Willie Keeler : from the playgrounds of Brooklyn to the Hall of Fame / Lyle Spatz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Spatz, Lyle, 1937- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Keeler, Willie, 1872-1923.

Keeler, Willie.

Baseball players--United States--Biography.

Baseball players.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 356 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2015]

Summary:

Playing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Willie Keeler is still considered one of baseball's most accomplished batters in the history of the game. It fact his record-setting 44-game hitting streak in 1897 was not surpassed until Joe DiMaggio broke the record in 1941 by Joe D Maggio. In addition to being such a productive hitter, Keeler was an integral part of two memorable teams: the Baltimore Orioles of 1894-1897 and the Brooklyn Superbas of 1899-1900. Willie Keeler: From the Playgrounds of Brooklyn to the Hall of Fame recounts the life of this talented yet often overlooked ballplayer from his birth in 1872 in Brooklyn to his death in 1923. Keeler's unique story includes a career that was almost evenly split between the rough and "dirty" National League of the 1890s and the new, more disciplined American League of the early twentieth century. Each part of this book examines a key stage of Keeler's life and career: his childhood and teenage years; his career with the Baltimore Orioles; his years with the Brooklyn Superbas; his time with the New York Yankees; and his life after baseball. Featuring rare photographs several of which have not been seen in more than a hundred years, Willie Keeler provides an in-depth look into the life of an undersized ballplayer who forged a big career. Baseball fans, scholars, and historians alike will find this book both informative and entertaining. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Early Life 1

1 Willie Keeler in American Culture 3

2 A Brooklyn Boyhood 7

3 Reaching the Big League 15

Part II The Baltimore Orioles 23

4 A Dynasty Begins to Take Shape 25

5 It's a Whole New Game They're Playing 35

6 The Game of the Nineties Was Just Ugly 45

7 And Now We Have the Best Baseball Club 53

8 Another Pennant Won, Another Temple Cup Lost 61

9 A Clean Sweep 71

10 The Streak 81

11 Good vs. Evil 91

12 The Most Valuable Player in the Profession 101

13 Baltimore Had a Good Team and a Lousy Market 111

Part III The Brooklyn Superbas: 1899-1902 121

14 Hanlon's Superbas 123

15 The League Shrinks, hut Brooklyn Remains on Top 131

16 Winning the Chronicle Cup 141

17 Keep Your Eye Clear and Hit 'Em Where They Ain't 151

18 Will Willie Stay, or Will Willie Go? 163

19 T Am in Baseball for All I Can Get Out of It 173

Part IV The New York Yankees 183

20 Crossing Brooklyn Bridge 185

21 A Disappointing First Season in New York 193

22 The Yankees Pursue Their First Pennant 201

23 The Wild Pitch 211

24 The Yankees Struggle through an Injury-Marred Season 219

25 Willie Keeler and Ty Cobb 229

26 Keeler Has His Last Good Season 235

27 A Last Hurrah in Baltimore 245

28 Willie Keeler's Work Has Been Unsatisfactory 255

29 Boys, I Guess My Time Has Come 263

Part V Life After Baseball 273

30 Keeler's Playing Career Comes to an End 275

31 We're Not All Lucky 287

32 The World Might Have Used Him Better Than It Has 299.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781442246539

1442246537

OCLC:

892878810