I'm about finished with "Red Legs and Black Sox: Edd Roush and the Untold Story of the 1919 World Series" by Susan Dellinger.
It appeals to me on 2 levels - the first being it really has a great section on the Federal League from a personal standpoint because Roush was one of the best in that league and played both of its professional seasons. It's interesting also because Roush was one of the leagues' home-grown stars, he wasn't recruited from the American or National Leagues.
The other reason this book is a darn good read is that it tells the story of the 1919 series from the other side - the victorious Cincinnati Reds. The author (who is Roush's granddaughter) goes into how dirty the game was back then - Roush accuses Hal Chase and Lee Magee of throwing over 20 games during the 1918 season, giving the Cubs the pennant. It also poses interesting questions about why the great Christy Matthewson, Reds Skipper in 1917 and 18, refused to do anything as those two bums threw game after game. According to the author the whole team knew what Magee and Chase were up to and team moral suffered as Matthewson turned a blind eye. Magee was even attacked on the field by a teammate during batting practice because of his crooked play.
Because it's by his granddaughter, it gets a little sappy in parts when the text deals with Roush and his wife's relationship, but that's to be expected and frankly the other information included in this book is more than worth it.
|