商品簡介
Even before the 1889 baseball season began, battle lines had been drawn. In the National League, The Players' Brotherhood, led by New York Giants' shortstop John Montgomery Ward, furiously discussed how best to challenge the insulting classification system devised by League owners during the off-season. The American Association's top team, the St. Louis Browns, knew that they would face a determined challenge from the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. What Browns' owner Christian Von der Ahe and manager Charlie Comiskey could not know was the depth of anger that St. Louis players felt about their treatment by Von der Ahe. While American Association players had no brotherhood, they proved capable of organizing impromptu responses to what they regarded as abusive treatment by owners.
Aside from the looming conflict between players and owners, some of the latter had to scramble just to procure adequate grounds. John B. Day, New York Giants' owner, found little time to bask in the glory of the 1888 world series triumph as New York politicians forced him out of the old Polo Grounds. American Association owners Charles F. Byrne of Brooklyn and Von der Ahe battled for control of their league's policies and future. All owners struggled to control overflow crowds on weekends and holidays as both major leagues staged the closest, most exciting pennant races to that time. Americans responded by pouring into ballparks in record-setting numbers.
National League players planned revolt as the crowds swelled, hoping to take advantage of baseball's growing popularity. The season became, as one sportswriter said, something approaching a Lobster-Frankenstein nightmare.
作者簡介
Daniel M. Pearson has taught U.S. History at Evansville Day School, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, and Marlborough School in Los Angeles.
