Furious fastballs and mercurial managers catapult baseball into modern times, and introduce some of the most colorful characters who ever played the game. Personalities fascinate the public, from the volatile Ty Cobb to the modest Walter Johnson and the virtuous Christy Mathewson.
Baseball promises a ticket to fame.
Guided by brawling managers like the Giants' John McGraw, farm boys blossom into pros. The World Series becomes the stuff of legend and so do team loyalties.