Bury My Heart at Cooperstown: Salacious, Sad, And Surreal Deaths in the History of Baseball (Paperback)

by Frank Russo (Author), Gene Racz (Author) "Flat-out bad luck or god-awful poor judgment..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, American Association, World Series (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
If you've ever enjoyed a game of dead-guy baseball (choosing all-star teams made up of players with odd deaths), here is an indispensable reference. When Russo started his Web site (thedeadballera.com), he wasn't thinking dead guys; the "dead-ball era" refers to that period of early baseball history before the ball was juiced, and the home run became the ticket to fortune. Naturally, though, most of the players Russo researched were, well . . . dead, and many of them died outlandish deaths. Suddenly, Russo had a necrology on his hands, and a bizarre one at that. This volume gives in completely to the ghoulish angle, focusing specifically on the deaths of the dead-ballers with chapters on such somber swan songs as syphilis ("Clap for Your Heroes") and suicide ("Suicide Squeeze"). Unfortunately, the majority of the players from the dead-ball era will have faded from the memories of most fans; one can only hope that Russo plans another volume devoted to death in the live-ball era. You won't respect yourself in the morning, but you won't put this one down either. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
Who died too young? Who drowned on a train? Who kept syphilis a secret? Where are baseball’s villains and greats buried?

Bury My Heart at Cooperstown is the rare baseball book that successfully walks the fine line between reverence and humor. A remarkable encyclopedia of information, this book tells the tales of baseball’s characters, its mascots and murderers, those who suffered heroically, and those who joyfully drank themselves into oblivion. Bizarre, tragic, twisted, honorable, and gruesome—their stories are collected here for tribute and trivia.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (IL); Presentable Ex-Library edition (March 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572438223
• ISBN-13: 978-1572438224
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #726,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Homerun, April 22, 2006

By	Joanne Russo - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An entertaining and very interesting book! I was amazed at how some of these bios had me wondering "what was he thinking!?!" Others made me shed tears. It is a book filled with the little tidbits of information that you haven't heard over and over again.
Once you start reading this book you become capitavted with the lives and unfortunate deaths of these baseball greats. I highly recommend it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GRAND SLAM!!!, April 17, 2006

By	Conan the Librarian (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

Not your typical baseball book--this book is a must-have for the casual fan and baseball fanatic alike! It is full of interesting tidbits and trivia, not to mention a little scandal! Burial locations are provided, as well as excellent photos of many of the players mentioned and some of their final resting places!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diamonds and Death, August 9, 2006

By	Richard DiCanio "The Torpedo in a Tuxedo" (New York, N.Y) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Death,the final frontier,these are the voyages or at least the 3 hour cruises outlining the final out of many men who were the genesis of what we now know as modern day baseball. For steeltraps,trivia lovers,sports buffs or those with a necrological bent,this one's for you.Cool statistics with just enough to whet your appetite without being vapid and a manner of death,coupled with colorful background,gives you a fast read and some extra things to think about. Socially, these guys were apart from their families and loved ones for long stretches of time. This could explain how easily bases,bats,balls and blue serge suits quickly led to bars,booze,broads and bullits.The authors deserve alot of credit just for being able to "dig up" the info on these players.I mean heck, some of these guys have been moulding in the grave for over 100 years.Thats alot of hard work and dedication, obviously a labor of love.
So, if you can identify with a hunchback,practically feel your liver throb from boozy tales or thank modern medicine for curing a pesty spirochete that led many players down the third base line and into the nearest asylum for the insane, this book is for you. From a psychiatric viewpoint, many of these players should have picked another line of work.Stressors were handled differently then often leading to tragic,painful and horrific deaths.It seems that Americas favorite pastime may have had a hidden tagline that is, "welcome to hard times". In any event, this book is a welcome addition to my library and I'm sure it will be in your's too.But don't take my word for it. Buy it and read it for yourself.