The Greatest Ballpark Ever : : Ebbets Field and the Story of the Brooklyn Dodgers / / Bob McGee.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Rutgers University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: McGee, Bob,
• Place / Publishing House: New Brunswick, NJ : : Rutgers University Press, , [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (336 p.) :; 38

Generations after its demise, Ebbets Field remains the single most colorful and enduring image of a baseball park, with a treasured niche in the game's legacy and the American imagination. In this lively story of sports, politics, and the talented, hilarious, and charming characters associated with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Bob McGee chronicles the ballpark's vibrant history from the drawing board to the wrecking ball, beginning with Charley Ebbets and the heralded opening in 1913, on through the eras that followed. McGee weaves a story about how Ebbets Field's architectural details, notable flaws, and striking facade brought Brooklyn and its team together in ways that allowed each to define the other. Drawing on original interviews and letters, as well as published and archival sources, The Greatest Ballpark Ever explores the struggle of Charley Ebbets to build Ebbets Field, the days of Wilbert Robinson's early pennant winners, the eras of the Daffiness Boys, Larry MacPhail, and Branch Rickey, the tumultuous field leadership of Leo the Lip, the fiery triumph of Jackie Robinson, the golden days of the Boys of Summer, and Walter O'Malley's ignominious departure. With humor and passion, The Greatest Ballpark Ever lets readers relive a day in the raucous ballpark with its quirky angles and its bent right-field wall, with the characters and events that have become part of the nation's folklore.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- CHAPTER ONE. Hallowed Ground -- CHAPTER TWO. The Squire of Flatbush -- CHAPTER THREE. A Steward in the Rough -- CHAPTER FOUR. The New Ballpark -- CHAPTER FIVE. Robins' Nest -- CHAPTER SIX. The Daffiness Boys -- CHAPTER SEVEN. Larry and Leo -- CHAPTER EIGHT. Football, Fatigues, 4Fs, and FDR -- CHAPTER NINE. Quicksilver and Thwarted Gold -- CHAPTER TEN. Firing the American Imagination -- CHAPTER ELEVEN. Waiting for Next Year -- CHAPTER TWELVE. Over the Wall -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Never Forgiven, Never Forgotten -- Appendix. EBBETS FIELD SPECIAL GROUND RULES -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author