Rowdy Richard: A Firsthand Account of the National League Baseball Wars of the 1930s and the Men Who Fought Them

Rowdy Richard: A Firsthand Account of the National League Baseball Wars of the 1930s and the Men Who Fought Them by Norman Macht. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780938190974.

This is a definitive, analytical look at the style of the game, the characters of the ear, the managers, the owners, told by "the most exuberant rowdy of them all." Bartell covers the period from 1927 to 1954, baseball’s golden age: the Gashouse Gang; McGraw; the 1927 Yankees; the Giants-Dodgers feud; the first All-Star game; suggestions for changes in the game; and observations of modern players by old-timers. Bartell was an inspirational sparkplug whose career began with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1927. He later played for the Phillies, Cubs, and Tigers, as well as the Giants twice, and finished with a lifetime batting average of .284 for almost 8,000 at-bats. Earthy, witty, and remarkably astute, Bartell tells a tale of baseball intrigue that is hard to put down and which brings back a forgotten era.