Milwaukee Braves: A Baseball Eulogy (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Everything that happened in this game represented a first..." (more)
Key Phrases: long flyball, doubleplay ball, great lefthander, National League, County Stadium, Warren Spahn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This lively, informative volume is the only comprehensive history of one of the all-time great baseball teams. The Milwaukee Braves set attendance records, opened major league baseball for westward expansion, produced the greatest lefthanded pitcher and leading home run tandem of all time, sent six players to the Hall of Fame, and during their 13-year existence, never experienced a losing season. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bob Buege is the unofficial chronicler of the Milwaukee Braves and the co-author of "Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime," written with the Hall of Fame third baseman. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 415 pages
• Publisher: Douglas Amer Sports Pubns (October 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929134346
• ISBN-13: 978-0929134345
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,467,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Look at Baseball's "Main Street" in the 1950s, January 25, 2000

By	Patrick Bickers (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

Far too many story-tellers of baseball in the 1950s seem to believe that the drama begins and ends with the subway ride between Brooklyn and the Bronx. What this view misses is that some of the very best ball was played some 1,000 miles to the west at the Milwaukee County Stadium.

The Fifties was perhaps baseball's last great decade before expansion teams, artificial turf and indoor play changed its shape and parameters. And Milwaukee was the most exciting city to watch the national past time in those days, where the local burghers pushed the Braves to the top of the attendance standings every season from 1953 to 1958. Much larger markets like New York, Philadelphia and Chicago simply could not keep up.

Bob Buege captures this remarkable phenomenon in a series of tight, colorful anecdotes capturing the spirit of this team and its city. His emphasis is less on historical analysis and more on giving the reader a "feel" for the era.

All that is wanting here is perhaps a bit more detail about the franchise and its player and a better explanation of the circumstances leading to the team's flight to Atlanta.

Overall, this book is essential for any fan who wishes to understand some of the greatest baseball of baseball's greatest decade.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone close to sports history in Wisconsin must read this, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

Bob Buege has preserved the essence of one of sport's greatest teams. For those that grew up in the 50's and 60's this text details the phenomenal moments of the Milwaukee Braves.

Any National League enthusiast of that era would appreciate the insights into the ballplayers -- both the ups and downs, close calls, historic moments. Just reading anecdotes about the heroes of my boyhood gave me chills.

Buege is to be highly commended for capturing the flavor of Milwaukee's favorite team and the unusual competitiveness of the National League game. The Braves never had a losing season in its 13 year tenure. With two National League pennants, a World Series championship, and two end of the season finishes within one game of the Dodgers on either side of those pennants -- one realizes the magnitude of this franchise's caliber of pitching, fielding, and hitting.

Pictures from The Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Sentinel are dispersed throughout. I recommend that Buege put together a large picture book of those teams with some text. Spahn, Burdette, Aaron, Mathews, Adcock, Schoendinst, Covington, Hazel, Logan, Crandall, Torre, Carty, Bruton, Buhl, McMahon, meant so much to us. Perhaps a video could be made.

Each team of that era [The Reds, Cards, Cubs, Pirates, Giants, Dodgers, Phillies] should have its historian -- not just the Yankee teams. Buege has modeled this concept well and recalled the tragic moments leading to the robbery by Atlanta of Milwaukee's team. Many of us are grateful for his research and devotion. This is a must read for all Wisconsinites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive history of the Milwaukee Braves., January 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Milwaukee Braves: A Baseball Eulogy (Paperback)

This is the definitive history of baseball's most amazing and successful, if short-lived, franchise, lovingly and accurately portrayed by a native Milwaukee baseball historian/fan.