Breaking the Slump [Hardcover]

Charles C. Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2002

In the 1930s, despite the ravages of the Great Depression, professional baseball remained the king of American sports in terms of both spectators and participants. In Breaking the Slump, the first history of baseball during the Great Depression, Alexander captures the flavor of baseball and American life during a time when America remained at peace but was mired in the worst economic circumstances in its history. Rich in narrative appeal, this story conveys baseball's persistence as the truly "National Pastime" and what it meant to millions of Americans who could no longer afford to attend games on a regular basis.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Alexander, author of a fine biography of Ty Cobb and other baseball books, doesn't strike out with this history of baseball from 1930 until American entry into World War II. But he doesn't get good wood on the ball either. It seems a natural to combine an analysis of the last decade of what some refer to as baseball's Golden Age with such a definitive event as the Great Depression. How did baseball and a struggling nation relate? Did the antics of Dizzy Dean and the Gashouse Gang, the supremacy of the lordly Yankees, and the exuberance of the barnstorming Negro Leaguers deliver fans from their suffering, if only for the few hours of a game's duration? Or was baseball only a diversion, something to be set aside if a choice had to be made between tickets or a meal? While Alexander examines the baseball of the time in great detail and also speaks about the Depression, he never entirely melds the two. In addition, while he offers an exhaustive season-by-season analysis, it feels too much like a laundry list whose format could just as well be a chronological time line. A good overview but not compelling reading, this is recommended for baseball collections lacking other resources about the decade. Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Major-league baseball suffered through the Depression right along with the rest of the country. Alexander, the respected biographer of baseball greats Ty Cobb, John McGraw, and Rogers Hornsby, examines the game during the Depression era, showing how, despite the overall economic climate, baseball retained its hold on the national consciousness. Alexander examines each season during the era, and if these annual recaps are a bit heavy on details--scores, batting averages, pennant races, etc.--the narrative is spiced with engaging personal stories of the players: the fortunes lost by some stars, the struggles back home, and the personal reactions to the deprivation around them. Also revealing is the coverage of the minor leagues and the Negro League, which pioneered night baseball during this time. A bit drier than Alexander's biographical works, this is nevertheless a worthwhile slice of baseball history for devoted fans. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231113420
• ISBN-13: 978-0231113427
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,482,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Breaking The Slump, February 26, 2003

By 

eric m eichelkraut (woodridge, il United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking the Slump (Hardcover)

The post depression era of baseball was one of the most turbulent times the sport has ever known. From the near collapse of some major league teams, to the invention of night baseball, Alexander's new book is like reading 12 years worth of newspaper sports sections, all crammed into one book. Charles has a great way of bringing light to some very interesting facts in baseball history, but some sections of the book could get a little monotonous. In a yearly breakdown of events preceding the Great Depression, we are taken through the 1930's, and into the early 1940's by way of yearly statistical leaders, brief synopsis of team standings, and a few other major tidbits. Along the way, Alexander occasionally plugs in some personal insight, as well as some excellent lost trivia, that some baseball historians may not know. He has also dedicated one chapter to the Negro leagues of the era (Shadow Ball), which I found to be very interesting and deeply fascinating. Overall, I would recommend the book to all baseball enthusiasts.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Baseball History, February 23, 2003

By 

C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breaking the Slump (Hardcover)

It goes without saying that baseball's history dwarfs that of any other sport, and Charles Alexander has done an excellent job of covering the period of baseball during the 1930's and up to the beginning of the U.S.'s entry into World War II. It's true that this time period has been covered in other books, but it still is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in baseball history regardless of whether you have read about this era or not. The advent of night baseball and the birth of baseball's Hall of Fame took place in the 1930's. Many of the game's players were suited for work in baseball and nothing else. As pitcher Waite Hoyt stated, "The trouble with baseball as a life's work is that it takes the player's best years and trains him for nothing else." It is also the story of the racism that prevailed, not only in the major leagues, but in the country as well. Many of the greatest players such as Satchel Paige, James "Cool Papa" Bell, and Josh Gibson toiled in the Negro Leagues because they were denied entry into the lilly white major leagues by a "gentlemen's agreement" that owners denied even existed. Baseball struggled during the lean years of the 1930s, but many great players took part in the game and played for salaries that were better than workers in other paying jobs were receiving even though the reserve clause tied players to the club that signed them. The author hints that baseball during the '30s may have been better than any other time period, and many players feel the same. I guess players from any era feel their era was the best, but I would have to say the era following World War II may have been even better. I don't see how baseball could have been best during the 1930s when a large portion of the population was denied entry into the so-called national pastime. What I especially liked about the book was the author didn't bore the reader with an endless account of games and how runs were scored. I haven't liked all of Charles Alexander's books (in my opinion his book on Rogers Hornsby came up short), but this is a book you will enjoy if you enjoy baseball and its history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thoughtful Perspective On A Pivotal Era, June 25, 2003

By 

W. C HALL (Newport, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breaking the Slump (Hardcover)

What made the 1930's such an important era for professional baseball? How did the game evolve as both a sport and a business? How did the developments of this era influence the shape of the game in the decades that followed? These are some of the themes explored by historian and baseball fan Charles Alexander in "Breaking The Slump."

Alexander's greatest gift seems to be for biography; his lives of John McGraw and Ty Cobb are true standouts in baseball literature. In trying to cover the sweep of an entire decade in this volume, he sometimes loses sight of his larger perspectives, but on balance, this is a very worthwhile effort. Alexander's prose is clear, it flows well, and he does have a knack for digging out forgotten nuggets of the game's history.

If you want to know more about the heyday of Hank Greenberg, Jimmie Foxx, Carl Hubbell, Mel Ott and Dizzy Dean, this is a worthwhile, mostly satisfying book.--William C. Hall