When Baseball Was Still King

Baseball in the 1950s comes to life through the words of 92 players from the fifties. In their conversations with author Gene Fehler, they tell, in more than a thousand stories and comments, of memorable moments, their dealings with umpires and managers, injuries and trades that affected their careers, regrets and joys that still remain with them so many years later.
Players spoken to include Hall of Famers, All Stars, journeymen, and a few who were in the big leagues for the proverbial cup of coffee. Regardless of stature, they all have wonderful stories to tell about big league life in the 1950s, high and low, and moments with other players.

Gene Fehler is the author of 12 books, including three poetry collections from McFarland. He still plays baseball with one of his grown sons in The Great American Pastime Baseball League in Simpsonville, South Carolina, trying to baffle hitters with his slow curve. His website is www.genefehler.com.

Gene Fehler
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 280
Bibliographic Info: appendix, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7065-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9308-1
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface   1
One. When It All Begins   3
Two. Minor Leagues and War Years   12
Three. Men in Blue   38
Four. Playing Fields   49
Five. Skippers   61
Six. Joe and Mickey, Ted and Stan   82
Seven. The First Time   95
Eight. I Remember Him!   103
Nine. Swinging the Lumber   133
Ten. The Hurlers   145
Eleven. A Little Bit of Money   164
Twelve. Now That Was a Moment!   170
Thirteen. Trades   198
Fourteen. Injuries   208
Fifteen. Outside the Lines   219
Sixteen. Team Play   229
Seventeen. Endings, Wishes, Regrets and Joys   243
Appendix: The Players   257
Index   267