The Cooperstown Chronicles
Baseball's Colorful Characters, Unusual Lives, and Strange Demises
By (author) Frank Russo
Publication date:
23 October 2014Length of book:
304 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442236394
Professional baseball has always consisted of a variety of characters, from likeable youngsters to notorious rebels. From 1871 to the present, the sport has witnessed the likes of Germany Schaeffer, an infielder with a penchant for “stealing” first base; Joe Medwick, the only player ever removed from a game for his own safety; and first baseman Hal Chase, noted for being one of the most corrupt players in baseball history.
The Cooperstown Chronicles takes an entertaining look at the unusual lives, strange demises, and downright rowdy habits of some of the most colorful personalities in the history of baseball. Chapters profile the game’s well-known tough-guys, the hard-drinking revelers, head-hunting pitchers, players who took their own lives, and those who died far too young from accidents or diseases. Frank Russo goes beyond the stats and delves into each player’s personality, his life outside of baseball, and even his final resting place. The stories of little-known players like Terry Enyart, who pitched just one and two-thirds innings in the major leagues, are told next to those of superstars such as Mike Flanagan, who played professional ball for 18 years.
However brief or long a career he may have had, every major league player has a story to tell. The Cooperstown Chronicles gives a voice to many of those players who are no longer able to tell their stories themselves. Compelling, fun, and often surprising, this book will entertain baseball fans and historians alike.
The Cooperstown Chronicles takes an entertaining look at the unusual lives, strange demises, and downright rowdy habits of some of the most colorful personalities in the history of baseball. Chapters profile the game’s well-known tough-guys, the hard-drinking revelers, head-hunting pitchers, players who took their own lives, and those who died far too young from accidents or diseases. Frank Russo goes beyond the stats and delves into each player’s personality, his life outside of baseball, and even his final resting place. The stories of little-known players like Terry Enyart, who pitched just one and two-thirds innings in the major leagues, are told next to those of superstars such as Mike Flanagan, who played professional ball for 18 years.
However brief or long a career he may have had, every major league player has a story to tell. The Cooperstown Chronicles gives a voice to many of those players who are no longer able to tell their stories themselves. Compelling, fun, and often surprising, this book will entertain baseball fans and historians alike.
Russo’s latest is a compendium of baseball odd lots, from drinkers to headhunting pitchers to suicides and more. The chapter on beer drinkers and hell-raisers includes a piece on Mickey Mantle’s sad demise and another on Silver Flint, a catcher for the pre-1900 Chicago White Stockings. Flint was a tough guy who in his career broke every finger and joint in both hands. He may have taken to drink to ease the pain, but it did him in. He died at 36 a week after his ex-wife found him drunk and living on the street. There are not a lot of happy endings in the book. There are 40 pages dealing with players and former players who committed suicide. But Russo . . . recounts highlights of his subjects’ careers, so there are some lighter moments, and there are great anecdotes from baseball history. [I]f there is a large, ravenous cadre of hyperserious baseball fans roaming the aisles (Walking Dead–style), this is the book for which they’ve been waiting.