In the history of sports, few comeback stories compare to that of Edgar Charles Rice better known as “Sam.” Away from home, trying out for a low-level minor league team, Sam Rice received a telegram on an April morning that would turn his world upside down: his wife, mother, both of his children and two younger siblings had been killed by a tornado. A few days later, his father died from injuries suffered in the tornado, as well. By the time he reached the major leagues three years later with the Washington Senators, Rice apparently had buried his past deep inside. He never spoke of the tragedy publicly while embarking on a career in which he would amass 2,987 base hits, 13 hits short of one of baseball’s most hallowed milestones. In this moving biography, Jeff Carroll explores the great achievement and tragedy of a Hall of Fame outfielder and Washington Senators favorite.

Sports journalist Jeff Carroll lives in Munster, Indiana.

Jeff Carroll
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 252
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3119-9
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8321-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v
Preface      1
Prologue: Induction Day      5

1. Too Terrible to Relate      7
2. In the Navy      16
3. Man o’ War      27
4. The War in Europe      40
5. Roaring into the 1920s      54
6. Bush League Manager      66
7. Streaking to a Pennant      80
8. To the Brink      92
9. Party Town      103
10. Another Pennant Run      112
11. The Catch      124
12. Back to Earth      144
13. Grandpap of the Potomac      160
14. End of the Line      171
15. Reunion in Cleveland      183
16. Life on the Farm      190
17. Thirteen Hits      198

Epilogue      213
Appendix: Sam Rice by the Numbers      215
Chapter Notes      219
Bibliography      233
Index      237

“tells the long-overdue Rice story”—Sports Collectors Digest.