From Banks to Blow-ups: Chicago Baseball in the 70's and Other Stories

By John O'Donnell

The 1970's. Kind of the forgotten time between hippies and yuppies, Woodstock and Starbuck's. Perhaps some White Sox and Cub fans would like to forget this decade, but this book says you'd be missing out on a lot of fun.FROM BANKS TO BLOW-UPS takes you through a transitional period in the national pass time. It's before the time when salaries and even ticket prices rival countries' GDP, but it is a few years after expansion, franchise re-location, and the more innocent era.The 70's in Chicago baseball meant a changing of the guard--from the old school Leo Durocher, who tried managing players as they were from the 30's but failed... to the maverick Veecks who would try anything to get fans in the stands--even blowing up disco records between games of a double-header (still remains the last time a ball game was forfeited in the American League).Baseball fans will enjoy reliving games they may have attended, and watching players they may have cheered or jeered. While some Chicago teams did contend (Sports Illustrated once did a feature on Chicago baseball in the middle of a pennant race in '77. It simply read: "Chi, Oh My!"), most Chicago clubs weren't relevant. But there's more than that--colorful characters galore: managers ditching the club, players fighting one another, teams donning short pants in the summer time, HIT MEN who couldn't field, and BIG MEN who could pitch. Sluggers who launched baseballs on neighbor's front lawns, ethnic nights, and lots of day baseball. What begins with the book LIKE NIGHT AND DAY is sustained and developed in FROM BANKS TO BLOW-UPS. This baseball era coincides with a young man coming of age. Navigating his way through the tumult of high school and college, baseball is base. Safe, secure, and constant--no matter what life held, baseball was a for sure thing. The book concludes with the highlights from the decade. Many of which will surprise you. The most memorable moments of the decade are featured in box score fashion--this book is loaded with "I remember him, them, it" refreshers. If you like baseball and lived through the 70's, this book makes for an enjoyable read. If you came of age later, well, think of FROM BANKS TO BLOW-UPS as a fun history lesson without having to memorize too many dates.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1505755174
• ISBN13: 9781505755176
• Release Date: June 2016
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"