Baseball when the grass was real : baseball from the twenties to the forties told by the men who played it

Donald Honig crossed the country to meet and interview former big-league ball players. They shared their memories with him and the result is a book packed with nostalgia, statistics, action, revelations?an extraordinary oral history of baseball in the halcyon days beween the two world wars. Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Dizzy Dean, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, and many others are brought to life through the recollections of Wes Ferrell, Charlie Gehringer, Elbie Fletcher, Bucky Waters, Billy Herman, Cool Papa Bell, Spud Chandler, Pete Reiser, and a host of others. Those were the days when the grass was real, salaries were modest, Bob Feller was America's most famous seventeen-year-old, and idealism was in full swing. "Baseball builds your pride," said pitcher Wes Ferrell, who played it in order "to be a better guy."About the Author:Donald Honig is a former professional ball player and a novelist. Baseball between the Lines: Baseball in the Forties and Fifties, Man in the Dugout: Fifteen Big League Managers Speak Their Minds, and October Heroes: Great World Series Games Remembered by the Men Who Played Them are all available in Bison Books editions.