Description
Book SynopsisPlaying in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Willie Keeler is still considered one of baseball's most accomplished batters in the history of the game. Wee Willie's popular Hit em where they ain't explanation for his batting success has become part of baseball lore. He is known for his quick-thinking at the plate and for his record-setting forty-four-game hitting streak in 1897 that was not surpassed until Joe DiMaggio broke the record in 1941. In addition to being one of baseball's most accomplished hitters, Keeler was an integral part of two memorable teamsthe Baltimore Orioles of 1894-1897 and the Brooklyn Superbas of 1899-1900. Willie Keeler: From the Playgrounds of Brooklyn to the Hall of Fame recounts the life of this talented yet often overlooked ballplayer. It follows Keeler from his birth in 1872 in Brooklyn to his death in 1923. His unique story includes a career that was almost evenly split between the rough and dirty National League of the 1890s and the new,
Trade ReviewWillie Keeler carefully recounts an amazing career which began with Keeler forming part of the old storied Baltimore Orioles Big Four (along with John McGraw, Joe Kelley, and Hughie Jennings); spanned the 19th century and Dead Ball eras; and concluded with the modest Keeler being able to boast of owning the game’s second-highest lifetime batting average upon retirement. The book portrays the diminutive Keeler as a winsome gentleman, while providing convincing evidence of his all-around brilliance and especially his greatness as a hitter, despite his lack of power and the advantage of his having played most of his career before the advent of the foul strike rule. * Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine *
Spatz weaves his tale deftly. His prose is effortless and direct, with little excess. Every sentence tells you something that puts events in context. . . .There’s a lot to like about this biography. The quotes by and about Keeler are telling, the photos and notes are first-rate, and the portrait of Keeler as a gentleman amidst ruffians is vivid. I was left wanting to know more about Keeler’s life off the field, and more about his precise role in the offensive innovations of the Orioles, but what’s there is much more than a half-full glass and pleasing to the taste. * The SABR Bookshelf *
Spatz has once again contributed a recommended biography of a lesser- known baseball figure, one where the reader does not get bogged down in tedious game- by- game descriptions but can delight in an eminently readable account of one of the game’s purest scientific hitters. * Journal of Sport History *
Lyle Spatz’s fine biography of Willie Keeler is a chronicle of his times and an engrossing history of major- league baseball from 1890 to 1915.... Lyle Spatz appears to have culled every box score from Keeler’s debut to his last bunt single. His research is impeccable, although an avalanche of stats and the choreography of bygone pennant races ultimately becomes a trek through long- forgotten games peopled by equally distant players. * NINE: A Journal of Baseball History & Culture *
Lyle Spatz has skillfully crafted a noteworthy biography of one of baseball’s all-time smartest hitters, Willie Keeler, of ‘hit them where they ain’t’ fame. Spatz’s thoughtful description of the man and his times is right on target. -- Rick Huhn, author of The Chalmers Race: Ty Cobb, Napoleon Lajoie, and the Controversial 1910 Batting Title That Became a National Obsession, The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great, and Eddie Collins: A Baseball Biography
Lyle Spatz’s thoroughly researched and well-paced biography reestablishes Willie Keeler as one of the game’s all time greats, while bringing to life his contributions to two of the greatest teams ever assembled to play the game: the mid-1890s Baltimore Orioles and the late-1890s Brooklyn Superbas. Spatz’s book is equally important for it invites readers to consider the momentous changes to baseball's rules that the game underwent between the start of Keeler’s career in the early 1890s and the end of his career in 1910. Using Keeler’s offensive output as the linchpin, Spatz’s smart analysis will have baseball fans rethinking what those changes meant to the early game’s offensive and defensive numbers, and the continuing effect they have had on the game today. -- David B. Stinson, author of Deadball: A Metaphysical Baseball Novel
One of the game's biggest stars at a time when baseball was maturing into its modern setup, Willie Keeler played with some of the best and most interesting teams and characters. In this well-written biography, Spatz entertainingly brings us the life and times of a man now best remembered for the aphorism “hit 'em where they ain't.” -- Daniel R. Levitt, author of The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Photographs Introduction Part One: Early Life 1. Willie Keeler in American Culture 2. A Brooklyn Boyhood 3. Reaching the Big League Part Two: The Baltimore Orioles 4. A Dynasty Begins to Take Shape 5. It’s a Whole New Game They’re Playing 6. The Game of the Nineties Was Just Ugly 7. And Now We Have the Best Baseball Club 8. Another Pennant Won, Another Temple Cup Lost 9. A Clean Sweep 10. The Streak 11. Good vs. Evil 12. The Most Valuable Player in the Profession 13. Baltimore Had a Good Team and a Lousy Market Part Three: The Brooklyn Superbas 14. Hanlon’s Superbas 15. The League Shrinks, but Brooklyn Remains on Top 16. Winning the Chronicle Cup 17. Keep Your Eye Clear and Hit ‘em Where They Ain’t 18. Will Willie Stay or Will Willie Go 19. I Am in Baseball for All I Can Get Out Of It Part Four: The New York Yankees 20. Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge 21. A Disappointing First Season in New York 22. The Yankees Pursue Their First Pennant 23. The Wild Pitch 24. The Yankees Struggle through an Injury-Marred Season 25. Willie Keeler and Ty Cobb 26. Keeler Has His Last Good Season 27. A Last Hurrah in Baltimore 28. Willie Keeler’s Work Has Been Unsatisfactory 29. Boys, I Guess My Time Has Come Part Five: Life after Baseball 30. Keeler’s Playing Career Comes to an End 31. We’re Not All Lucky 32. The World Might Have Used Him Better Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
