Description
Book Synopsis Harold Pee Wee Reese may have been the most beloved Brooklyn Dodgers player of all time. During a 16-year career in the 1940s and 1950s, he delivered timely hits, made countless acrobatic defensive plays at shortstop, and stole hundreds of bases for clubs that won seven pennants and, in 1955, finally overcame the Yankees to win the World Series.
Reese may be best remembered, however, for a gesture of solidarity. The year and the location vary with the telling, but witnesses agree on this crucial detail: During one of Jackie Robinson''s early tours of the National League, as catcalls and racial taunts rained down on him, the Southern-born Reese draped an arm across the infielder''s shoulder and stood alongside him, facing the crowd.
In this first full-length biography of Reese, author Glen Sparks digs into Hall of Famer''s life and career, his leadership both on and off the field, and the reasons that Brooklyn fans fell in love with the Boys of Summer.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
1. "Man, Pee Wee ought to be your middle name"
2. "Brooklyn's in the major leagues, isn't it?"
3. "Skip, where do you buy your clothes?"
4. "I'm trying to teach him to holler"
5. "Another guy I'll have to beat out for a job"
6. "As boyish as ever"
7. "I looked at it, and I just flatly refused"
8. "Reese? Now, you're talking about a ballplayer"
9. "Just don't make me out to be a hero"
10. "That's why we called him 'Captain'"
11. "(Pee Wee Reese) will be the 1951 skipper"
12. "I don't believe it"
13. "Not guilty"
14. "One hundred and eighty pounds of dynamite"
15. "He's not swinging a bat"
16. "I said to myself, 'This can't be true'"
17. "You're getting good in your old age"
18. "So, Pee Wee did it for Walter"
19. "Let's see, folks. Where were we?"
20. "He was the heart and soul of the boys of summer"
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
