More than Merkle : A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History

“I have done a report of some kind on the Fred Merkle story, whether in print, on radio, or on TV, on or about its anniversary, September 23, virtually every year since I was in college. The saga has always seemed to me to be a microcosm not just of baseball, nor of celebrity, but of life. The rules sometimes change while you’re playing the game. Those you trust to tell you the changes often don’t bother to. That for which history still mocks you, would have gone unnoticed if you had done it a year or a month or a day before. That’s who Fred Merkle is. I have often proposed September 23 as a national day of amnesty, in Fred Merkle's memory.”—Keith Olbermann, from his foreword. "The arrival of a new baseball season serves to rekindle an old question: Which was the most exciting season ever played? In a book called More Than Merkle, David W. Anderson comes up with an answer that will startle many fans: the season of 1908. Just to make things perfectly clear, he subtitles his opus 'A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History.' Of course, the centerpiece is Fred 'Bonehead' Merkle, whose 'boner' of not running from first to second base while the winning run was scoring cost the New York Giants a pennant. Both leagues had close races that year, and the author covers them in exuberant detail. He also focuses on such star players as Christy Mathewson, Three-Finger Brown and Johnny Evers, not to mention more obscure figures, such as a pitcher with the fascinating name of Orval Overall, who won two games for the Chicago Cubs in the World Series (their last World Championship). Baseball antiquarians will relish the book."--Parade Highlights Of The 1908 Baseball Season From The Infamous Fred Merkle Boner To The Cubs' Last World Series Victory. Baseball Turned Upside Down : The 1906 World Series -- The Game In 1908 : Dead Ball Era Baseball -- The Teams Of 1908 : A Look At The Players -- The Men In Blue : The Umpires Of 1908 -- April : The Best Hopes Of Fans -- May : The Makings Of A Pennant Race -- June : The Race Is On -- July : Gain The Edge -- August : The Storm Clouds Gather -- September : All Hell Breaks Loose -- October : Down To The Wire -- Scandals Of 1908 : Delayed Reckoning. David W. Anderson ; With A Foreword By Keith Olbermann. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 251-253) And Index. The author looks back to 1908 as the most thrilling year in baseball, recreating this seminal season in flashy, lifelike detail for readers.