{"product_id":"9781626367371","title":"It Was Never About the Babe: The Red Sox, Racism, Mismanagement, and the Curse of the Bambino","description":"For years, Red Sox fans were told that their team was cursed because the Sox sold Babe Ruth to the  hated Yankees. But as Jerry Gutlon reveals in  \u003ci\u003eIt Was Never About the Babe\u003c\/i\u003e, there is  much more drama to Red Sox history than the  “Curse of the Bambino.” The truth is more  shocking than any myth.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  With  the thorough research of a seasoned journalist  and the zeal of a lifelong Red Sox fan, Gutlon  explains why the Sox came up short season after  season: ownership chose managers and players not based on their talent, but on whom they drank  with; before and after baseball integrated,  personal and institutional racism affected their decision-making; and their teams consistently  lacked the talent, leadership, chemistry, and  luck needed to win championships.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  Most fans don’t know that Babe Ruth was sold not just to produce a Broadway play, bust also  because commissioner Ban Johnson was trying to  run Sox owner Harry Frazee out of baseball and  because Ruth was a major disruption in the Sox  clubhouse. They will be surprised to learn that  Jackie Robinson tried out at Fenway Park and  shocked to learn that much-admired Tom Yawkey,  along with owning the Red Sox, also owned a  brothel for decades.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  Covering  the early Red Sox championship dynasty of Ruth,  the never-good-enough teams of Ted Williams,  Carl Yastrzemski, and Carlton Fisk and Curt  Schilling, \u003ci\u003eIt Was Never About the Babe\u003c\/i\u003e  is an eye-opening read for every baseball fan,  and a must-own book for every fan in Boston.","brand":"Skyhorse Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47134746837232,"sku":"9781626367371","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781626367371_p0.jpg?v=1763868253","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781626367371","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}