Customer Reviews

Rowdy Richard: A Firsthand Account of the National League Baseball Wars of the 1930s and the Men Who Fought Them

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

 

 

It's hard to imagine why Bartell, a solid player whose name is by no means writ large in the history of the game, was able to interest a publisher in his memoir. If you're up to speed on the era, it's an enjoyable read but there's nothing here to grab and hold mainstream interest. Speaking personally, I love the history of the game but Bartell's yarn ranks fairly low on my hit parade. A moderately interesting tale, competently told. . .but nothing more.

Dick Bartell was the starting shortstop for the National League in the first All Star game. He was a player that was booed loudly in opposing cities due to a series of fights and other incidents. The fiesty inflielder was a popular managerial hire in those days (see Frankie Frisch, Leo Durocher, Billy Herman, Joe Cronin, et al.) Bartell was never hired to manage a major league team. He comes across as an arrogant and opiniated jerk. I was disappointed that there is nothing about his father or growing up and development. He pretty much went straight from High School to the major leagues, falling just short of Hall of Fame standards. It was pleasing to get some background on the decline of the Pirates at the end of the 1920s, those horrible Phillies teams of the early 1930s, and the pennant winning Giant teams of the mid 1930s. Not much is written about the Giants of Ott, Hubbell, Terry, Fitzsimmons, and Bartell who were in the thick of the 1930s National League pennant wars. So, I was glad to have this book to learn more about the players and the times from an insider.

Excellent rambling book, good for a night or two's read, with references to players we don't remember now or never knew about, but who were important players in Bartell's time.