Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951

By William Marshall

Book Overview

With personal interviews of players and owners and with over two decades of research in newspapers and archives, Bill Marshall tells of the players, the pennant races, and the officials who shaped one of the most memorable eras in sports and American history.

At the end of World War II, soldiers returning from overseas hungered to resume their love affair with baseball. Spectators still identified with players, whose salaries and off-season employment as postmen, plumbers, farmers, and insurance salesmen resembled their own. It was a time when kids played baseball on sandlots and in pastures, fans followed the game on the radio, and tickets were affordable. The outstanding play of Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Don Newcombe, Warren Spahn, and many others dominated the field. But perhaps no performance was more important than that of Jackie Robinson, whose entrance into the game broke the color barrier, won him the respect of millions of Americans, and helped set the stage for the civil rights movement.

Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951 also records the attempt to organize the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Mexican League's success in luring players south of the border that led to a series of lawsuits that almost undermined baseball's reserve clause and antitrust exemption. The result was spring training pay, uniform contracts, minimum salary levels, player representation, and a pension plan--the very issues that would divide players and owners almost fifty years later.

During these years, the game was led by A.B. "Happy" Chandler, a hand-shaking, speech-making, singing Kentucky politician. Most owners thought he would be easily manipulated, unlike baseball's first commissioner, the autocratic Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Instead, Chandler's style led one owner to complain that he was the "player's commissioner, the fan's commissioner, the press and radio commissioner, everybody's commissioner but the men who pay him."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813120411
• ISBN13: 9780813120416
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.4" x 9.5"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

TONS OF INFO ABOUT A GREAT ERA

THIS IS A GREAT COLLECTION OF STORIES AND INFORMATION ABOUT A VERY GOOD TIME ERA. AFTER THE WAR AND TO THE PROSPERITY OF THE 1950'S. THIS BOOK IS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND HAS A TON OF INFORMATION. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR THE REAL DIEHARD AND HISTORIC BUFFS OF BASEBALL. A GOOD EDITION FOR ANY LIBRARY. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A Great Book on a Memorable Era

I especially enjoyed this book because it fills the time period from my age of two to eight years of age. I became a fan with the end of the "pivotal era". The author notes correctly that progress made during this era stagnated with the arrival of Ford "It's a League Matter" Frick as commissioner after Happy Chandler didn't live up to letting the owners do as they please. Significant details such as the Mexican League, the crucial year of 1947 with the arrival of Jackie Robinson, the Indians' championship of 1948, the 1950 Philly Whiz Kids, and the details leading up to Thomson's homer in 1951 all make this a significant book both for the knowledgable fan and the newcomer interested in baseball history. I did find a few minor errors such as on page 271, the author refers to Bill Bevans of near no-hitter fame in the 1947 World Series as Hal Bevans. Also, former Tigers manager, Red Rolfe, is said to have been replaced as manager in 1951 by Charley Gehringer. Rolfe was replaced during the 1952 season by former Tigers' pitcher Fred Hutchinson. Finally, Jackie Robinson died at the age of 53, not 56 as the author states on page 437. I can certainly put up with these errors. There is a lot to cover in the game's history during these years, and the author did a great job of covering the time period when I was too young to appreciate what was going on in the game of baseball. It's too bad the time period following this era was presided over by a do-nothing commissioner when the game was crying for leadership. However, the owners got exactly what they wanted in Ford Frick.

William Marshall's "Baseball's Pivotal Era"

This book examines baseball during the term of A. B. (Happy) Chandler as commissioner. It is based on extensive oral history interviews, thorough archival research, and the author's keen sensibilities about baseball. I relished reading the book because it filled a significant gap in my knowledge of the game. Marshall is especially strong on the role of free agency and how this manifested itself in the Mexican league of the post-war era. His general knowledge of players, managers, and management is impressive. Finally, this book is well written, without academic jargon. "Baseball's Pivotal Era" merits reading by fans and scholars alike.

A great book about a great period in baseball.

I highly recommend, "aseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951"for anyone interested in this exciting era.I grew up in a baseball town with a class B Dodger farm club, during the Happy Chandler reign as Commissioner of Baseball. Since I was only 7 then, I didn't know much about all of the politics involved. This book really enlightened me about many historical facts of the game including integration and the Mexican League raids. As a kid I was unaware of so much going on behind the scenes. I am retired now and have plenty of time to devote to reading about this passion of my youth, baseball, and of the many books I have read on the subject, this is one of the best.As with any book that has lots of statistics, there are bound to be a few errors. Because of a sincere love of baseball, and a head stuffed with old baseball facts and stats, I have uncovered what I believe to be, several typos and/or discrepancies that I would happy to pass on, in case there is going to be an errata. Example: page 87, table 5, shows Brooklyn as NL Champion for 1946; actually the Cardinals were the champs that year. Probably nobody really cares, except the 1946 Cardinals, and me.

A great book about a great period in baseball.

I highly recommend, "Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951" for anyone interested in this exciting era.I grew up in a baseball town with a class B Dodger farm club, during the Happy Chandler reign as Commissioner of Baseball. Since I was only 7 then, I didn't know much about all of the politics involved. This book really enlightened me about many historical facts of the game including integration and the Mexican League raids. As a kid I was unaware of so much going on behind the scenes. I am retired now and have plenty of time to devote to reading about this passion of my youth, baseball, and of the many books I have read on the subject, this is one of the best.As with any book that has lots of statistics, there are bound to be a few errors. Because of a sincere love of baseball, and a head stuffed with old baseball facts and stats, I have uncovered what I believe to be, several typos and/or discrepancies that I would happy to pass on, in case there is going to be an errata. Example: page 87, table 5, shows Brooklyn as NL Champion for 1946; actually the Cardinals were the champs that year. Probably nobody really cares, except the 1946 Cardinals, and me.