Title/Author:
“The Best
They Could Be: How the Cleveland Indians Became the Kings of Baseball,
1916-1920” by Scott H. Longert
Tags:
Baseball,
Indians, history, championship
Publish date:
April 30,
2013
Length:
280 pages
Rating:
5 of 5
stars (outstanding)
Review:
The 1920
Cleveland Indians championship baseball team was not built just out of good
luck, an owner with deep pockets or even because of their good fortune. While some it was true, this team overcame a
lot of hardship and even a death of one of the better players to win the World
Series that year. Scott Longert’s book
on how that team was built and what they overcame is a terrific read that any
baseball fan will enjoy.
The book
takes the reader from the time that Jim Dunn became the owner of the club in
1915 up to the end of the 1920 World Series that Cleveland won 5 games to 2
over the Brooklyn Robins. At that time,
the World Series was a best-of-nine series. Through the chapter on the World
Series, it is noted that three historic events took place all in game four and
all were good for Cleveland. Elmer Smith
hit the first grand slam homer in World Series history to put the Indians up 4-0.
Indians pitcher Jim Bagby followed up with a three run shot of his own,
becoming the first pitcher to homer in a World Series game. Then Bill “Wamby” Wambsganss turned the first
(and to date, only) unassisted triple play in World Series history. Each achievement gets special treatment during
Longert’s recap of the game. These are but a few examples of the excellent
writing about the baseball played at that time.
What sets
this book apart from other baseball history books is Longert’s writing about
off the field activities that affect the Cleveland Indians. His telling of how
Dunn acquired the team was a rich collection of stories not only about Dunn
himself, but also of the business climate at that time in the country as well
as some good research on the owner and American League president Ban
Johnson. The chapters about how baseball
dealt with World War I and the government’s order for all men aged 21-30 to “work
or fight” was well researched and gives the reader a clear picture of what the
game meant to the country at that time.
However, I
felt the best part of the book was the moving passage about the death of Ray
Chapman. The Indians shortstop became
the first player to be killed on the field when he was hit in the temple by a
fastball thrown by New York Yankees pitcher Carl Mays on August 16, 1920 and
died the next day. The stories of how
Chapman’s death shook not only the Indians, but the soul of a city and of a
sport were some of the best researched and written baseball stories I have
read. It felt like I was grieving along
with Chapman’s teammates.
This was
an outstanding book on that time span in which the Indians became the toast of
baseball. The research and writing is
top-notch and all baseball fans, regardless of team loyalties, will enjoy this
book.
I wish to
thank Mr. Longert for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Pace of the book:
Very good
as it is an easy read that chronicles the team for those five years. The
interruptions of the history with brief biographies of players were well placed
in the book and enhanced the particular story being told at that point in the
book.
Do I recommend?
This book
is an absolute must-read for not only Cleveland Indians fans, but all baseball
fans, especially baseball historians who want to learn more about how this team
was built.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying links:
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