The Team That Forever Changed Baseball and America

by Spatz, Lyle; Langill, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780803239920
• ISBN10: 0803239920
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr

Summary

Of all the teams in the annals of baseball, only a select few can lay claim to historic significance. One of those teams is the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, the first racially integrated Major League team of the twentieth century. The addition of Jackie Robinson to its roster changed not only baseball but also the nation. Yet Robinson was just one member of that memorable club, which included Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, Duke Snider, Eddie Stanky, Arky Vaughan, and Dixie Walker. Also present was a quartet of baseball's most unforgettable characters: co-owners Branch Rickey and Walter O'Malley, suspended manager Leo Durocher, and radio announcer Red Barber. This book is the first to offer biographies of everyone on that incomparable team as well as accounts of the moments and events that marked the Dodgers' 1947 season: Commissioner Happy Chandler suspending Durocher, Rickey luring his old friend Burt Shotton out of retirement to replace Durocher, and brilliant outfielder Reiser being sidelined after running into a fence. In spite of all this, the Dodgers went on to win the National League pennant over the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals. And of course, there is the biggest story of the season, where history and biography coalesce: Jackie Robinson, who overcame widespread hostility to become Rookie of the Year-and to help the Dodgers set single-game attendance records in cities around the National League.

Author Biography

Lyle Spatz's many books include Dixie Walker: A Life in Baseball and (with coauthor Steve Steinberg) 1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York, winner of the Seymour Medal (Nebraska, 2010).

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
How the 1947 Team Was Built	p. 1
Spring Training in Havana	p. 3
Jackie Robinson	p. 6
Branch Rickey	p. 15
Leo Durocher	p. 22
Kirby Higbe	p. 28
Bobby Bragan	p. 32
Dixie Walker	p. 36
Carl Furillo	p. 44
The Suspension of Leo Durocher	p. 50
Branch Rickey and the Mainstream Press	p. 57
Timeline, April 15-April 30	p. 62
Ebbets Field, 1947	p. 64
Jackie Robinson's First Game	p. 67
Clyde Sukeforth	p. 69
Burt Shotton	p. 73
Ray Blades	p. 80
Spider Jorgensen	p. 84
Hal Gregg	p. 87
Timeline, May I-May 20	p. 92
Hank Behrman	p. 95
Rube Melton	p. 99
Jackie Robinson and the Jews	p. 103
Timeline, May 21-June 15	p. 105
Gene Hermanski	p. 109
Hugh Casey	p. 113
Rex Barney	p. 119
Tommy Brown	p. 124
Harry Taylor	p. 129
Timeline, June 16-June 29	p. 132
Ed Chandler	p. 134
Marv Rackley	p. 137
Gil Hodges	p. 140
George Dockins	p. 146
Eddie Stanky	p. 150
Timeline, June 30-July 14	p. 157
Arky Vaughan	p. 159
Duke Snider	p. 164
Ralph Branca	p. 172
Clyde King	p. 176
Jake Pitler	p. 181
Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1947 All-Star Game	p. 185
Timeline, July 15-July 31	p. 186
Pee Wee Reese	p. 189
Bruce Edwards	p. 197
The Protested Game of July 20, 1947	p. 201
Joe Hatten	p. 203
Timeline, August i-August 17	p. 207
Howie Schultz	p. 210
Pete Reiser	p. 215
Tommy Tatum	p. 223
Timeline, August 18-August 31	p. 226
Eddie Miksis	p. 228
Stan Rojek	p. 232
Dan Bankhead	p. 235
Timeline, September I-September 19	p. 239
Phih Haugstad	p. 242
Don Lund	p. 246
Vic Lombardi	p. 250
Jack Banta	p. 254
Johnny Van Cuyk	p. 257
Timeline, September 20-September 28	p. 261
Willie Ramsdell	p. 263
Dick Whitman	p. 267
Erv Palica	p. 276
Ed Stevens	p. 276
Walter O'Malley	p. 279
John L. Smith	p. 284
Red Barber	p. 287
Connie Desmond	p. 294
Advertising and the Dodgers in 1947	p. 298
The 1947 World Series	p. 305
Al Gionfriddo	p. 312
Cookie Lavagetto	p. 316
Al Gionfriddo's Memorable Game Six Catch	p. 320
Lavagetto Ends Bevens's No-Hit Attempt	p. 323
Most Valuable Player Award	p. 326
Rookie of the Year Award	p. 327
Cy Young Award	p. 328
Dodgers Attendance in 1947	p. 329
Ownership Issues in Brooklyn	p. 333
Epilogue	p. 337
Notes and References	p. 339
Contributors	p. 373
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