Customer Reviews

Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Though Jackie Robinson appears (rightfully) on the cover of this book devoted to the period of baseball's long-overdue racial integration, the author's motive is to nominate Commissioner Happy Chandler as the true author of that history-making event. As a number of other reviewers have pointed out, that argument doesn't hold up under its own weight.