Bibliography Guide No. 1: Baseball Figures in “Current Biography”
SABR Bibliography Committee
Research Guide No. 1: Baseball Figures in Current Biography
Editor’s note: This guide was first published by the SABR Bibliography Committee in 1986. To download the original in PDF form, click here.
By Joseph Lawler
June 1986
Current Biography is a reference service of the H. W. Wilson Company of New York, publishers of numerous indexes including the popular Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature.
Begun in 1940, CB offers topical, informative profiles of contemporary figures from the worlds of national and international affairs, science, government, the arts, and sports.
As stated by the publisher, CB presents “… objective rather than authorized biographies.” Each entry contains a photograph, the subject’s full name and pronunciation where appropriate along with any nicknames or pseudonyms. Birth date, occupation, and mailing address are other key elements of the articles which run between three and four columns in length. Sources consulted are newspapers, books, and magazines. A bibliography follows each entry.
CB is published monthly, except December. At year’s end the entries are collected into one alphabetical hardcover volume entitled Current Biography Yearbook. Libraries will discard monthly issues once the annual appears. Each year approximately 400 subjects are featured in CB.
Each issue contains a cumulative index to date. An annual index is included in the Yearbook. A listing by occupation is a part of both the monthly issues and the Yearbook.
The first thirty years’ worth of biographies are indexed in a separate volume entitled Current Biography Cumulative Index, 1940-1970. Cumulative indexes for the periods 1971-1980 and 1981-1984 are found in the 1980 and 1984 Yearbooks respectively. Current Biography Cumulated Index 1940-1985 is now available.
Short obituaries of persons who mayor may not have been subjects of CB can be found in each issue.
Researchers are reminded that the emphasis is on the word “current”. Subject’s lives are covered up to the date of their biography’s publication. The detailed and highly readable articles make CB a valuable research tool. Current Biography can be found in most public and academic libraries.
This reference guide lists persons from CB who were, or are, associated with baseball “is some significant way. Included are players, managers, owners, executives, and broadcasters. Every baseball commissioner, with the exception of William Eckert, is covered in CB.
Except for Mexican League executive Jorge Pasquel and minor league overseer George Trautman, all subjects, are from major league baseball. Leo Durocher (1940 and 1950), Joe DiMaggio (1941 and 1951), and Willie Mays (1955 and 1966) are the only subjects who have appeared more than once. There was one year, 1963, when no baseball personalities were featured. Fifty members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are profiled in CB.
The list below is players sorted alphabetically. Underneath that is a year-by-year list of publication.
ALPHABETICAL LIST WITH YEAR OF PUBLICATION
Aaron, Henry – 1958
Allen, Dick – 1973
Allen, Ethan – 1954
Allen, Mel – 1954
Alston, Walter – 1954
Anderson, Sparky – 1977
Banks, Ernie – 1959
Barber, Red – 1943
Bauer, Hank – 1967
Bench, Johnny – 1971
Berra, Yogi – 1952
Blue, Vida – 1972
Boudreau, Lou – 1942
Bouton, Jim – 1971
Boyer, Ken
Brett, George – 1981
Brock, Lou – 1975
Brosnan, Jim – 1964
Burke, Mike – 1972
Campanella, Roy – 1953
Carew, Rod – 1978
Cepeda, Orlando – 1968
Chance, Dean – 1969
Chandler, Happy – 1956
Clemente, Roberto – 1972
Cobb, Ty – 1951
Conigliaro, Tony – 1971
Cronin, Joe – 1965
Dark, Alvin – 1975
Dean, Dizzy – 1951
DiMaggio, Joe – 1941, 1951
Dressen, Charlie – 1951
Drysdale, Don – 1965
Durocher, Leo – 1940, 1950
Feller, Bob – 1941
Fidrych, Mark – 1978
Finley, Charley – 1974
Ford, Whitey – 1962
Fox, Nellie – 1960
Frick, Ford – 1945
Garagiola, Joe – 1976
Gibson, Bob – 1968
Gossage, Goose – 1984
Greenberg, Hank – 1947
Griffith, Clark – 1950
Groat, Dick – 1961
Guidry, Ron – 1979
Haney, Fred – 1967
Harrelson, Ken – 1970
Harridge, Will – 1949
Harris, Bucky – 1948
Hodges, Gil – 1962
Hornsby, Rogers – 1952
Houk, Ralph – 1962
Howard, Elston – 1964
Howard, Frank – 1972
Hunter, Catfish – 1975
Jackson, Reggie – 1974
Jensen, Jackie – 1959
John, Tommy – 1981
Johnson, Arnold M. – 1955
Kaline, Al – 1970
filIi brew, Harmon – 1966
Kiner, Ralph – 1954
Kingman, Dave – 1982
Konstanty, Jim – 1951
Koufax, Sandy – 1964
Kuhn, Bowie – 1970
Landis, K. M. – 1944
Law, Vernon – 1961
Lopez, Al – 1960
Lyle, Sparky – 1978
Mack, Connie – 1944
McPhail, Larry – 1945
Maglie, Sal – 1953
Mantle, Mickey – 1953
Maris, Roger – 1961
Martin, Billy – 1976
Mauch, Gene – 1974
Mays, Willie – 1955, 1966
Mccarthy, Joe – 1948
McCovey, Willie – 1970
McLain, Denny – 1969
Miller, Marvin – 1973
Morgan, Joe – 1984
Munson, Thurman – 1977
Murtaugh, Danny – 1961
Musial, Stan – 1948
Nettles, Graig – 1984
Newcombe, Don – 1957
O’Malley, Walter – 1954
Ott, Mel – 1941
Page, Joe – 1950
Paige, Satchel – 1952
Palmer, Jim – 1980
Pasquel, Jorge – 1946
Payson, Joan W. – 1972
Pepitone, Joe – 1973
Perry, Gaylord – 1982
Reese, Pee Wee – 1950
Reynolds, Allie – 1952
Rice, Jim – 1979
Richardson, Bobby – 1966
Rickey, Branch – 1945
Rizzuto, Phil – 1950
Roberts, Robin – 1953
Robinson, Brooks – 1973
Robinson, Frank – 1971
Ro binson, Jackie – 1947
Rose, Pete – 1975
Rosen, Al – 1954
Ruffing, Red – 1941
Ruth , Babe – 1944
Ryan, Nolan – 1970
Sawyer, Eddie – 1950
Schacht, Al – 1946
Schoendienst, Red – 1964
Seaver, Tom
Sewell, Luke – 1944
Shantz, Bobby – 1953
Shea, William A. – 1965
Sho;tton, Burt – 1949
Snider, Duke – 1956
Southworth, Billy – 1944
Spahn, Warren – 1962
Stanky, Eddie – 1951
Stargell, Willie – 1980
Steinbrenner, George – 1979
Stengel, Casey – 1949
Stirnweiss, George – 1946
Strawberry, Darryl – 1984
Tiant, Luis – 1977
Torre, Joe – 1972
Trautman, George – 1951
Turner, Ted – 1979
Ueberroth, Peter – 1985
Valenzuela, Fernando – 1982
Veeck, Bill – 1948
Weaver, Earl – 1983
Wilhelm, Hoyt – 1971
Williams, Dick – 1973
Williams, Ted – 1947
Wills, Maury – 1966
Winfield, Dave – 1984
Wrigley, Philip – 1975
Wyatt, Whit – 1941
Yastrzemski, Carl – 1968
YEAR-BY-YEAR LIST
1940 Leo Durocher
1941 Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Mel Ott, Red Ruffing, Whit Wyatt
1942 Lou Boudreau
1943 Red Barber
1944 Kenesaw M. Landis, Connie Mack, Babe Ruth, Luke Sewell, Billy Southworth
1945 Ford Frick, Larry MacPhail, Branch Rickey
1946 Jorge Pasquel, Al Schacht, George Stirnweiss
1947 Hank Greenberg, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams
1948 Bucky Harris, Joe McCarthy, Stan Musial, Bill Veeck
1949 Will Harridge, Burt Shotton, Casey Stengel
1950 Mel Allen, Leo Durocher, Clark Griffith, Joe Page, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Eddie Sawyer
1951 Ty Cobb, Dizzy Dean, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Dressen, Jim Konstanty, Eddie Stanky, George Trautman
1952 Yogi Berra, Rogers Hornsby, Satchel Paige, Allie Reynolds
1953 Roy Campanella, Sal Maglie, Mickey Mantle, Robin Roberts, Bobby Shantz
1954 Ethan Allen, Walter Alston, Ralph Kiner, Walter O’Malley, Al Rosen
1955 Arnold M. Johnson, Willie Mays
1956 Happy Chandler, Duke Snider
1957 Don Newcombe
1958 Henry Aaron
1959 Ernie Banks, Jackie Jensen
1960 Nellie Fox, Al Lopez
1961 Dick Groat, Vernon Law, Roger Maris, Danny Murtaugh
1962 Whitey Ford, Gil Hodges, Ralph Houk, Warren Spahn
1963 None
1964 Jim Brosnan, Elston Howard, Sandy Koufax, Red Schoendienst
1965 Joe Cronin, Don Drysdale, William A. Shea
1966 Ken Boyer, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Mays, Bobby Richardson, Maury Wills
1967 Hank Bauer, Fred Haney
1968 Orlando Cepeda, Bob Gibson, Carl Yastrzemski
1969 Dean Chance, Denny McLain
1970 Ken Harrelson, Al Kaline, Bowie Kuhn, Willie McCovey, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver
1971 Johnny Bench, Jim Bouton, Tony Conigliaro, Frank Robinson, Hoyt Wilhelm
1972 Vida Blue, Mike Burke, Roberto Clemente, Frank Howard, Joan Whitney Payson, Joe Torre
1973 Dick Allen, Marvin Miller, Joe Pepitone, Brooks Robinson, Dick Williams
1974 Charley Finley, Reggie Jackson, Gene Mauch
1975 Lou Brock, Al Dark, Catfish Hunter, Pete Rose, Phil Wrigley
1976 Joe Garagiola, Billy Martin
1977 Sparky Anderson, Thurman Munson, Luis Tiant
1978 Rod Carew, Mark Fidrych, Sparky Lyle
1979 Ron Guidry, Jim Rice, George Steinbrenner, Ted Turner
1980 Jim Palmer, Willie Stargell
1981 George Brett, Tommy John
1982 Dave Kingman, Gaylord Perry, Fernando Valenzuela
1983 Earl Weaver
1984 Goose Gossage, Joe Morgan, Graig Nettles, Darryl Strawberry, Dave Winfield
1985 Peter Ueberroth
Special mention to players who, while not noted especially for their baseball careers, had some connection with the game.
1944 Amos Alonzo Stagg
1950 Jim Thorpe
1973 Dave Debusschere
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