When the Dodgers Were Bridegrooms

Urbane real estate investor Charles Byrne and hustling news editor George J. Taylor joined forces in 1883 to create the club that would become the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nicknamed the “Bridegrooms” by sportswriters after several players got married, they won their first major league pennants in 1889 and 1890 under pioneering manager Bill “Gunner” McGunnigle. This first history of the birth of the Dodgers franchise chronicles the owners’ efforts to build the team, woo fans, and oversee the antics of the colorful cast of athletes—with nicknames like “Adonis,” “Needles,” and “Oyster”—who filled the Bridegrooms’ roster.

A reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal for nearly 40 years, Ronald G. Shafer is a freelance writer in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he lives with his wife, Mary Rogers, the great-granddaughter of Gunner McGunnigle. Visit his website at brooklyndodgershistory.com

Ronald G. Shafer
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: 55 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5899-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8596-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1. A Team Grows in Brooklyn      5
2. Der Boss President      24
3. Gunner McGunnigle      44
4. Stars for Sale      60
5. Here Come the Bridegrooms      74
6. A Bridge Too High?      89
7. Down to the Wire      109
8. The Pre-Subway Series      126
9. Revolt of the Players      144
10. Pennant Fever and Labor Pains      160
11. Final Inning      175

Epilogue      184
Chapter Notes      191
Bibliography      197
Index      199