Mickey Cochrane

Though many of his contemporaries considered him second only to Babe Ruth in the 1920s and 1930s, Mickey Cochrane is often overlooked by fans and historians. The hard-hitting catcher played on three World Series winners.
Fiercely competitive on the field, Cochrane was a true gentleman off it. Though he was a highly regarded member of the A’s championship teams, it is his career in Depression-era Detroit that he is best remembered. The pressure of the adulation there and his duties as player, manager and Tigers vice president led to a breakdown in 1935. On his way to recovery, he was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Bump Hadley and was nearly killed, ending his career. This full story of Cochrane’s Hall of Fame career and his off-field life was researched from primary documents and interviews with his family.

Charlie Bevis, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, is an adjunct professor of English at Rivier University. He has written for Nine, The Cooperstown Symposium, The National Pastime and Base Ball, and is the author of several baseball books. He lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Charlie Bevis
Foreword by Sara Cochrane Bollman
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 214
Bibliographic Info: photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 1998
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0516-9
Imprint: McFarland

“Bevis is to be commended…recommended for all libraries”—Library Journal; “does more than take a look at Cochrane the player…it also takes a deep look into Cochrane the man”—The Boston Sunday Globe; “a quality biography, one sorely needed…makes a good case for Cochrane as the greatest” —Sports Collectors Digest; “writing is informative and keeps your attention”—One More Inning; “thorough…long overdue”—Legends Sports Memorabilia; “a very dramatic story…one of the more interesting biographies to emerge in recent years”—The Diamond Angle; “outstanding”—World-Wide Collectors Digest; “takes a close look at Cochrane’s life both on and off the field, and reminds avid baseball fans of just how talented this Bay State native was”—Chelmsford Independent.