The Glory of Their Times

In the 1960s, Ritter interviewed a bunch of guys who played major league ball in the early days, from the 1890s through the 1930s (or so), with lots of stuff from the Deadball Era. The result is this marvelous book filled with priceless tales told by the men who knew, played with (and occasionally fought with) Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Nap Lajoie, and the immortals from that era. Anyone who wants to understand what baseball was like in 1903, or there-and-then-about, must read this book. Reading this book is like sitting on a porch in a rocking chair next to… show more.

I love baseball, but I get tired of the overblown Baseball is poetry or Baseball is America tugs at the heart. Hey, people, it’s a game. Ritter’s book weaves together interviews with players to bring to life the early days of baseball. Fans were tough; travel was hard; pay was low; expectations were high, off-season jobs were mandatory, but these men loved to pitch and hit and catch, and they loved the camaraderie, so it was worth it. Mostly. Cast of characters? Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Fred Snodgrass, Chief Bender, and on it goes. Hearing these greats from the past… show more.

In the early 1960s, author Lawrence Ritter traveled around the United States, interviewing men who had played Major League Baseball in the late 1890s through the early part of the 20th century. The result is a fascinating account of baseball and America in that long-ago era. With a bulky reel-reel tape recorder, Ritter lets each ballplayer tell their own story of what the game was like before radio and television. Most of the men interviewed were in their late seventies and early eighties but were able to accurately remember a particular game or incident from half a century ago. Within… show more.