When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865-1870

As the Civil War ended, the thoughts of many Northern soldiers turned to a game that some had learned about for the first time during the war-baseball. Researched from primary sources, the game of the late 1860s is described season-by-season: the fields, the crowds, the strategy, the rules, the style of play, and the confusing struggles to crown a national champion, with all the chicanery and machinations of the contenders. Such landmark events as the Washington Nationals' pioneering 1867 tour and the Cincinnati Red Stockings' undefeated 1869 season are covered.

Sports & Outdoors

Ryczek, William J.

Baseball

McFarland Publishing

As the Civil War ended, the thoughts of many Northern soldiers turned to a game that some had learned about for the first time during the war--baseball. Their newfound interest in the sport, combined with the postwar economic boom and the resultant growth of many cities, took the game from one practiced by a few amateur clubs in New York City before the war to a professional sport covering almost the entire northeastern United States. Researched from primary sources, the game of the late 1860s is described season-by-season: the fields, the crowds, the strategy, the rules, the style of play, and the confusing struggles to crown a national champion, with all the chicanery and machinations of the contenders. Such landmark events as the Washington Nationals' pioneering 1867 tour and the Cincinnati Red Stockings' undefeated 1869 season are covered.

Reference

McFarland Company

This is a history of the New York Yankees over a decade which saw them at the top of the American League and at the bottom. Based upon thorough background research and interviews with over 100 former players, the book covers the major stories of the period as well as some not seen elsewhere. The seventh games of the 1960 and 1962 World Series are described in detail, replete with the remembrances of many of the participants. The infamous Phil Linz harmonica incident, the fruitless search for another Mickey Mantle and the surprising emergence of Mel Stottlemyre are some of the stories that make the early '60s such a fascinating era in Yankee lore.

The Yankees in the Early 1960s

History

Americas

This book traces the history of the New York Mets from the franchise's inauspicious beginnings--the 1962 team, led by Casey Stengel and made up of players like Rod Kanehl and Jay Hook, lost 120 games--through the miraculous championship season of 1969. Based on interviews with more than one hundred former players and extensive research by one of the more highly regarded baseball historians writing today, the book covers the era in unprecedented detail. Any Met fan from the 1960s will find some familiar stories along with some they've probably never read before. Presented in an easy-to-read, narrative style, this book traces the rapid ascent of the Mets and explores the reasons for their early failure and dramatic success.

The Amazin' Mets, 1962-1969

This history of America's pastime describes the evolution of baseball from early bat and ball games to its growth and acceptance in different regions of the country. Such New York clubs as the Atlantics, Excelsiors and Mutuals are a primary focus, serving as examples of how the sport became more sophisticated and popular. The author compares theories about many of baseball's "inventors," exploring the often fascinating stories of several of baseball's oldest founding myths. The impact of the Civil War on the sport is discussed and baseball's unsteady path to becoming America's national game is analyzed at length.

Baseball's First Inning: A History of the National Pastime Through the Civil War

This narrative history of minor league football teams in Connecticut in the 1960s and 1970s is based on extensive newspaper and periodical research and interviews with nearly 70 former players, broadcasters and journalists. Only a few players--like Marv Hubbard, Lou Piccone and Bob Tucker--made it to the NFL, but many more played for as little as $25 per game in their quest to make it big or just have fun. Wealthy men like Pete Savin and Frank D'Addario owned teams in Hartford and Bridgeport. In the days before cable television saturated the media with live sports, small town fans turned out to support their local heroes, often men who worked on construction crews during the week and stopped by the diner Sunday morning to talk football. Now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, these men share their stories of a simpler era; the good times, like the Hartford Knights' 1968 ACFL championship season, and the long bus rides and missed paydays that were as much a part of minor league ball as first downs and interceptions.

Connecticut Gridiron: Football Minor Leaguers of the 1960s and 1970s

Winner, Macmillan--SABR Baseball Research Award It was a novel experiment as baseball's leading men formed the National Association, bringing order to the hodgepodge of professional and amateur clubs that made up the sport from the end of the Civil War through 1870. It was an imperfect beginning to organized professional sports in America--the league was plagued by gambling, contract jumping and rumors of dishonest play--but it laid the groundwork for the multi-billion-dollar enterprises of the 21st century. Like most sporting endeavors, it was entertaining, with the best players in the world displaying their talents throughout the northeastern and mid-western United States and, in 1874, during a ground-breaking journey to England. The present volume covers all the action--both on and off the field--of the NA's five years, providing the definitive history of the first professional sports league in the U.S.

Blackguards and Red Stockings: A History of Baseball's National Association, 1871-1875, Revised Edition

Blackguards and Red Stockings: A History of Baseball's National Association, 1871-1875

Major League Baseball was in crisis in 1968. The commissioner was inept, professional football was challenging the sport's popularity and the game on the field was boring, with pitchers dominating hitters in a succession of dull, low-scoring games. The major league expanded for the 1969 season but the muddled process by which new franchises were selected highlighted the ineffective management of the sport. This book describes how baseball reached its nadir in the late 1960s and how it survived and began its slow comeback. The lack of offense in the game is examined, taking in the great pitching performances of Denny McLain, Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale and others. Colorful characters like Charley Finley and Ken Harrelson are covered, along with the effects that dramatic changes in American society and the war in Vietnam had on the game.

Baseball on the Brink: The Crisis of 1968

Business & Money

Industries

The 1960s were one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. Perceptions of race, gender and age changed dramatically, ripping away beliefs that had endured for generations. Newspapers, the primary source of information at the time, broadcasted all of these events, from important national news--such as President Nixon's efforts to end the Vietnam war--to more light-hearted affairs--such as a topless dancer's pursuit of the Stanford University student government presidency. Included in this book are examinations of newspaper articles from 1959 to 1973 with contextual information on preceding events and outcomes unknown at the time of the articles' publications. The author provides background for the stories and often an epilogue showing what happened to some of the dramatic players. The subjects of sex, drugs, rock and roll, marriage, politics, entertainment, and more are discussed in both a serious and humorous vein, with the perspective of more than 50 years. For those who lived through the 1960s, this book will bring back memories. For those too young to remember the era, this is an opportunity to learn more about why parents are the way they are.

The Sixties in the News: How an Era Unfolded in American Newspapers, 1959-1973

McFarland

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ryczek, William J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ryczek, William J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ryczek, William J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865-1870

When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865-1870

The Yankees in the Early 1960s

The Amazin' Mets, 1962-1969

Baseball's First Inning: A History of the National Pastime Through the Civil War

Connecticut Gridiron: Football Minor Leaguers of the 1960s and 1970s

Blackguards and Red Stockings: A History of Baseball's National Association, 1871-1875, Revised Edition

Blackguards and Red Stockings: A History of Baseball's National Association, 1871-1875

Baseball on the Brink: The Crisis of 1968

The Sixties in the News: How an Era Unfolded in American Newspapers, 1959-1973