The selling of the Babe
Subtitle: the deal that changed baseball and created a legend
By: Glenn Stout
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martins Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 294
ISBN-13: 9781250064318
Copyright date: 2016
Subjects: Baseball players; New York Yankees (Baseball team); Boston Red Sox (Baseball team); Biography; History
Description: "The complete story surrounding the most famous and significant player transaction in professional sports The sale of Babe Ruth by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1919 is one of the pivotal moments in baseball history, changing the fortunes of two of baseball's most storied franchises, and helping to create the legend of the greatest player the game has ever known. More than a simple transaction, the sale resulted in a deal that created the Yankee dynasty, turned Boston into an also-ran, helped save baseball after the Black Sox scandal and led the public to fall in love with Ruth. Award-winning baseball historian Glenn Stout reveals brand-new information about Babe and the unique political situation surrounding his sale, including: Prohibition and the lifting of Blue Laws in New York affected Yankees owner and beer baron Jacob Ruppert; previously unexplored documents reveal that the mortgage of Fenway Park did not factor into the Ruth sale; Ruth's disruptive influence on the Red Sox in 1918 and 1919, including sabermetrics showing his negative impact on the team as he went from pitcher to outfielder. The Selling of Babe is the first book to focus on the ramifications of the sale and captures the central moment of Ruth's evolution from player to icon, and will appeal to fans of The Kid and Pinstripe Empire. Babe's sale to New York and the subsequent selling of Ruth to America led baseball from the Deadball Era and sparked a new era in the game, one revolved around the long ball and one man, The Babe"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-275) and index.
Table of contents: title: September 11, 1918; title: George Herman Ruth; title: This means war; title: 1918; title: Hijinks and heroes; title: Out of left field; title: Rebellion and revolution; title: The Insurrectors; title: For sale; title: Welcome to New York; title: The "Infant Swatigy"; title: A new day; title: Making the sale; title: The Babe; title: Closing the sale; title: Appendix. Babe Ruth home run log : 1915 through 1920.