Finding the hidden-ball trick : the colorful history of baseball's oldest ruse / Bill Deane.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Deane, Bill, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hidden ball trick (Baseball).

Baseball--Defense.

Baseball.

Deception.

Physical Description:

xi, 263 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2015]

Summary:

The dying art the hidden-ball trick dates back to the early days of pro baseball, with seven successful executions documented in 1876 alone. This ruse occurs when a baseman conceals the ball instead of returning it to the pitcher. When the runner steps off the base, he is summarily tagged out with the hidden ball. The trick has been used 264 time with success, a rarity roughly in the class of the no-hitter. In Finding the Hidden-Ball Trick; The Colorful History of Baseball's Oldest Ruse, every known execution of this ploy in the major leagues is documented, compiled from decades of research. This book recounts how the hidden-ball trick has completed triple plays, ended games, resulted in two arrests, cost a Hall of Famer a managing job, and even occurred in a World Series. Stories include how Fred Merkle gained revenge on Johnny Evers, how Gary Carter was caught to end a game-on his birthday-and how Lou Boudreau was nabbed the day after saying the play was obsolete. In addition to a complete chronological listing of every documented ruse, Finding the Hidden-Ball Trick also includes descriptions of tricks that went awry and a list of unsubstantiated accounts. This unique compilation of baseball stories will be of interest to baseball scholars and fans alike. Book jacket.

Contents:

What is the Hidden-Ball Trick?

History of the Trick

Masters of the Trick and Their Victims. 1876-89: The Early Tricks

1890-99: Gaiety in the '90s

1900-09: Coughlin Corner Tricks

1910-19: Ban Tries to Ban It

1920-29: A Decade Dominated by Babe Who?

1930-39: The Crow Flies High

1940-49: Pesky Holding the Ball

1950-59: Step off the Base a Minute, Will Ya?

1960-69: Stick Was Slick

1970-79: Elementary, My Dear Watson

1980-89: Happy Birthday, Kid!

1990-99: Master Matt

2000-Present: A Dying Art?

Tricks Gone Awry

Unsubstantiated Possibilities

Odds and Ends

Chronological Listing.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781442244337

144224433X

OCLC:

892878802