Baseball players, like teams, have their ups and downs. Pitchers inexplicably lose their command of the strike zone, batters think themselves into deep slumps, and injuries, addiction, and poor decision-making can radically change the fortunes of either. It’s in the response to such adversity that memorable stories are made. This book focuses both on players whose determination in the face of injury or private demons landed them back in the big leagues and stars who never recovered from their dramatic, unexpected falls. Profiled here are 14 players whose stories are among the most stirring in baseball history: Tony Conigliaro, Monte Stratton, Pete Rose, Bert Shepard, Eddie Waitkus, Mark Wohlers, Red Barney, Lou Brissie, Tommy John, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Steve Blass, Dave Dravecky, and Joe Jackson.

The late G. Richard McKelvey was chairman of the department of philosophy and religion at Deerfield Academy (Massachusetts) and longtime coach of the Deerfield baseball and basketball teams. The author of several books about baseball, he lived in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

G. Richard McKelvey
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 219
Bibliographic Info: 21 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3218-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

Introduction      3

1. Joe Jackson: “Say It Ain’t So, Joe”      5

2. Monte Stratton and Bert Shepard: Two Comebacks—Each to a Different Level of the Game      29

3. Eddie Waitkus: He Made It All the Way Back      41

4. Rex Barney: Bases on Balls Bring Down a Promising Career      51

5. Lou Brissie: A Heroic Comeback      67

6. Tony Conigliaro: More Than One Comeback      77

7. Tommy John: Two Arms and Two Careers      93

8. Steve Blass: Missing More Than the Plate      113

9. Pete Rose: An Icon Lost to the Game      125

10. Dave Dravecky: A Dramatic Comeback and a Horrifying Disappointment      149

11. Mark Wohlers: Sudden Wildness and the Search for an Answer      162

12. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa: A Steep Descent for a Pair of Heroes      178

Notes      197

Bibliography      203

Index      205