Bill Veeck: The maverick showman
From Bill Lucey at The Morning Delivery on April 4, 2012, on SABR member Paul Dickson’s new book:
This summer, when you pass through the turnstiles at any major league baseball stadium around the country, and you’re suddenly handed a free t-shirt, a bobblehead look alike, a beer stein, or a drawstring bag with your team’s logo on it, you owe a special thank you to William Louis Veeck, Jr., known to the baseball world as Bill Veeck or more affectionately “Sport Shirt Bill.’’
Paul Dickson, author of the “Baseball Dictionary’’ has knocked another one out of the park with “Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick’’, a skillfully written biography, scrupulously researched, brimming with revealing anecdotes and historical detail, while unpacking Veeck’s views of social injustice (inside and outside the park),along with his quest to provide fans with a show even if their team wasn’t on the road to clinching a pennant.
It’s hard to believe that when Veeck took over as owner of the Cleveland Indians in 1946; baseballs that landed in the stands were considered property of the club and were promptly retrieved by the stadium personnel.
Read the full article here: http://www.wplucey.com/2012/04/bill-veeck-the-maverick-owner-who-thought-outside-the-box.html
Related link: Paul Dickson will be signing books at “VeeckFest” in Arcadia, California, on May 19
Originally published: April 5, 2012. Last Updated: April 5, 2012.