Mysteries from Baseball’s Past

This collection of nine essays examines some of baseball’s most elusive mysteries. Topics include the discovery of the body of Ed Delahanty at the bottom of Niagara Falls, the suicide of Chick Stahl, the strange death of National League president Harry Pulliam, the case of a game that may never have been played, three gambling scandals (one involving Hall of Famers), the facts concerning the legendary matchup of Satchel Paige and slugger Josh Gibson, and the intrigue behind the Brooklyn Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles.

Angelo J. Louisa is a researcher, writer, and community educator who lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

David Cicotello is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a contributor to its Deadball Stars volumes. An author and speaker, he lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Edited by Angelo J. Louisa and David Cicotello

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 205
Bibliographic Info: 39 photos, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4554-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8009-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix
Foreword by Troy Soos      1
Introduction: When the National Pastime Meets a Good Mystery
ANGELO J. LOUISA AND DAVID CICOTELLO      5

1. Delahanty’s Disappearance: Where Is the King of Swatsville?
JERROLD CASWAY      13
2. The Suicide of Chick Stahl
DENNIS H. AUGER      29
3. The Strange Death of Harry C. Pulliam
ANGELO J. LOUISA AND FLOYD SULLIVAN      44
4. In Search of Wilbur Cooper and Pete Alexander’s 1–0 Game
DAVID CICOTELLO      76
5. The Mysterious Mr. Cicotte
GENE CARNEY      90
6. The O’Connell-Dolan Affair: Scandal or Hoax?
DANIEL E. GINSBURG      108
7. Unraveling the Cobb-Speaker Scandal
TIMOTHY M. GAY      120
8. Satch vs. Josh: The Showdown in Shadow Ball
DAVID C. OGDEN      136
9. The Brooklyn Dodgers, the Move to Los Angeles, and the Search for Villains: Was Walter O’Malley a Bum, a Victim, or Something Else?
ROBERT TRUMPBOUR      149

Editors and Contributors      185
Index      187