The Beer and Whisky League: The Illustrated History of the American Association--Baseball's Renegade Major League [Paperback]

David Nemec (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Although the American Association lasted only a decade, from 1882 to 1891, it rewrote the playbook on baseball, establishing many of the conventions we still honor. Writer David Nemec and photographer Mark Rucker have put together a book that vividly tells the Association's story, and sets a new standard for books on baseball in the 19th century.
In 1882, baseball was controlled by the owners of the six teams in the National League. In keeping with the morals of the day, Sunday games were forbidden, liquor wasn't sold at parks, and admission was kept high to keep out the "common element." Baseball was a gentleman's game.
Then came the American Association, the "Beer and Whisky League." Baseball would never be the same.
True to its nickname, the league ushered in the most freewheeling years of baseball, challenging the National League's hold on the nation's pastime, cutting admission in half, playing Sundays, selling liquor in its ballparks, and fielding exceptional players.
This is the first comprehensive look at the American Association. Meticulously researched, this lively history is complemented by over 200 rare photographs, most never before published. For the many fans of baseball, THE BEER AND WHISKY LEAGUE will be as essential as a well-oiled mitt.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a perfect gift for any baseball enthusiast who can't get enough of the game..."-- Colorado Country Life

From the Back Cover

Although the American Association lasted only a decade, from 1882 to 1891, it featured some of the game's great pennant races and most notable players, and introduced innovations that its more established and powerful rival, the National League, made standard practice in time. Writer David Nemec and photographer Mark Rucker have put together a book that vividly tells the Association's story and sets a new standard for books on baseball in the 19th century.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592281885
• ISBN-13: 978-1592281886
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #829,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nemec and Rucker bring a long dead baseball league to life, July 22, 1998

By 

Jim Klann (Glendale Heights, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beer & Whisky League (Hardcover)

Many a baseball fan, frustrated by conniving team owners and spoiled multimillionaire players, must have wished that someone would start a new baseball league. In 1882, someone did--and the resulting American Association provided stiff competition for the then dominant National League for the following ten years.

The League, to be sure, quickly coopted the Association in some ways. The two circuits agreed to honor each others' player contracts--including the "reserve clause" which bound players to their teams even after their contracts expired--and the league champions met in a postseason playoff which foreshadowed the Twentieth Century World Series. The leagues competed for fans, however, with entirely salutary results--lower admission prices, Sunday baseball, and better umpiring and administration.

Most A.A. players have receded into the mists of time. The only player in "The Beer and Whisky League" whom most readers will recognize will be ! Charlie Comiskey, the player-manager of the St. Louis Browns who subsequently founded the Chicago White Sox. Nemec and Rucker, however, do an outstanding job of bringing the lost players to life and involving the reader in long forgotten pennant races and controversies. Any fan with an interest in baseball history can enjoy this book.

"The Beer and Whisky League" features a large number of photographs accompanied by captions illuminating interesting anecdotes about A.A. players and teams. The pictures, however, are not well integrated with the text.

The brief presence of African American players in the American Association--sixty years before Jackie Robinson--is bound to intrigue contemporary readers. Nemec and Rucker, perhaps hindered by a lack of documentary evidence, unfortunately devote only a couple of paragraphs to this aspect of Association history.

In 1890, the National League--but not the Association--attempted to impose a salary cap on its players! , who rebelled and formed yet a third major league. The th! ree leagues drove each other toward bankruptcy. The resulting financial squeeze led the League and the Association to raid each others' players and franchises, and the better heeled National League eventually prevailed. Four American Association teams defected to the National League in 1892. The Association itself folded and faded into obscurity, from which Nemec and Rucker have rescued it in this enjoyable book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beauty in Every Way, December 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beer & Whisky League (Hardcover)

The baseball element in this book is only part of its charm. The author, with help from the publisher, has also assembled an aesthetic treat for the reader. As the cover suggests, the book is an artful prose and pictorial rendering of an early epoch in our National Pastime. A must I would think for every even mildly serious collector--and that is how I'd describe myself. I'm very glad to have found it and added it to my shelf.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive work on baseball in the 1880s and early '90s, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beer & Whisky League (Hardcover)

The slew of rarely seen photos alone make this book a treasure. The captions accompanying the photos are so dense with insights and new information that they are really invaluable sidebars. The author's prose and story-telling ability is a full two or three cuts above that of most baseball historians, even the very top ones. Put all that together and it makes you just wish the American Association had lasted 20 years instead of ten so this book would have had to be "double the pleasure, double the fun."