The Glory Of Their Times

[Warner2BruceTD]

Has anyone else read this? Fantastic book, right up there with the Bill James "Historical Baseball Abstract" as far as the best baseball book i've ever read.

Lawrence Ritter spent the 1960's roaming America (with a tape recorder) searching for mostly 80+ year old turn of the century baseball players. The book is told in the words of the players (each given their own chapter), with very little editorial content from Ritter.

As you read through the book, you eventually see how brilliantly Ritter arranged the chapters. For example, you get multiple perspectives of famous baseball events like "The Merkle Incident", and Fred Snodgrass and his famous World Series dropped ball. Or one player will tell a story, and iin the next chapter, the next player will tell the same story with more detail or better recall.

It also gives amazing insight on how these men lived, and I was facinated by the stories of how these guys ultimately ended up playing in the majors. It's also funny to read the old timers talking about "modern" players like Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax, and how "big money" and home runs have changed baseball.

I think it's impossible to read this and not enjoy it. Go get it.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

You also have to love the non PC attitude of the day...every southern player was called "Rube", every deaf player was called "Dummy", and seemingly every team had an indian catcher named "Chief". Mordecai Brown had three fingers on his hand, so of course he became...Three Finger Brown. This simplicity and disregard for sensativity is refreshing.

These days, we get the all too lame "first letter of the first name + first few letters of the last name" bit. A-Rod. I-Rod. F-Rod. Aw-Ful. It's an epidemic in sports. Sometimes I have to stop and try to figure out who the hell people are talking about when they refer to guys are J-Stew or C-Rog or J-Will. It's like a "guess the mediocre player" riddle.

 

[MvP]

Definitely sounds like a good read. I still have a few other books I need to finish but I'll keep this one in mind next time I go on vacation (only time I get any reading done).

 

[Rudi]

Might have to check this out, sounds like a great read

 

[NAHSTE]

You also have to love the non PC attitude of the day...every southern player was called "Rube", every deaf player was called "Dummy", and seemingly every team had an indian catcher named "Chief". Mordecai Brown had three fingers on his hand, so of course he became...Three Finger Brown. This simplicity and disregard for sensativity is refreshing.

These days, we get the all too lame "first letter of the first name + first few letters of the last name" bit. A-Rod. I-Rod. F-Rod. Aw-Ful. It's an epidemic in sports. Sometimes I have to stop and try to figure out who the hell people are talking about when they refer to guys are J-Stew or C-Rog or J-Will. It's like a "guess the mediocre player" riddle.

Good post Dub-Bru. I will check it out.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

So did any of you fruits end up reading this?

I'm in winter depression, waiting for pitchers & catchers, and i'm reading this for the second time.

 

[NAHSTE]

You also have to love the non PC attitude of the day...every southern player was called "Rube", every deaf player was called "Dummy", and seemingly every team had an indian catcher named "Chief". Mordecai Brown had three fingers on his hand, so of course he became...Three Finger Brown. This simplicity and disregard for sensativity is refreshing.

These days, we get the all too lame "first letter of the first name + first few letters of the last name" bit. A-Rod. I-Rod. F-Rod. Aw-Ful. It's an epidemic in sports. Sometimes I have to stop and try to figure out who the hell people are talking about when they refer to guys are J-Stew or C-Rog or J-Will. It's like a "guess the mediocre player" riddle.

Still haven't gotten around to reading this, but to your last point -- yesterday in the FG chat someone asked a question about Adrian Gonzalez and called him fucking "AdGonz" ... He was at least taken to task for it by whoever it was that was running the chat, but jesus H christ this shortform nickname shit is getting out of hand.

 

[FirstTimer]

Didn't see it the first time. Just ordered it on Amazon

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Didn't see it the first time. Just ordered it on Amazon

Ritter owes me royalties, I guess.

But he's dead, so yeah.

 

[FirstTimer]

I love books based around these era's I have two huge books on the Cubs and Red Sox and my favorite Eras to read about are 1880's to 1950 or so.

 

[EmpireWF]

Anyone interested in the audio version, link below.

 

http://www.wupload.com/file/2641814962/Lawrence_S._Ritter_-_The_Glory_of_Their_Times.rar

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Anyone interested in the audio version, I'm uploading the file. Will post shortly.

Fred Snodgrass from the grave?

 

[Youk]

Thanks for the heads up, I love books like this. I really can only read non-fiction, and sports non-fiction?

:megawhoner:

 

[MvP]

So did any of you fruits end up reading this?

I'm in winter depression, waiting for pitchers & catchers, and i'm reading this for the second time.

I thought it was great when I read the majority of it on vacation last summer. Any true baseball fan should find it enjoyable.

 

[FirstTimer]

Showed up at my house last night.

:smug:

 

[FirstTimer]

Finally was able to dive into this book a bit last night.

Read the first two stories. Awesome stuff about Rube Marquard trading himself to Brooklyn in all of 10 minutes over the phone.

Oh yeah, Bill James, Rube Marquard has a message for you:

It was also interesting reading the Tommy Leach stuff and how much of it was put into the Ken Burns documentary Baseball, some paragraphs word for word. Also Leach talking about how baseball in his day was more exciting brand of baseball because of more triples and inside the park homeruns.

 

[FirstTimer]

This is my bed side reading book. Got away from it a bit Ias I got hooked on James' Historical Abstract and tore through that.

A player last night had the name/nickname "Nig". :cano:


Haven't gotten to the Merkle's Boner stuff yet. Just read the chapters from the two Detroit Tigers players, Davy Jones and Sam Crawford. Davy Jones' story was awesome. Jumped leagues like twice. HS g/f broke up with him when he became a ballplayer...both married different people...met years later after both being widowed....married each other. Ty Cobb was an ass....all stemming from massive insecurities..and Walter Johnson is pretty much universally seen as the best pitcher. Honus Wagner as the best player.

The Sam Crawford story about Walter Johnson grooving him pitches in blowouts because they were friends was pretty cool too.

 

[Berowsk]

You also have to love the non PC attitude of the day...every southern player was called "Rube", every deaf player was called "Dummy", and seemingly every team had an indian catcher named "Chief". Mordecai Brown had three fingers on his hand, so of course he became...Three Finger Brown. This simplicity and disregard for sensativity is refreshing.

Just like VSN!!!

 

[dell71]

Sucks that I just saw this thread today. Gotta get my hands on this.

 

[dell71]

Just finished reading this - very entertaining and insightful. Amazing the recall these guys had, 40 to 60 years after the fact for most of their stories. Not only did they remember events perfectly or even their own stats, but stats of the guys they played with. Best part to me is how a lot of these guys wound up playing big league ball: "So & so happened to be in my town and asked if anybody knew a good catcher (or whatever)". The Paul Waner version of this is my favorite. A scout recommends Waner to his team without ever having seen him play because he needed an excuse to explain why he'd be gone for so long. Truthfully, he'd been on an alcoholic bender for 10 days and only heard about Waner through a random conversation with the train conductor who's sister Waner happened to be dating at the time.