Beyond the ballpark : the honorable, immoral, and eccentric lives of baseball legends / John A. Wood.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wood, John A., 1938- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Baseball players--United States--Biography.

Baseball players.

Manners and customs.

United States.

Baseball players--United States--Social life and customs.

Baseball--United States--History.

Baseball.

History.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 390 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2016]

Summary:

Most baseball fans know of the amazing accomplishments Hall of Fame members achieved on the field, from Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak to Cy Young's 511 career wins. But few are as familiar with the ballplayers' lives away from the diamond-especially those icons who played before the Internet and 24/7 media coverage. Beyond their baseball statistics, what kind of individuals were they? How did they conduct themselves out of the spotlight? What made them tick? In Beyond the Ballpark: The Honorable, Immoral, and Eccentric Lives of Baseball Legends, John A. Wood looks at the personal lives of fifty members of the Hall of Fame, examining their childhoods, families, influences, life-changing events, defining moments, and more. The players range from the really good guys to bizarre characters and even the downright immoral types. The author considers how tragedies may have impacted players, such as the shooting of Ty Cobb's beloved father by his own mother, and seeks to explain the dispositions of others, such as why the great Rogers Hornsby couldn't seem to get along with anybody. By taking a closer look at who the players were as men, Beyond the Ballpark captures the essence of these fifty Hall of Famers. Including legends such as Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth, this book is for all fans who are interested in more than just a ballplayer's statistics. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

1. THE GOOD GUYS

2. THE MIXED BAGS

3. THE ECCENTRICS

4. THE SAD CASES.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781442258662

1442258667

OCLC:

928606639