British Baseball And the West Ham Club: History of a 1930s Professional Team in East London
by Josh Chetwynd
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Description
Few people associate baseball with Great Britain, but for a brief period in the 1930s, America's pastime nearly gained a foothold with the British populace. Though never as popular as the beloved football clubs, or even greyhound races, baseball teams like the West Ham Hammers developed intense local followings, and played some excellent baseball--in 1936, the Hammers defeated the U.S. Olympic team. The outbreak of World War II ended the rising popularity of baseball among Britons, but show more speculation remains that, under different circumstances, British baseball could have flourished. This book traces the history of baseball as a popular British sport, concentrating on one particularly successful and notable team, the West Ham Hammers. It places the West Ham club within the historical context of 1930s Great Britain, and covers team management, major players (e.g., Roland Gladu, the "Canadian Babe Ruth"), and the fans, many of whom still cling fondly to faded memories of the club and West Ham Stadium. Eight appendices include team rosters, British baseball rules, and year-by-year records from 1890 to 2005. show lessTags
Member Reviews
A very interesting work on the history, not just of the West Ham "Hammers," but of the entire history of baseball in England, starting with the attempts to start professional leagues in the 1890. The writing is good if not great, and the subject matter is of interest to baseball history enthusiasts only, I suppose, but within that context a very good book to read.
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Author Information
9 Works 124 Members
Josh Chetwynd has served as a staff reporter for USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter and U.S. News World Report. A former professional baseball player in the United States and Europe, he has broadcast baseball in the United Kingdom both on television for Channel Five and BT Sport and on radio for the BBC. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
Common Knowledge
- First words
- For a brief time in the late 1930s, baseball seemed to gain attention in the British sporting landscape. One of the teams at the center of that spotlight was the West Ham Baseball Club, the Hammers of baseball.
Classifications
- Genres
- Sports and Leisure, Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 796.357 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Sports Ball sports Ball and stick sports Baseball
- LCC
- GV875 .W45 .C54 — Geography, Anthropology and Recreation Recreation. Leisure Recreation. Leisure Sports Ball games: Baseball, football, golf, etc.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 7
- Popularity
- 2,742,131
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 1
