The Spirit of St. Louis: A History of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns [Paperback]

Peter Golenbock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2001

No metropolis in America has more pure baseball spirit than St. Louis, Missouri. It's a love affair that began in 1874, when a band of local boosters raised $20,000 to start a professional ball club, and the honeymoon still isn't over. Now Peter Golenbock, the bestselling author and master of baseball oral history, has written another remarkable saga enriched by extensive and incomparable remembrances from the scores of players, managers, and executives who lived it.

These pages capture the voices of Branch Rickey on George Sisler. Rogers Hornsby and his creation of the farm system. Hornsby on Grover Cleveland Alexander -- and Alexander on Hornsby. Dizzy Dean on -- who else? -- Dizzy Dean. And so many others including "The Man" himself, Stan Musial; Eldon Auker, Ellis Clary, Denny Galehouse, and Don Gutteridge on the 1940s Browns; Brooks Lawrence, the second man to cross the Cardinals' color line; Jim Bronsnan, the first man to break the players' "code of silence"; Tommy Herr, Darrell Porter, and Joe McGrane on Whitey Herzog's Cardinals; and Cardinal owner Bill DeWitt, Jr., on the team today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Having chronicled the Yankees (in Dynasty), Golenbock takes a look at another storied organization, the St. Louis Cardinals, and its near-forgotten crosstown rival, the St. Louis Browns. His understated narrative guides readers through an impressive collection of oral histories of past and living veterans of the game. Managers and owners play a significant role in the story as Golenbock does an excellent job of describing the impact of the two franchises on baseball history. The Cardinals' stalwart general manager, Branch Rickey, long before he signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Dodgers, revolutionized baseball by creating the farm system. He eventually built the Cards into a success (the team has won nine World Series, second only to the Yankees) though he paid players as little as possible. The Browns, however, struggled constantly, failing to garner new talent or retain rising stars, until owner and showman Bill Veeck (infamous for sending a midget to bat and for fielding a one-armed outfielder) was forced to sell the club. Significant baseball figures profiled include Rogers Hornsby, Dizzy Dean, Stan Musial, Curt Flood and Mark McGwire. Field-level anecdotes and insights from more than 150 baseball seasons abound. Both teams could boast great rosters at one time or another, but dynasties have eluded them. Their histories of struggle, with Golenbock's focus on the owner's hand, reveal how volatile the business of baseball has always been. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

St. Louis has had big league baseball since 1874 in the form of, first, the Browns and then (starting in 1892) the Cardinals. The Browns (who hung on until 1953) only won the American League pennant once, in 1944--although they did boast a few stars, like George Sisler and Ned Garver. The National League's Cardinals, on the other hand, had a series of sterling teams and won 14 flags and nine World Series in their time. Golenbock (Wrigleyville) spins a lively tale about these teams, filled with memories of Branch Rickey, Bell Veeck, Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, Mark McGwire, and others. This book is sure to be requested in libraries in and around St. Louis; other public libraries may want a copy as well.
-Morey Berger, St. Joseph's Hosp. Medical Lib., Tucson, AZ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380798808
• ISBN-13: 978-0380798803
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,098,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some Good Content, Terrible Editorial Work, August 2, 2002

By 

Joseph R Dunne (Urbana, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spirit of St. Louis: A History Of The St. Louis Cardinals And Browns (Hardcover)

While Golenbock has a stellar reputation for sports writing and the chronicling of oral sports history, and that shines through in parts of this book, he has to be embarrassed by the failure of editors to remove numerous typographical, editing, and factual errors contained in this book.

For example, in speaking of the move of the Cardinals from Sportsman's Park (by then also called Busch Stadium) to the current Busch Stadium, he states, "the new stadium meant saying goodbye to a small intimate ballpark with few amenities but great sightlines and saying hello to a gleaming metal bowl carpeted with artificial turf. . ." While it's an interesting juxtaposition, fact of the matter is, when the Cardinals moved to Busch Stadium in 1966, there was no artificial turf; the new stadium originally had natural grass. As well, when speaking of John Tudor's turnaround during the 1985 season, he tells how Tudor started the season 1-9, then won 20 of his last 21 decisions, and led the league in shutouts with 14. In fact, Tudor did win 20 of his last 21 decisions; however, he started the season 1-7 and recorded 10 shutouts in 1985. Finally, it was Greg Mathews, not Gary Mathews, who started game 1 of the 1987 NLCS for the Cardinals.

If one can accept these and other glaring errors, the "read" itself is entertaining and enjoyable for any St. Louis baseball fan. In the end, I'm left with the lingering thought of what else, if anything, is factually wrong about the accounts of the Browns and Cardinals.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A baseball town gets its due, September 19, 2001

By 

R.J. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spirit of St. Louis: A History Of The St. Louis Cardinals And Browns (Hardcover)

Peter Golenbock is known for his oral histories of such teams as the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers, and this latest book on St. Louis baseball is a worthy addition to the collection. The Cardinals have a storied history, from Rogers Hornsby to Dizzy Dean, from Stan Musial to Bob Gibson, and from Lou Brock to Willie McGee. From a ragtag organization to one of the storied franchises in baseball, this book also details the people who owned and managed the Cards, such as Branch Rickey, Sam Breadon, Gussie Busch and Bing Devine. What makes The Spirit of St. Louis even more of a must-read for baseball fans are the sections devoted to the St. Louis Browns. The Browns were at one time the more popular St. Louis ballclub, and George Sisler was as good a player as any who played in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the Browns suffered through mediocrity, until 1944 when they won the pennant. (and played the Cardinals in the World Series!). The decline of the Browns culminating in owner Bill Veeck putting tiny Eddie Gaedel up to the plate is also of interest.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cardinal fans will love this book, January 30, 2001

By 

Dale Linkberry (Glendale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spirit of St. Louis: A History Of The St. Louis Cardinals And Browns (Hardcover)

I admit I'm biased, I grew up in St. Louis and was treated to the great Cardinal teams of the 80's. There's no doubt. baseball fans will love this book, Golenbock does an incredible job of taking readers through the birth of both the Cardinals and Browns in St. Louis. My only criticism, the parts of the book on the Browns did tend to drag.