, but hey, see for yourself. Thompson brought us many fine works, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "The Rum Diary", "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail," you name it. His meglomania knew no bounds; in "Rube" he falsely claimed he had a "spotless" criminal record, but his persona was largely one of his own mythological making. It remains indelible fact that he was an important founder of the so-called "New Journalism" which surfaced in the mid-sixties, though in a recent conversation with Gay Talese, this other dignified writer refused to even mention his name in connection with the "New Journalism" when questioned at an appearance at Faulkner Books in New Orleans. If you like stupid football predictions and wreckless sports gambling as your two primary intersts, this is the book for you -- don't miss it. Otherwise, it is the last sad blatherings of a brain-dead paranoiac determined to follow in the footsteps of Hemingway, whose macho at an early age he emulated with a visit to Papa's gravesite in Ketchum, Idaho. Rest in peace, Hunter. Your great works far exceed this piece of worthless trash.
This was my first..........2006-04-11
Hunter S. Thompson book. I loved every word of it, sports and politics alike, I just wish it would have had a bit more of an even balance between sports and politics. His thoughts make me feel okay about my own views - blended and difficult to define. I'm sure we would have disagreed on some things but agreed on many more.
Since reading the book, I find myself wondering what he would have had to say about certain things: Boston winning the World Series, the new immigration laws, the second Bush presidency/what happened to Kerry, Johnny Damon leaving the Sox and the Dick Cheney hunting mishap!!! The list goes on....
I feel as though I'm only now getting to know him. I look forward to reading more very soon...
A good, but not great read.......2006-01-21
I loved "Fear and Loathing in America." And while I think there is some decent stuff in here, it is just too sports oriented. I mean the book is based on columns from ESPN, so don't be surprised. And I like sports as much as anyone. But the crazy energy of Thompson and blinding insights are diluted by information about betting against the spread. Still there is enough in here to like. He wrote this before and after 9/11/2001. Some of his earliest thoughts on the fascist tendencies of some of the early post-9/11 policies. A good, but not great read.
Book Description
Welcome to the world of that archetypal American, Reuben Lucius Goldberg, the dean of American cartoonists for most of the twentieth century. For more than sixty-five years, Rube Goldberg's syndicated cartoons -- he produced more than fifty strips -- appeared in as many as a thousand newspapers annually He was earning a hundred thousand dollars a year...in 1915. He wrote hit songs and stories and was, in succession, a star in vaudeville, motion pictures, newsreels, radio, and, finally, television.
He even, at the age of eighty, began an entirely new career as a sculptor, and, in inimitable Goldberg fashion, was soon selling his work to galleries, collectors, and museums all over the world. Sure, Rube won the Pulitzer Prize. Every year some cartoonist wins the Pulitzer Prize. But the National Cartoonists Society named its award -- the Reuben -- after you-know-who.
But it was Rube's "Inventions," those drawings of intricate and whimsical machines, that earned Rube his very own entry in Webster's New World Dictionary:
Rube Goldberg...adjective...Designating any very complicated invention, machine, scheme, etc. laboriously contrived to perform a seemingly simple operation.
"Inventions," even the earliest ones that date from 1914, are still being republished and recycled today as they have been over the last eighty-five years. New generations rediscover and enjoy them every day, even though their creator cleaned his pens, put the cap on his bottle of Higgins Black India Ink, and cleared his drawing board for the last time almost thirty years ago. The inventions inspired the National Rube Goldberg™ Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University, an "Olympics of complexity" in which hundreds of engineering students from American universities and colleges -- and even middle and high schools -- compete to build and run Rube Goldberg invention machines that perform, in twenty or more steps, the annual challenge.
In 1970 the Smithsonian Institution hosted a show honoring Rube Goldberg's lifework. In a life filled with superlatives, it hardly needs mentioning that Rube is the only living cartoonist and humorist to have been so honored. In his speech at the show's opening, Rube said, "Many of the younger generation know my name in a vague way and connect it with grotesque inventions, but don't believe that I ever existed as a person. They think I am a nonperson, just a name that signifies a tangled web of pipes or wires or strings that suggest machinery. My name to them is like spiral staircase, veal cutlets, barber's itch -- terms that give you an immediate picture of what they mean..."
So welcome to a collection of spiral staircases and veal cutlets -- to the inventions of an American original, a creative genius named Rube Goldberg.
Customer Reviews:
A Primer for Bryan.......2007-05-16
Rube is a role model for our 5 year old grandson, Bryan, who is busily engaged in creating wonderful, imaginative inventions using "found objects" of string, and spools, and boxes. Bryan also diagrams them..........he is the spiritual son of The Man, Rube.
Your efforts in preserving Rube's flights of creative imagination are being passed on to a new generation of young thinkers. Who knows where the ripples of this pebble cast upon the waters may wash ashore and take root?
RUBE IN CLASSROOM.......2006-02-24
I purchased this book to use in my HS physical science class. IT WAS A HIT! I mainly used it for transformation of energy. The kids were first pretty confused but it didn't take long to get the hang of Mr Goldberg's style. I have a student with autism who was just facinated and read it cover to cover. What a treasure to have that hisotry and "uniqueness" preserved!! Many thanks to the authors and family!!!!
"Do it the hard way.".......2005-04-20
Finding this book was a real treat.I haven't seen much of his work for a long time.Little wonder,since Rube died in 1970.Goldberg is a national treasure,not only for his Inventions,but also for many other art forms.He graduated as a Mining Engineer,did Vaudville,wrote songs and plays,was in Motion pictures,Newsreels,Radio,and TV.He also took up Sculpture at the age of 80 selling about 300 works to private collectors,galleries and museums.
He created his own artform and was a resounding success by his early 30's and remained so the rest of his life of 87 years.His cartooning skills reflected the early years of cartoons where the message was more important than the artwork;which really came into its own and exploded after WWII.That is,more like the stuff we saw from Mutt and Jeff by Bud Fisher and R F Outault's Yellow Kid.Generally speaking,after the war,the great change in artwork after WWII became the world of comics,such as Dick Tracy by Chester Gould,Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff and what we see today in Doonesbury by Gary Trudeau.
I can't remember if I ever saw any of Rube's cartoons in color and there is no use or mention of color in the book.While he still produced well after color became popular in comics and cartoons,the question remains unanswered.On his website there is a Machine Contest 2005 in color,but it is obviously not his work.Does anyone know if any of Rube's cartoons were printed in color?
Overall,this is an excellent book and does a good job on the life and work of an artist who entertained so many for so long.
I thought It Would Be Better.......2003-02-20
The concept of accomplishing a ridiculously simple task with incredible complexity, is invented and taught here by Rube Goldberg.
As mechanical engineers in college, we used to play around with this concept quite often.
The use of unpredictable things in his cartoons (people, animals) make a cartoon look impossible, if it isn't enough already.
A plant being watered and growing (in a couple of seconds) to accompllish a task is to me, not possible, but at least predictable. An animal or person being heated up, causes Goldberg's desired effect only because he drew the human to do so. But for the human, the number of possible responses are many. We all know that the watered plant will do only one thing. Go up. The time suggested for it to do so; therein lies the humor.
The zaniest universe.......2000-12-20
I have a real problem with this book. Namely, I can't get on a New York bus or subway without having dozen strangers leaning over me to look at the cartoons, first with curiosity and then suddenly bursting into hysterical laughter. It's that kind of book. The name "Rube Goldberg:" is supposed to vaguely resemble a machine more complicated than it should be. But as I discovered here, the inventions are more than over-complicated.. They are zany, zappy, and have the weird quantum logic of a parallel universe existing in some mad scientist's crazy mind. Take a "modest mosquito-bite scratcher", which is modest if you have dogs, cannons and worms all hooked up in tandem. Or a "self-scrubbing bath brush", which is easy once you teach a monkey to play outfield and hook the monkey up with a millwheel, a jack-in-the-box and an organ grinder. But why go on? Each time I open the book, one of the hundreds and hundreds of insane worlds plays itself out with kind of an eerie reality. Maynard Frank Wolfe has written a decent down-to-earth biography of the real Rube Goldberg , who (obviously!) started his long life as an engineer. But the amazing and endless cartoons are simply the funniest and best things around. At first, I thought of Leonardo de Vinci on LSD. But the more realistic affinity is Gary Larson. Both Larson and Goldberg turn science on its head, with their own creations both defying and DEIFYING logic. Now if only he'd invented a way to make strangers on a subway train go away! Let them buy their OWN book!
Book Description
Rube Marquard's life was touched by success and scandal. 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. This book gives for the first time the true story of one of the most colorful and controversial baseball players of the century.
Customer Reviews:
quite simply the best base ball book i have ever read........1999-08-03
A very compelling and informative book. Mr. Mansch has written a masterpiece. He has captured the life and times of early America and base ball. A must read for all base ball historians.
A grand slam for Rube, baseball........1999-07-31
An excellent look at time when America was beginning its love affair with baseball. Larry Mansch did a wonderful job of bringing Rube Marquard to life, as well as providing an up-close look at baseball and America. I really enjoyed re-living the different pennant races Rube was involved in; particularly the unforgetable 1908 season. The author's exhaustive research, numerous quotes from Rube's peers and attention to detail made the book a real treat. If you love the early days of baseball, colorful characters and bygone America, you'll love this book.
This is baseball. The way it was. The way it is........1999-03-25
Rube Marquard, The Life and Times of a Baseball Hall of Famer - An emotional read for anyone who grew up with the names Babe Ruth, Casey Stengel, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, or John McGraw. A must read for anyone who wants to better understand the world in which their parents and grandparents grew up. Makes you want to tear down every domed stadium ever built and replace it with a sandlot field.
Rube provides an interesting comparison to today's professional baseball players. Surprisingly, there are many more similarities than there are differences. The players are more than players; they're stage, TV and movie personalities; they're national hero's and role models; and they represent America to the rest of the world. Contract disputes, holdouts and trades are an important part of the game. Salaries are unbelievable. And, of course, scandals erupt on a regular basis. Rube illustrates that baseball is a grand mixture of what goes on between the white lines and what goes on outside the white lines. This is baseball.
Story of a romantic era in baseball and a true character.......1999-03-18
This book really makes you long for the time when baseball and vaudeville were national passions. Rube Marquard is one of those long-forgotten heroes whose story deserves telling. This was an easy book to read and a difficult one to put down, and reading it was like a trip back to another time. The author really paints a vivid picture of life in the early part of the 20th century. One of the best baseball biographies out there.
Book Description
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.
Customer Reviews:
A Forgotten Great Remembered in Print.......2006-08-19
Rube Waddell had a major league career that was not very long (13 seasons, but in three of those he played in 10 or fewer games), but as with Sandy Koufax, when he played in a full season, he could be dominating. Alan Levy makes the same argument in his book, and the record book bears this out: once leading the league in games pitched, once leading the league in wins, seven times leading the league in strikeouts (six consecutively) and a winning percentage of .574 despite playing for some bad teams (and some good ones, too). So why isn't he remembered as the Koufax of his day? Well, he played 100 years ago, so no one who saw him play is alive today. His contemporaries generally had longer careers with better teams, usually a single team (like Mathewson, Bender, Plank, Brown, etc.). And, Waddell seems to be looked at today as "a psychologist's dream," as someone who does sufficiently odd things or is odd himself, so that there is a question if we're dealing with a crazy person here. I don't believe that Waddell was "crazy" - I don't pretend to be a doctor, either, but the book does make a lot of mention to incidents that would seem to make Waddell out of the ordinary today. And that may be a fault of the world that we live in today, that characters aren't tolerated as much as they used to be. It's perhaps enough to go with Sam Crawford's assessment that Waddell was just a "big kid" and leave it at that. Read for yourself the exploits of Rube Waddell in this well-written book, and reacquaint yourself with a unique character with a precious baseball gift.
The best of his time! Highly entertaining reading........2006-04-21
The most entertaining baseball book I have ever read! If you ask baseball fans, many have never heard of Rube Waddell. This is shocking because of two reasons: 1) He was one of the best pitchers of his time. 2) His behavior, on and off the field, was completely insane. In fact, Connie Mack said he had the mind of a 10 year old. Rube truly was the best of his times, oftentimes competing and beating Cy Young for pitching titles. In 1904, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, he struck out 349 batters and this stood as a record for over 60 years. The author, Alan H. Levy, clearly did a considerable amount of research for the book. Each year comes to life in this book, from Rube's time with the Chicago Orphans to his last two seasons with the St. Louis Browns.
It is said that only Connie Mack could handle Rube's behavior. Many times the only way to do this was to just let Rube do his thing and watch in amazement, or perhaps horror. Rube Waddell could be on the mound pitching and if he heard that there was a fire, he would simply walk off the mound and run to help put out the fire. He loved fighting fires! Many times, his coach and teammates would wonder where Rube was and he could be found selling peanuts and hotdogs as a vendor. One of his favorite things to do was to go to the local zoo and wrestle with the bears or alligators on exhibit. Where is Rube they would ask yet again? This time he was found playing marbles with kids under the baseball stands. Rube was also known for leaving a team and playing for another local team. At one point he was on the payroll for three different teams. When Rube was focused he was truly the deadliest pitcher of his time and this pitching allowed his team and fans to watch in awe as he struck out some of the best hitters of that time, such as Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford. Fitting to his overall lifestyle Rube Waddell passed away on April Fools Day. This book is both entertaining and informative. www.fatherachildsright.org Robert Pedersen
Rube Waddell, there will never be another one.......2002-03-14
Great book for anyone who loves vintage baseball.
A Biography Long Overdue.......2002-03-02
Thanks to author Alan Levy we at long last have a biography about Rube Waddell, a great pitcher at the beginning of the 20th century. Contemporaries of Waddell such as Cy Young, Christy Mathewson,Grover Alexander, and Walter Johnson have at least one biography written about them and now Rube joins them in this respect. Author Levy states that Waddell had four loves in life which were pitching, fishing, fighting fires, and liquor not neccessarily in that order. Students of baseball history remember Waddell as a baseball zany for his antics both on and off the field, but what is often overlooked is that he was a very caring person who would give of himself to others. It was in this capacity of standing hour on end in cold water fighting back floodwaters by piling sandbags that led to pneumonia and eventually tuberculosis. Baseball was simply a game to Waddell whether he was throwing his fastball past major league hitters or playing with a bunch of ten year olds. Both Rube Waddell and Babe Ruth were alike in that they both were childlike in the body of an adult. Author Levy gives an excellent account of the scuffle which Waddell got into over a teammate's straw hat that led to him injuring his arm and prevented him from going up against Christy Mathewson in the 1905 World Series in which Matty pitched three shutouts. It would have been interesting to see what the matchups of Waddell and Mathewson would have provided us. It was traditional for straw hats to be destroyed after Labor Day and Rube wanted to destroy the teammate's hat. I don't see that there was any dark deeds involved between Waddell and gamblers who didn't want Waddell to pitch in the Series. Athletics manager Connie Mack gave Waddell some free reign when the two were together while Waddell gave Pirates manager Fred Clarke fits with his erratic behavior. It's true that Rube Waddell had destructive habits, but I also come away feeling that Rube Waddell had a caring side for other people that is too often overlooked.
Didn't know he was a Minneapolis Miller.......2002-02-15
According to some, Rube Waddell was the greatest pitcher to ever play the game. In 1904, he struck out 345 batters, during a time when hitters choked up on the bat, just trying to make contact with two strikes. Rube was also the first great drawing card. Because of him, new stadiums were built in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Boston. Levy says, "He was among the game's first real drawing cards, among its first honest-to-goodness celebrities, and the first player to have teams of newspaper reporters following him, and the first to have a mass following of idol-worshiping kids yelling out his nickname like he was their buddy."
Rube was also one of the game's all-time greatest "characters". He would call his infielders into the dugout and strike out the side. He would do handstands and cartwheels after a victory. He would make animal noises while pitching. Unfortunately, he would also get into bar fights, drink too much, and disappear on a whim.
Eventually, Rube's manager, Connie Mack, got tired of Rube's unreliability and shipped him off to the St. Louis Browns, where he lasted two mores years before being banished to the minors. He pitched for the Minneapolis Millers for two years after that, hoping to be noticed by a major league team. It never happened.
The Millers trained in Hickman, Kentucky, which was plagued by floods. Always the fireman, Rube pitched in, sandbagging alongside black laborers (Quite the no-no in those days). He contracted pneumonia and was told to move to a warmer climate. Dropped by the Millers, Rube played for a team in Virginia, Minnesota, his skills increasingly abandoning him. Rube refused to take care of himself and he eventually would up being arrested as a vagrant in St. Louis and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He spent his last days in a sanitarium in Texas, his weight dropping to a hundred pounds. When some major leaguers who were in Texas for spring training came to see him he said, "I'll be over tomorrow and show you bums how to run. May weight is down to fighting trim now. I'm in shape."
Rube was married three times, during a time when divorce was almost unheard of, his last spouse leaving him because, "Rube's just too crazy."
Alan H. Levy is a history professor at Slippery Rock. I think he relied too much on newspaper accounts and not enough on interviews (albeit they're hard to find after almost a hundred years). He does quote from Connie Mack and Mugsy McGraw's biographies, but none of these characters really come to life, not even Rube. Rube's three wives are practically invisible. I also had a hard time with Levy's somnolent final chapter, possibly because the main point of interest was already dead.
Customer Reviews:
Awsome.......2000-07-12
This book is great. There are not as many pictures as most people would like, but this book does have practicaly all the fish native to Florida. If you fish, Scuba Dive or even Snorkle this book is for you, every Floridian and Fisherman should have this book.
Customer Reviews:
Some of the Funniest Contraptions you'll ever see.......2005-01-27
My father had this book when I was a kid. I guess I have to admit my age! It's 53. When I was six or eight I looked at these over and over again and thought they were the greatest fun. I wish I knew what my family did with the book, but would love to see them again. What an imagination this guy had. If you have never seen how to get the "Cotton out of an Aspirin Bottle", well, you just don't have all the answers! And that's a fact! Don't know why he never got a patent for some of these contraptions. If anyone could make a simple job complicated it was Rube.
Product Description
In 1886, a semi-pro team known as the Union Baseball Club was founded in Chicago. Made up of black players under the leadership of Frank Leland, this team worked its way to the top of Chicago's semi-pro city league, an organization which otherwise included only white teams. In 1902, Leland recruited a talented young pitcher from Texas who brought with him not only incredible talent but an intense love of baseball and a knack for organization. It wasn't long before the pitcher, Rube Foster, established himself as one of the game s outstanding players, seized the leadership of the Union Baseball Club and founded the Chicago American Giants, a team that would dominate the early years of the Negro National League, also founded by Foster. Covering the years 1870-1953, this heavily researched history includes a detailed account of one of the Negro Leagues' most legendary teams. From its roots in the late 19th century through its decline and dissolution in the years immediately following integration of the white major leagues, the team, its players-especially Foster-and its games are covered in depth. Sources include contemporary newspaper articles-many from the Chicago Defender -and interviews with veteran players. A comprehensive biographical dictionary and detailed game log are included.
Customer Reviews:
Introducing kids to the very best Rube Goldberg inventions.......2003-03-11
I taught at a school were the final senior project in the Honors Physics class was the invention of a "Rube Goldberg" machine that had to accomplish a task such as making chocolate milk or putting toothpaste on a toothbrush. Goldberg's genius was to "invent" wonderful complicated mechanical solutions (totally tongue in cheek) for the real problems of American life such as a "Simple Way to Carve a Turkey" or "Putting the Cat Out at Night."
For example, here are the instructions for a "Simple Alarm Clock": The early bird (A) arrives and catches worm (B), pulling string (C) and shooting off pistol (D). Bullet (E) bursts balloon (F), dropping brick (G) on bulb (H) of atomizer (I) and shooting perfume (J) on sponge (K). As sponge gains in weight, it lowers itself and pulls string (L), raising end of board (M). Cannon ball (N) drops on nose of sleeping gentleman--String tied to cannon ball releases cork (O) of vacuum bottle (P) and ice water falls on sleeper's face to assist the cannon ball in its good work.
Now, the description alone is pretty good, but add to this Goldberg's illustration in which everything is labeled from A to O (in this case). In "The Best of Rube Golberg," Charles Keller has collected the best of his prolific output to introduce those fascinating contraptions, which made the name Rube Goldberg a household word. Granted, today's children might not recognize his name, but if they have every played "Mousetrap" then they will totally understand the guiding principle at work here. The book is tailored for young children as an introduction to Goldberg's genius. There are dozens of examples from his "Automatic Weight-Reducing Machine" from 1914 to a similar goal in "Every Woman to Have a Perfect Figure" from 1944.
Book Description
What's more humorous than love? Whether good, bad, new, or old, love is always at the ready to be pondered and prodded by the wit of cartoonist Leigh Rubin. Rubin brings to life the day-to-day love lives of wild and domestic animals in over 150 full-color cartoons, making us laugh at our own passions, infatuations, and attachments in the process.
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