The First World Series and the Baseball Fanatics of 1903

Recapturing the drama and color of this historic sporting event, Roger I. Abrams shows how the first world series ( Boston Americans vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ) provided a unique lens to view American life and culture at the dawn of the twentieth century. It is a fascinating story brimming with colorful, larger-than-life characters: legendary players Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Jimmy Collins, Fred Clarke, Big Bill Dineen, and Deacon Phillippe on the field; and Mike Nuf Ced McGreevey, Honey Fitz Fitzgerald, and the boisterous Boston Royal Rooters, cheering, chanting, and singing in the grandstands. This is also the story of how the post-season play gave disparate classes in society - Brahmins, industrialists, Irish politicians, Jewish immigrants - the rare opportunity to join in common support of their local teams and heroes.