Jam-packed with cool baseball trivia, history-making records, unforgettable moments, and wacky true tales of your favorite games, players and events. This book hits a grand slam right out of the park!
A perfect gift for the die-hard fan of America's favorite pasttime. Baseball is rich in anecdotes about team superstitions (from the black cat that haunted the Cubs to the "Curse of the Babe"), the antics of the superstars, and other facts that come out of left field. Think today's umpires have a temper? Wait till you read about the 19th century New Jersey ump who pulled out a gun and shoved it in the face of a player who came at him with a bat. Or about the time three Brooklyn Dodger runners found themselves at third base--together. Fans will laugh, they'll learn--and they won't put this down!
No Arguments Here
Some umpires have been accused of a hair-trigger temper when it comes to dealing with those who disagree with their calls. Thankfully, this proved to be furthest from the truth during a potentially deadly dispute during a nineteenth-century game between two local New Jersey teams, Clifton and Little Falls. As the story has been told, one of the pitchers, named Connelly, was feeling squeezed by the umpire, Mahoney. Connelly eventually got so frustrated that, with a bat in hand, he confronted the ump. In response, Mahoney reportedly produced a revolver he had hidden in his inside coat pocket, and shoved it into the hurler's face—suggesting a bad ending would follow if Connelly proceeded. Connelly saw the wisdom of Mahoney's position and returned to the mound.
Jam-packed with cool baseball trivia, history-making records, unforgettable moments, and wacky true tales of your favorite games, players and events. This book hits a grand slam right out of the park!
A perfect gift for the die-hard fan of America's favorite pasttime. Baseball is rich in anecdotes about team superstitions (from the black cat that haunted the Cubs to the "Curse of the Babe"), the antics of the superstars, and other facts that come out of left field. Think today's umpires have a temper? Wait till you read about the 19th century New Jersey ump who pulled out a gun and shoved it in the face of a player who came at him with a bat. Or about the time three Brooklyn Dodger runners found themselves at third base--together. Fans will laugh, they'll learn--and they won't put this down!
Excerpt
No Arguments Here
Some umpires have been accused of a hair-trigger temper when it comes to dealing with those who disagree with their calls. Thankfully, this proved to be furthest from the truth during a potentially deadly dispute during a nineteenth-century game between two local New Jersey teams, Clifton and Little Falls. As the story has been told, one of the pitchers, named Connelly, was feeling squeezed by the umpire, Mahoney. Connelly eventually got so frustrated that, with a bat in hand, he confronted the ump. In response, Mahoney reportedly produced a revolver he had hidden in his inside coat pocket, and shoved it into the hurler's face—suggesting a bad ending would follow if Connelly proceeded. Connelly saw the wisdom of Mahoney's position and returned to the mound.
