Handsome Ransom Jackson

Handsome Ransom Jackson PDF Author: Ransom Jackson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442261552
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Millions of America’s youth dream of playing major league baseball or in a college bowl game on New Year’s Day. Growing up in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Ransom Jackson had no idea that one day he would not only play in back-to-back Cotton Bowls for two different colleges—the first and only player to do so—but that he would also become known as “Handsome Ransom,” all-star third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. He was in Chicago in 1953 when Ernie Banks became the first African American to play for the Cubs. He was in Brooklyn in 1956, the year Jackie Robinson retired. In 1957, Jackson was the last Brooklyn player to hit a home run before the team moved to LA. Jackson’s major league career spanned the entire decade of the 1950s, a time when the landscape of baseball changed dramatically as teams moved to new cities, built new stadiums, and integrated their rosters. Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Big Leaguer is an autobiographical account of Jackson’s fascinating journey from his boyhood days in Arkansas to playing in the major leagues, where many of his teammates were future Hall of Famers. It’s a fun and nostalgic visit to the past, with Jackson sharing such memories as spring training with the Cubs on Catalina Island, befriending a Mafia boss in Massachusetts, batting behind Hank Sauer and getting knocked down by pitchers retaliating for Sauer’s home runs, rooming with Don Drysdale on an historic baseball tour of Japan, and sitting in the dugout in LA with Dodger teammates looking for movie stars in the stands. In addition, Jackson remembers being brought to Brooklyn to take over third base for the aging Jackie Robinson, and quickly discovering that nobody replaces a legend like Jackie. While many of the players from the 1950s are no longer with us, Jackson’s invaluable and timeless stories celebrate the greatness of the game and preserve a sliver of history from the heart of the golden age of baseball. Featuring many never-before-published photographs from Ransom Jackson’s personal collection, including photos of Dodger and Cub greats Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskine, Ralph Kiner, and Ernie Banks, Handsome Ransom Jackson will take the reader back to an era when baseball was truly the national pastime.

Handsome Ransom Jackson

Handsome Ransom Jackson PDF Author: Ransom Jackson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442261552
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Get Book

Book Description
Millions of America’s youth dream of playing major league baseball or in a college bowl game on New Year’s Day. Growing up in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Ransom Jackson had no idea that one day he would not only play in back-to-back Cotton Bowls for two different colleges—the first and only player to do so—but that he would also become known as “Handsome Ransom,” all-star third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. He was in Chicago in 1953 when Ernie Banks became the first African American to play for the Cubs. He was in Brooklyn in 1956, the year Jackie Robinson retired. In 1957, Jackson was the last Brooklyn player to hit a home run before the team moved to LA. Jackson’s major league career spanned the entire decade of the 1950s, a time when the landscape of baseball changed dramatically as teams moved to new cities, built new stadiums, and integrated their rosters. Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Big Leaguer is an autobiographical account of Jackson’s fascinating journey from his boyhood days in Arkansas to playing in the major leagues, where many of his teammates were future Hall of Famers. It’s a fun and nostalgic visit to the past, with Jackson sharing such memories as spring training with the Cubs on Catalina Island, befriending a Mafia boss in Massachusetts, batting behind Hank Sauer and getting knocked down by pitchers retaliating for Sauer’s home runs, rooming with Don Drysdale on an historic baseball tour of Japan, and sitting in the dugout in LA with Dodger teammates looking for movie stars in the stands. In addition, Jackson remembers being brought to Brooklyn to take over third base for the aging Jackie Robinson, and quickly discovering that nobody replaces a legend like Jackie. While many of the players from the 1950s are no longer with us, Jackson’s invaluable and timeless stories celebrate the greatness of the game and preserve a sliver of history from the heart of the golden age of baseball. Featuring many never-before-published photographs from Ransom Jackson’s personal collection, including photos of Dodger and Cub greats Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskine, Ralph Kiner, and Ernie Banks, Handsome Ransom Jackson will take the reader back to an era when baseball was truly the national pastime.

Handsome Ransom Jackson

Handsome Ransom Jackson PDF Author: Ransom Jackson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 9781442261549
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Big Leaguer is an autobiographical account of Jackson's fascinating journey from his boyhood days in Arkansas to playing in the major leagues.

When Baseball Was Still Topps

When Baseball Was Still Topps PDF Author: Phil Coffin
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476651736
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Card by card--all 572 of the '59 Topps set--this book contemplates the lives and times of mid-20th century baseball. That season was in the heart of a period of turmoil: milestones in integration, franchise shifts to the West Coast, a potential rival league, the major leagues' expansion, and labor issues that included paying young prospects not to play. The cards help tell the players' stories, too. The slugger who had a date with Marilyn Monroe (no, not Joe DiMaggio), and the minor leaguer better known than Marilyn. The nephew of a Black Sox player, and the target of a bribery attempt. The lefty catcher. The pitcher from Mayberry. The only player to pinch-hit for Ted Williams. Strikeout kings and wildmen. Religious stalwarts and hell raisers. The stripper's husband. The coolest socks in baseball. Ballplayers who were also basketball players--including the NBA's No. 1 pick one year. Satchel's Six Rules and Twig's Six Rules. Coot, Rip, Turk, Puddin' Head, Whammy, The Rope and Captain Midnight. Pick any card, and you'll find another engaging tale about baseball.

The Best Little Baseball Town in the World

The Best Little Baseball Town in the World PDF Author: Gaylon H. White
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538141167
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
The Crowley Millers were the talk of minor league baseball in the 1950s, with crowds totaling nearly 10 times Crowley’s population and earning Crowley the nickname of “The Best Little Baseball Town in the World.” The Best Little Baseball Town in the World: The Crowley Millers and Minor League Baseball in the 1950s tells the fun, quirky story of Crowley, Louisiana, in the fifties, a story that reads more like fiction than nonfiction. The Crowley Millers’ biggest star was Conklyn Meriwether, a slugger who became infamous after he retired when he killed his in-laws with an axe. Their former manager turned out to be a con man, dying in jail while awaiting trial on embezzlement charges. The 1951 team was torn to pieces after their young centerfielder was struck and killed by lightning during a game. But aside from the tragedy and turmoil, the Crowley Millers also played some great baseball and were the springboard to stardom for George Brunet and Dan Pfister, two Crowley pitchers who made it to the majors. Interviews with players from the team bring to light never-before-heard stories and inside perspectives on minor league baseball in the fifties, including insight into the social and racial climate of the era, and the inability of baseball in the fifties to help players deal with off-the-field problems. Written by respected minor-league baseball historian Gaylon H. White, The Best Little Baseball Town in the World is a fascinating tale for baseball fans and historians alike.

Coach of a Lifetime

Coach of a Lifetime PDF Author: Gaylon H. White
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538181029
Category : Football coaches
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
Coach of a Lifetime is the inspirational true story of a high school football coach who motivates and encourages ordinary kids from a handful of farming communities to do extraordinary things on the football field and in life.

Singles and Smiles

Singles and Smiles PDF Author: Gaylon H. White
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538107910
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
This book brings to light the story of a Negro League and Pacific Coast League star, his struggles to make it in the majors, and his crucial role in integrating baseball’s premier minor league. Artie Wilson once was the best shortstop in baseball. In 1948 Artie led all of baseball with a .402 batting average for the Birmingham Black Barons, the last hitter in the top level of pro ball to hit .400. But during much of his career, Organized Baseball passed Artie by because he was black. In Singles and Smiles: How Artie Wilson Broke Baseball's Color Barrier, Gaylon H. White provides a fascinating account of Wilson’s life and career. An All-Star in the Negro Leagues, in 1949 Artie became only the second black player in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the first to play for the Oakland Oaks. Wilson soon became one of the league’s most popular players with white and black fans alike through his consistent play and optimistic, upbeat attitude. In 1951 Artie finally got a chance to play in the majors with the New York Giants, but after batting a mere twenty-four times he urged Giants manager Leo Durocher to send him back to the minors and bring up a former Black Barons teammate to take his place—Willie Mays. While Jackie Robinson deserves all the credit he has received for breaking baseball’s color barrier at the major-league level, this book pays tribute to those such as Artie Wilson who changed the game in the minors—pioneers in their own right. Featuring in-depth interviews with Artie alongside interviews with almost thirty of Artie’s teammates and opponents—including Willie Mays and Carl Erskine—Singles and Smiles imparts a treasure trove of stories that will entertain and inspire baseball fans of all generations.

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Baseball Players of the 1950s PDF Author: Rich Marazzi
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476604290
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
The playing and post-playing careers of all 1,560 players who appeared in a major league box score between 1950 and 1959—the “golden age,” many say—are profiled in this exhaustive work. From Aaron to Zuverink: this treasure-trove of anecdotes, many gathered from personal interviews, is full of historical facts, controversy, and trivia. Readers will be reminded, that Milwaukee Braves pitcher Humberto Robinson was asked by a gambler to fix a game against the Phillies (he refused), Joe Adcock chased Giants pitcher Ruben Gomez around the field with a bat, Bob Turley reached the top of the corporate ladder after his playing days, Casey Wise became an orthodontist, Bobby Brown became a heart surgeon and president of the AL, and that Chuck Conners became an actor. All of this and much more can be found here.

Heritage Sports Dallas Signature Auction Catalog #704

Heritage Sports Dallas Signature Auction Catalog #704 PDF Author: Ivy Press
Publisher: Heritage Capital Corporation
ISBN: 1599670437
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description


Bibb Falk

Bibb Falk PDF Author: William A. Cook
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476618577
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Born in Austin, Texas, in 1899, Bibb August Falk was the classic stereotype of a Texan, standing six feet. He brimmed with confidence and played the game of baseball with swagger. He played three years of varsity football and baseball at the University of Texas before being signed by the Chicago White Sox following graduation in 1920. Falk reported to the Sox that summer without having played a single minor league game. In just a couple of months, he—an untested rookie—would confront the challenge of replacing Shoeless Joe Jackson, newly banned from organized ball for complicity in the 1919 World Series scandal. Retiring from the major leagues in 1931 after a brilliant career, Falk returned to the University of Texas in 1940 as head baseball coach and became a Longhorn legend. During his 25 years as head coach, his teams won two National Championships, 15 Southwest Conference titles and four co-championships. When Bibb Falk died in June 1989, at the age of 90, he was the last surviving member of the 1920 Chicago White Sox.

162-0: Imagine a Cubs Perfect Season

162-0: Imagine a Cubs Perfect Season PDF Author: Dan McGrath
Publisher: Triumph Books
ISBN: 1623684420
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
Imagining a year in which the lovable losers never lose a single game, this idealistic resource identifies the most memorable victory in Chicago Cubs history on every single day of the baseball calendar season, from late March to late October. Ranging from games with incredible historical significance and individual achievement to those with high drama and high stakes, the book envisions the impossible: a blemish-free Cubs season. Evocative photos, original quotes, thorough research, and engaging prose and analysis add another dimension.