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Back in the mid-1990s, I published Great Baseball Films (Citadel Press), which charts the manner in which the sport has been depicted onscreen from the late 1890s to early 1990s. Twenty years ago as today, even the most obscure films with obvious baseball themes were readily accessible to researchers. However, seeking out films in which […]

Long before the Dodgers spied the bright lights and greener pastures of the West Coast, baseball and Hollywood brought together ballplayers and actors gladly willing to exchange hats for the “Hollywood Stars” game.Long before the Dodgers spied the bright lights and greener pastures of the West Coast, baseball and Hollywood brought together ballplayers and actors […]

The cover of the second issue of the Fawcett Publication of Jackie Robinson.   A new publication appeared on magazine racks as the first game of the 1949 World Series neared. It had a bright yellow cover with garish red letters at a jaunty angle spelling out Jackie Robinson’s name with a subdued subheading declaring him […]

The National League winter meetings of 1897-1898 were conducted during a period of good feeling among club owners, with Cincinnati Reds boss John T. Brush at the height of his influence. The gatherings were highly productive in terms of the adoption of new legislation and policy, although some initiatives, particularly the player-conduct commandments known as […]

While Charlie Chaplin went into the boxing ring in City Lights (1931), the Marx Brothers played football in Horse Feathers (1932), Curly Howard wrestled his opponent to the mat in Grips, Grunts and Groans (1937), and W.C. Fields almost played golf in The Golf Specialist (1930), the true sport of the great movie comedians is […]

No other player in major league history has dominated a season offensively as thoroughly as Stan Musial did when he topped the National League in nine categories in 1948. “Stan the Man” paced the National League in hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18), runs (135), RBIs (131), batting average (.376), total bases (429), on-base percentage […]

Today not too many people remember Dexter Park, but in the first half of the twentieth century it played host to many the top baseball stars of the majors and the Negro Leagues. Those who attended games there remember it with respect and affection. Some stoutly maintain that it was in Brooklyn, but it was […]

While the 1951 pennant race was raging between the Dodgers and Giants, dozens of writers and broadcasters covered the dramatic proceedings and turned out classic prose and award-winning broadcasts. The National Football League was just an afterthought. The NBA was not covered in some dailies, and others just listed scores. Besides the classic confrontations and […]

I was just 20 years old heading into the 1950 season with the Phillies, but starting my third full year in the big leagues. At the end of the 1949 season, the Phillies were on the upswing, finishing in third place after many years in the cellar or deep in the second division. The owner, […]

No one would seriously argue that the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies were one of the best teams in baseball history, but they certainly are one of the most memorable. Dubbed “the Whiz Kids” by sportswriter Harry Paxton because of their relative youth, they proved to be most resilient and able to overcome adversity. Although they threatened […]