Drama and Pride in the Gateway City: The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals

Eddie Robinsonandrsquo;s career lasted sixty-five years and spanned the era before and during World War II, integration, the organization of the players union, expansion, use of artificial turf, free agency, labor stoppages, and even the steroid era. He was a Minor League player, a Major League player, a coach, a farm director, a general manager, a scout, and a consultant. During his six and a half decades in baseball, he knew, played with or against, or worked for or with many of baseballandrsquo;s greats, including Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Mantle, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, George Steinbrenner, Casey Stengel, Bill Veeck, and Ted Williams.and#160;The lively autobiography of Robinson, Lucky Me highlights a career that touched all aspects of the game from player to coach to front-office executive and scout. In it Robinson reveals for the first time that the 1948 Cleveland Indians stole the oppositionandrsquo;s signs with the use of a telescope in their drive to the pennant. This edition features a new afterword by C. Paul Rogers III.

"However you use this book, the important thing is this: it belongs in a place of honor on your shelf of Cardinal literature. To paraphrase Mr. Buck, "Itand#8217;s a winner!""and#8212;C70 at the Bat

"[Drama and Pride in the Gateway City] should find its way to the shelves of anyone seriously interested in the history of the St. Louis Cardinals."and#8212;Roger Launius's Blog

"Drama and Pride in the Gateway City is an invaluable contribution to baseball history and research because it presents for the first time all of the team's players, coaches, and selected writers, announcers, front-office personnel together and tells their unique story, indeed giving them a voice."and#8212;Gregory H. Wolf, Journal of Sport History

and#8220;[This is] the rare baseball book that transcends its regional emphasis to earn a place on the shelf of anyone who loves the game. It reads like a core sample of a polar ice cap, with layer upon informative layer the deeper you go.and#8221;and#8212;David Kipen, San Francisco Chronicle

and#8220;[Nelsonand#8217;s] wholly charming and endearing book allows us to see baseball as a kind of benchmark for the birth and growth of California over the last century and a half. . . . Nelson shows us that baseball was always much more than a form of recreation or entertainmentand#8212;it was a means of self-definition.and#8221;and#8212;Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Book Reviewand#160;and#160;

and#8220;[An] excellent history. . . . You donand#8217;t have to be a Californian to enjoy these important chapters in the gameand#8217;s history.and#8221;and#8212;Ron Fimrite, Sports Illustratedand#160;and#160;

and#8220;Nelson has a knack for research and an ear for good anecdotes as he reviews the impact California baseball has had not only on the game in this country but as an and#8216;exportand#8217; to Japan and Mexico as well.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weeklyand#160;

and#8220;A superb blending of United States and California history, plus baseball. Well-illustrated and written in a compelling manner that few books can rightly claim, this is a rare literary sports treasure that can be recommended with great enthusiasm.and#8221;and#8212;Oakland Tribuneand#160;

and#8220;Iand#8217;ve read some terrific sports books in recent years . . . but I found none more interesting than Kevin Nelson's current page-turner, The Golden Game: The Story of California Baseball. If youand#8217;re a baseball aficionado or even if you arenand#8217;t, this is a wonderfully researched narrative about the genesis of the sport in the state.and#8221;and#8212;Doug Krikorian, Long Beach Press-Telegramand#160;and#160;

andldquo;A fun read, chock full of funny stories.andrdquo;andmdash;New York Daily News

andldquo;Eddie Robinson was a fine ballplayer. He had a remarkably long, fascinating, and colorful career as a baseball scout and front-office man for many big league teams. I know of no book that gives as much insight into the front-office machinations in baseball organizations. [Eddie Robinsonandrsquo;s] autobiography will interest people inside baseball who remember Eddie, and many others will enjoy reading about the experiences of men whoandrsquo;ve been in the game.andrdquo;andmdash;Charles C. Alexander, author of Ty Cobband#160;

andquot;Of those sixty-five years in baseball, Iand#39;ve known Eddie for fifty-five of them--as a dear friend, business partner, and as a terrific baseball player. Major league baseball needs more people like Eddie.andquot;andmdash;Brooks C. Robinson, Hall of Fame third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles

andldquo;Eddie Robinson was the most underrated and best clutch hitter I ever played against.andrdquo;andmdash;Ted Williams, Hall of Fame outfielder for the Boston Red Sox

andldquo;What can you say about Eddie? Good baseball man and a pretty good left-handed hitter in his day. He was one of our first basemen in the andrsquo;50s and fit in real good.andrdquo;andmdash;Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees

andldquo;Eddie Robinson was general manager when I was asked to manage the Oriolesandrsquo; 1960 Winter Instructional League team. He took me under his wing and showed me just by being himself how a Major Leaguer should act. When I later became the Orioles manager, all the things I learned from him were invaluable to my future successes.andrdquo;andmdash;Earl Weaver, Hall of Fame manager for the Baltimore Orioles

By 1964 the storied St. Louis Cardinals had gone seventeen years without so much as a pennant. Things began to turn around in 1953, when August A. Busch Jr. bought the team and famously asked where all the black players were. Under the leadership of men like Bing Devine and Johnny Keane, the Cardinals began signing talented players regardless of color, and slowly their star started to rise again.

Drama and Pride in the Gateway City commemorates the team that Bing Devine built, the 1964 team that prevailed in one of the tightest three-way pennant races of all time and then went on to win the World Series, beating the New York Yankees in the full seven games. All the men come alive in these pagesand#8212;pitchers Ray Sadecki and Bob Gibson, players Lou Brock, Curt Flood, and Bobby Shantz, manager Johnny Keane, his coaches, the Cardinalsand#8217; broadcasters, and Bill White, who would one day run the entire National Leagueand#8212;along with the dramatic events that made the 1964 Cardinals such a memorable club in a memorable year.

The Golden Game presents in words and pictures 150 years of baseball history, from sandlot ball in the 1850s and the Pacific Coast League to the western arrival of the Dodgers, Giants, Angels, Athletics, and Padres. Here is a stirring, colorfully written narrative about the state that has been the birthplace and proving ground for more Major Leaguers than any other, including Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Jackie Robinson. Blending U.S. and California history as a backdrop to a narrative rich with anecdotes, The Golden Game reveals the significant impact that California has had on baseball history.

Written not just for Californians but for all baseball fans, The Golden Game goes beyond its geographic boundaries to tell the fascinating saga of California baseball and how it has indelibly shaped the national pastime.

Eddie Robinson, a four-time American League All-Star, played in two World Series, was general manager of the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers, and was involved in the formation of the players union. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas. C. Paul Rogers III is a professor of law and former dean of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and coauthor of several books, including Throwing Hard Easy: Reflections of a Life in Baseball (Nebraska, 2014), with Robin Roberts. Tom Grieve is a former Texas Rangers general manager and is currently a Rangers broadcaster. Bobby Brown is a former New York Yankees third baseman, a retired cardiologist, and a former president of the American League.