Baseball on the Brink

£19.99

Baseball on the Brink

The Crisis of 1968

Popular culture History History of the Americas Baseball

Author: William J. Ryczek

Dinosaur mascot

Language: English

Published by: McFarland

Published on: 27th September 2017

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 255 pages

ISBN: 9781476628035


Major League Baseball in 1968

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.

The Comeback of Baseball

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.

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