Description
Book Synopsis A young German immigrant, Barney Dreyfuss was an American success story in business and in baseball. He fell in love with the game after settling in Paducah, Kentucky, where he discovered he had a knack for assembling good players on the diamond. Relocating to Louisville, he became involved in the professional game with the Colonels. Faced with ouster from the National League, he took his players to Pittsburgh, where he became owner of the Pirates and forged a winning tradition, leading the club to six pennants and two World Series.
This first biography of Dreyfuss chronicles the innovative career of the Hall of Famer executive who built Forbes Field--the National League''s first concrete-and-steel ballpark, into which he put $1 million of his own money--pushed for creation of the office of commissioner to govern the game and helped initiate the modern World Series.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments viii
Preface 1
1. An Unshakeable Belief in Baseball 3
2. The Little Clerk, Big Dreams 15
3. A Fine Diversion 24
4. Louisville 33
5. Buying In 44
6. "I am tired of losing so much money…." 53
7. 1899: One Door Closes… 65
8. …Another Door Opens: The Colonels and a Captain 76
9. Success at Last 86
10. 1903: Making History 96
11. Riding High in the First Division: 1904 to 1908 106
12. Politics, Dirty Business and Tragedy 120
13. Champions 133
14. Departures and Decline 144
15. Retooling 154
16. Back on Top 165
17. Last Hurrah 176
18. After the Little Colonel 187
Epilogue 199
Chapter Notes 205
Bibliography 221
Index 225
