The 1904 Olympics, the man who created tennis's Davis Cup, a record-smashing seventy home runs in one season, a man named Stan, the first forward pass in football, and the richest collection of soccer talent in North America: Hall of Fame journalist Bob Broeg recounts these tales and others in The One Hundred Greatest Moments in St. Louis Sports.
Originally scripted for KFNS radio as part of a series read by Bob Costas, Broeg's vignettes cover the people and events of fourteen different St. Louis sports. With his behind-the-scenes perspective, the author highlights legendary feats and the untold stories that surrounded them. Discover how the St. Louis Stars' "Cool Papa" Bell, the renowned speedster of the Negro Leagues, once scored from first base on a bunt; and how trainers stimulated Thomas J. Hicks, the winner of the marathon at the 1904 Olympics, with doses of strychnine, brandy, and egg whites during the race. Broeg's descriptive storytelling and anecdotal style are accompanied by lavish illustrations.
In a 1993 article in U.S. News and World Report, Harrison Rainie wrote, "If there is a common language in socially atomized, economically stressful, morally wandering America, it revolves around sports." Athletics is a defining factor for a region's identity, and for St. Louis, it has always played a significant role in the city's economic and social life. Broeg describes not only the lure and legacy of these sports moments, but also how they contribute to a shared identity for the city.
