November-December 2007     Vol. 1, Issue 2                                                          

Join us this month as we celebrate 1951.

We are dedicated to revisiting the culture, context, and nostalgia of some of the most storied (as well as some of the most scarcely known) events in the rich history of our nation's pastime.  In each issue, eastcoastbaseballhistory.com will highlight a single summer in baseball history to revisit the events that shaped the sport in and around the major cities of the East Coast.  We hope you enjoy your visit as we celebrate an ageless game.

Future Hall-Of-Famer Dave Winfield born on October 3, 1951.

1951, Stamford, CT beats Austin, TX in the Little League World Series      

In February 1951, Emmett Ashford became the first African American Minor League umpire and 15 years later; on April 1, 1961 he became the first black Major League umpire in the history of the sport.

Baseball Book of the Month

By: Jack Hendry

Matty: An American Hero

Written By: Ray Robinson

(Oxford Univ. Press,1993)

Robinson provides an in-depth chronicle of the life of the “Christian Gentleman” from his days as a Pennsylvania farm boy, to the scholarly halls of Bucknell University, and through his celebrated career as a Hall-of-Fame pitcher for the New York Giants.

There is a fine attention to detail and a homespun quality to the work that really compliments the remarkably chivalrous and well-documented demeanor of old “Big Six” himself, Christy Mathewson. 

The biography is especially relevant to enthusiasts of the 1908 pennant race, as Brown dedicates a brilliant chapter to the retelling of  “Merkle’s Boner” and the infamous one-game playoff Polo Grounds massacre that took place between the Cubbies and Giants.  Equally delightful is the author’s lucid insight into the brother-like bond held between the stoic Matty and the cantankerous and obsessive manager, John McGraw. 

You don’t have to be from New York to enjoy this one.  Matty: An American Hero is an essential read for anyone interested in baseball history.

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Be sure to visit next month as we celebrate 1925!