{"product_id":"2940015589665","title":"Red Sox Baseball in the Days of Ike and Elvis: The Red Sox of the 1950s","description":"The Red Sox spent most of the 1950s far out of pennant contention, winning just enough games to keep their fans’ hopes up for the next season. But there can be little doubt that the club was filled with absorbing and fascinating people, and stories that still resonate in New England and beyond. From Harry Agganis and Jimmy Piersall to Jackie Jensen and Pumpsie Green, the names and stories have been the subjects of books and movies. Dominating it all, of course, was Ted Williams, the great star and personality. In this book, members of SABR present biographies of all of these men and many others, 46 in all, along with a season-by-season recap. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAmericans in the 1950s found new ways of enjoying themselves, from the rapid proliferation of television sets into every home, to the dawn of a new age of popular music, rock and roll, symbolized by a charismatic crooner named Elvis Presley. Baseball’s place in American culture was still paramount, though the competition was gaining.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn Boston, the baseball landscape changed dramatically in 1953 when the Braves moved to Milwaukee. Despite having the city to themselves, the Red Sox steadily lost attendance throughout the decade, due mainly to a series of teams that failed to contend. But because of television, fans of the region were able to “watch” Red Sox baseball for the first time without setting foot in Fenway Park. With its lagging fortunes of the team on the field, the club retained its hold on the hearts of the region throughout this period.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe 1950s Red Sox were teeming with huge stories. You might know about Ted Williams, of course, but consider his teammates: Harry Agganis, a legendary local athlete whose tragic death is remembered by millions in the region; or Jimmy Piersall, whose illness and breakdown led to a book and two movies; or Jackie Jensen, a famous collegiate football star who forged a great career with the Red Sox. The Red Sox are famous for failing to integrate until 1959, the last team to do so. Depicted here are the people mostly blamed for this oversight (Tom Yawkey, Joe Cronin, and Mike Higgins), as well as the man who finally broke the color line (Pumpsie Green). \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThanks to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), you can read the stories of 46 of these men, including all of of the aforementioned and one of the greatest announcers ever, Curt Gowdy. But along with many of the people you might remember, there are still plenty of lesser-known players that you can discover for the first time. All of these men made it the major leagues and played well enough to stick around for at least a few years. We think all of them are worth learning about, and hope you enjoy doing so.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTable of Contents\u003cbr\u003ePreface\u003cbr\u003eThe Decade in Review by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePITCHERS \u003cbr\u003eFrank Baumann by Paul Geisler\u003cbr\u003eTom Brewer by Tom Larwin\u003cbr\u003eJerry Casale by Tom Larwin\u003cbr\u003eIke Delock by Ray Birch\u003cbr\u003eMike Fornieles by Thomas Ayers\u003cbr\u003eTom Hurd by Jim Elfers\u003cbr\u003eRuss Kemmerer by John Green\u003cbr\u003eLeo Kiely by Greg Erion\u003cbr\u003eEllis Kinder by Mark Armour\u003cbr\u003eMickey McDermott by John Vorperian\u003cbr\u003eWillard Nixon by Wynn Montgomery\u003cbr\u003eMel Parnell by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eDave Sisler by Rick Huhn\u003cbr\u003eFrank Sullivan by Herb Crehan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCATCHERS \u003cbr\u003ePete Daley by John Green\u003cbr\u003eHaywood Sullivan by Mathew Sisson\u003cbr\u003eSammy White by Herb Crehan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFIRST BASEMEN \u003cbr\u003eHarry Agganis by Mark Brown\u003cbr\u003eWalt Dropo by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eDick Gernert by Don Hyslop\u003cbr\u003eMickey Vernon by Rich Westcott\u003cbr\u003eNorm Zauchin by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSECOND BASEMEN \u003cbr\u003eBilly Goodman by Ron Anderson\u003cbr\u003ePumpsie Green by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003ePete Runnels by Hugh Poland\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHIRD BASEMEN \u003cbr\u003eTed Lepcio by Tom Harkins\u003cbr\u003eFrank Malzone by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSHORTSTOPS \u003cbr\u003eMilt Bolling by Jeremiah Woolsey\u003cbr\u003eDon Buddin by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eBilly Consolo by Joanne Hulbert\u003cbr\u003eBilly Klaus by Charlie Bevis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLEFT FIELDERS \u003cbr\u003eGene Stephens by Todd Newville\u003cbr\u003eTed Williams by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCENTER FIELDERS \u003cbr\u003eMarty Keough by Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eJimmy Piersall by Mark Armour\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRIGHT FIELDERS \u003cbr\u003eJackie Jensen by Mark Armour\u003cbr\u003eFaye Throneberry by Russell Wolinsky\u003cbr\u003eClyde Vollmer by Chip Greene\u003cbr\u003eAl Zarilla by Maurice Bouchard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTEAM OWNER \u003cbr\u003eTom Yawkey by Mark Armour\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGENERAL MANAGER \u003cbr\u003eJoe Cronin by Mark Armour\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMANAGERS \u003cbr\u003eSteve O’Neill by Adam Ulrey\u003cbr\u003eLou Boudreau by Ralph Berger\u003cbr\u003eMike Higgins by Mark Armour\u003cbr\u003eBilly Jurges by Paul Geisler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBROADCASTER \u003cbr\u003eCurt Gowdy by Matt Bohn\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue\u003cbr\u003eSources\u003cbr\u003eList of Contributors","brand":"Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47147887263984,"sku":"2940015589665","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940015589665_p0.jpg?v=1763622164","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015589665","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}