The ball clubs [Paperback]

Donald Dewey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1996

In this book, the story of our national pastime unfolds through lively accounts of each of the 123 franchises that comprised the 6 leagues officially recognized by Major League Baseball (MLB). Here are the fascinating details of the team owners & managers, the most dramatic events on & off the field, the most famous players, & the pivotal moments in the history of each team. From the club owner who helped bring down a White House administration to the absent-minded outfielder who habitually ran off the field after only two outs, the book offers a historically significant & entertaining narrative of MLB. Includes appealing anecdotal sidebars, black & white photos, & frequent humorous touches.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Ball Clubs tells the story of America's national pastime--baseball--through lively accounts of all 123 teams that have comprised the six leagues officially recognized by the major leagues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: HarperPerennial (1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062734032
• ISBN-13: 978-0062734037
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,304,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A complete history of major league baseball franchises, December 5, 1997

By 

John L. Hoh Jr. "Author and Theologian" (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The ball clubs (Paperback)

Whoecver heard of the Chicago Whales? While Chicago would be the last place one would go to find a whale (outside captivity), there was a team by that name at the turn of the century. I enjoyed this book as both a baseball fan and a historian. One fault that I do find, however, is the absence of the Negro Leagues. Maybe this oversight can be corrected in a future edition or even in a separate compendium. Also, while mention is made of the original Milwaukee Brewers AL franchise in 1903 in the St. Louis Browns entry, there is no separate entry listed for that particular franchise. The 1903 Brewers had as colorful a year as the 1969 Seattle Pilots (which themselves became the modern day Milwaukee Brewers).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy reference, September 13, 2006

By 

G. E. Mantel "RCM-Maki" (Mesabi Iron Range) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The ball clubs (Paperback)

Highly detailed and at the same time very concise; a true encyclopedia in every sense.

Full of interesting tidbits.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is excellent except for 2 nagging items., November 14, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The ball clubs (Paperback)

The Ball Clubs is an excellent book. It provides extremely informative backgrounds on ALL major league franchises. I do, however, have two rather nagging criticisms of this book. The first is that the authors seem to be excessively "anti-owner": they seem to take every opportunity to point out every flaw in anybody who ever owned or operated a major league baseball franchise, while rarely (if ever) complimenting these individuals. The second criticism, which in my opinion is much more serious, is their quite STUPID decision to separate "franchises" into separate "teams" (such as the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers). This practice reaches a ridiculous point when a continuous franchise which has played in two different leagues (such as the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the AA from 1882-1886 and the NL from 1887-present) is given two different entries - for the SAME FRANCHISE!!! (Does that mean that there will be yet ANOTHER entry for the Milwaukee Brewers, since they are transferring to the NL in 1998?)