Baseball's Dynasties and the Players Who Built Them
Abstract
Baseball has had its fair share of one-and-out champions, but few clubs have dominated the sport for any great length of time. Given the level of competition and the expansive length of the season, it is a remarkable accomplishment for a team to make multiple World Series appearances in a short timespan. From the Baltimore Orioles of the 1800s who would go to any length to win—including physically accosting opponents—to the 1934 Cardinals known as the “Gashouse Gang” for their rough tactics and determination, and on to George Steinbrenner’s dominant Yankees of the late twentieth century, baseball’s greatest teams somehow found a way to win year after year.
Spanning three centuries of the game, Baseball’s Dynasties and the Players Who Built Them examines twenty-two of baseball’s most iconic teams. Each chapter not only chronicles the club’s era of supremacy, but also provides an in-depth look at the players who helped make their teams great. Nearly two hundred player profiles are included, featuring such well-known stars as Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Pete Rose, as well as players who were perhaps overshadowed by their teammates but were nonetheless vital to their team’s reign, such as Pepper Martin, Allie Reynolds, and George Foster.
With a concluding chapter that profiles the clubs that were on the cusp of greatness, Baseball’s Dynasties and the Players Who Built Them is a fascinating survey of what makes some teams dominate year after year while others get only a small taste of glory before falling to the wayside. Written in a lively style with amusing anecdotes and colorful quotes, this comprehensive book will be of interest to all fans and historians of baseball.
Schlagworte
baseball and dynasties best teams- i–xii Preface i–xii
- 31–44 3 Chicago Cubs 31–44
- 59–74 5 Boston Red Sox 59–74
- 75–88 6 New York Giants 75–88
- 89–102 7 New York Yankees 89–102
- 103–120 8 Philadelphia Athletics 103–120
- 121–138 9 St. Louis Cardinals 121–138
- 139–154 10 New York Yankees 139–154
- 155–172 11 New York Yankees 155–172
- 173–194 12 Brooklyn Dodgers 173–194
- 195–206 13 Los Angeles Dodgers 195–206
- 207–224 14 St. Louis Cardinals 207–224
- 225–240 15 Baltimore Orioles 225–240
- 241–256 16 Oakland Athletics 241–256
- 257–268 17 Cincinnati Reds 257–268
- 269–292 18 New York Yankees 269–292
- 293–310 19 Oakland Athletics 293–310
- 311–324 20 Toronto Blue Jays 311–324
- 325–338 21 Atlanta Braves 325–338
- 339–360 22 New York Yankees 339–360
- 361–376 23 Honorable Mentions 361–376
- 377–384 Bibliography 377–384
- 385–394 Index 385–394
- 395–395 About the Author 395–395