Whose biography would you like to read?

[Cy2009]

Rhett,

This is a great book about Rube Waddell:

http://www.amazon.com/Rube-Waddell-B...6549747&sr=1-1

It is a great story and extremely well written. I know the author. He told me the story wrote itself. But he did a great job on the book. It is one of my favorite Dead Ball era biographies.

Let me give two more that are great stories and extremely well written:

Tris Speaker:
http://www.amazon.com/Tris-Speaker-R...6549882&sr=1-1

Hal Chase:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Prince-B...6549924&sr=1-2

Cy

[KenBoyerCollector]

Nice, I may have to check those out

[oldjudge]

Fischer-Chicago Maroons. Only Old Judge player that we have been unable to find much about

[deebro041]

Roger Bresnahan
Dan Brouthers
Joe Kelley
Ban Johnson

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Cy2009

Rhett,

This is a great book about Rube Waddell:

http://www.amazon.com/Rube-Waddell-B...6549747&sr=1-1

It is a great story and extremely well written. I know the author. He told me the story wrote itself. But he did a great job on the book. It is one of my favorite Dead Ball era biographies.

Let me give two more that are great stories and extremely well written:

Tris Speaker:
http://www.amazon.com/Tris-Speaker-R...6549882&sr=1-1

Hal Chase:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Prince-B...6549924&sr=1-2

Cy

I second the recommendation on the Chase book...really well done.

[asoriano]

Arthur "Bugs" Raymond

[cwazzy]

The Moe Berg book was awesome! Cobb by Al Stump was great as well. I'm currently reading the new one on Roy Campanella.

I would like to read more on Germany Schaefer, Bresnahan, Dizzy Dean, Zack Wheat, Speaker, and Branch Rickey (to name a few).

[Cardboard Junkie]

David Pierson of the 1876 Cincinnati Reds (not his brother Dick)

[MacDice]

Pat Gillick
Pete Grey
Fred Hutchinson

[Zach Wheat]

For those so inclined to get a brief 2-5 page summary bio of deadball era players - including some of the less well known players - I highly recommend SABR's books including Deadball Stars of the AL; Deadball Stars of the NL and the final book on Stars of the Negro Leagues. It is fun to read the bio's of many of the players captured in the T206 set.

In addition, The Glory of Their Times was a phenomenal read. I also highly recommend the audio version. Words sometimes can't capture the essence of their love for the game. Hearing the players tell stories in their own words was really captivating and added another undefinable dimension to their motivations. I don't think I will ever underestimate Hans Lobert's love for the game after listening to him retell his stories.

ZWheat

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by cwazzy

TCobb by Al Stump was great as well.

Take Stump's books with a grain of salt. He's since been proven a fraud and a charlatan when it comes to Cobb.

For me, I'd love to read a good bio of Rogers Hornsby, Lefty Grove, Cy Young, and Hal Newhouser.

Tabe

[daves_resale_shop]

Eddie Cicotte, Pumpsie Green, Harry Hooper

[iwantitiwinit]

Three Finger Brown.

[uffda51]

Moe Berg was a great read. Currently reading the bio of Walter Johnson after meeting the author, his grandson Hank Thomas, at the NSCC in Chicago.

Choo Choo Coleman might be good.

[Cy2009]

Originally Posted by uffda51

Moe Berg was a great read. Currently reading the bio of Walter Johnson after meeting the author, his grandson Hank Thomas, at the NSCC in Chicago.

Choo Choo Coleman might be good.

In addition to writing the Big Train. Hank also listened to, edited and recorded some of the interviews from The Glory of Their Times. Yes, Hank Thomas, member of our Net 54 board did that. He would never toot his own horn. But doing that tedious piece of work is one of the greatest contributions to the history of Pre-War baseball. To think that these classic recordings easily could have been thrown away would have been a travesty to the history of baseball because now we get a first hand impression of how the game was played.

I do give the main credit to Larry Ritter. Hank and I have talked about this at length. I truly believe that Larry Ritter should be in the Hall of Fame because of these recordings. Larry also wrote some other great books. But to actually hear the stories of men who played major league baseball in the first decade of the 1900s is amazing. If you do not own this four disc set, contact Hank Thomas and get one. It is THE best baseball book/recording/video out there, bar none. When you hear Smoky Joe Wood, Sam Crawford, Jimmy Austin, Hans Lobert (these are my favorite two of the group) and others, you will really get excited and, if you are like me, you will want to go out and buy more Pre-War baseball cards.

I have told many people about these recordings. But if you don't own them, you are definitely short-sighting your enjoyment into Pre-War baseball.

Cy

[AndyG09]

Cy,

I owe you a thank you for pointing me towards the recordings. So amazing to hear the voices of the legends and players we collect. The love these guys had for the game really comes out in their voices. I have listened to the recordings countless times. Thank you, Cy.

Best,

Andy

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Cy2009

In addition to writing the Big Train. Hank also listened to, edited and recorded some of the interviews from The Glory of Their Times. Yes, Hank Thomas, member of our Net 54 board did that. He would never toot his own horn. But doing that tedious piece of work is one of the greatest contributions to the history of Pre-War baseball. To think that these classic recordings easily could have been thrown away would have been a travesty to the history of baseball because now we get a first hand impression of how the game was played.

I do give the main credit to Larry Ritter. Hank and I have talked about this at length. I truly believe that Larry Ritter should be in the Hall of Fame because of these recordings. Larry also wrote some other great books. But to actually hear the stories of men who played major league baseball in the first decade of the 1900s is amazing. If you do not own this four disc set, contact Hank Thomas and get one. It is THE best baseball book/recording/video out there, bar none. When you hear Smoky Joe Wood, Sam Crawford, Jimmy Austin, Hans Lobert (these are my favorite two of the group) and others, you will really get excited and, if you are like me, you will want to go out and buy more Pre-War baseball cards.

I have told many people about these recordings. But if you don't own them, you are definitely short-sighting your enjoyment into Pre-War baseball.

Cy

...and you're right that Larry does belong in the writer's wing of the HOF. Fifteen years later, it still amazes me that I, along with my co-producer/ editor, Neal McCabe, got the chance to do the audio version of "The Glory of Their Times," and to replicate with Larry what he did with the players by recording his experiences in putting the book together many years earlier. What a loss it would have been not to have gotten his recollections on tape, the edited versions of which make up his introduction to the set and to each player segment, before he passed away just a few years later. The hand of fate was heavy on that project from the beginning, no question about it. While I'm at it, and on the subject of baseball books, let me put in a plug for my friend Neal McCabe's sequel to his definitive work of baseball photography, "Baseball's Golden Age: The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon," the new one titled "The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon's Golden Age Baseball Photographs." Just out, "The Big Show" is every bit as stunning as the original, both the photos and Neal's research on their subjects.
Hank Thomas