The Era 1947-1957

by Kahn, Roger

• ISBN13: 9780803278059
• ISBN10: 0803278055
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-03-01
• Publisher: Bison Books

Summary

"[The Era] is rich in anecdotes, and Kahn has a wonderful memory for the strange verbal exchanges that often pass for conversations when some combination of ballplayer, owner, and sports writer get together. . . . This book will afford much pleasure, both for its writing and the memories it evokes."-Choice. "[Kahn] engagingly captures the flavor of the times by bringing to the fore the defining traits and relationships that added human dimension to the sport."-Library Journal. Celebrated sports writer Roger Kahn casts his gaze on the golden age of baseball, an unforgettable time when the game thrived as America's unrivaled national sport. The Era begins in 1947 with Jackie Robinson changing major league baseball forever by taking the field for the Dodgers. Dazzling, momentous events characterize the decade that followed-Robinson's amazing accomplishments; the explosion on the national scene of such soon-to-be legends as Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Bobby Thompson, Duke Snider, and Yogi Berra; Casey Stengel's crafty managing; the emergence of televised games; and the stunning success of the Yankees as they play in nine out of eleven World Series. The Era concludes with the relocation of the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, a move that shook the sport to its very roots. A journalist and magazine writer, Roger Kahn is the author of a number of baseball books, including Good Enough to Dream and A Season in the Sun, both available in Bison Books editions.

Author Biography

Prize-winning author, Roger Kahn has written many baseball books, including the classic The Boys of Summer. His Good Enough to Dream, A Season in the Sun, and Memories of Summer are available in Bison Books editions. He is a visiting lecturer on creative writing at SUNY New Paltz.

Table of Contents

Prologue	1	(8)
Leo, Larry, and Jackie, or Notes from the Hookworm Belt	9	(33)
Breakthrough at the Ballyards	42	(21)
A Guy Named Joe	63	(16)
Birth of the Bombers	79	(21)
The Greatest Ballgame Ever Played	100	(32)
Larry's Leavin'; Leo's Weavin'	132	(25)
The Second Coming	157	(30)
The Red and the Black	187	(21)
Field Marshal Casey von Stengel	208	(33)
Scouts, Center Fielders, and Schemers	241	(40)
Monte, Mickey, Clay, and Joe and Marilyn	281	(17)
Recessional	298	(41)
Afterword	339	(4)
Notes and Comment on Sources	343	(5)
A Brief Thanksgiving	348	(2)
Bibliography	350	(9)
Index	359