Baseball's Most Notorious Personalities

From murder to hijinks to hotheads, all the bases are covered in a book dedicated to baseball’s anti-heros. In his latest, sports enthusiast Weeks (Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History) profiles a range of meager characters among them stars and lesser folks alike. There is the disturbing story of a stalker fan, which inspired Bernard Malamud’s The Natural, and of Lee Elia, who in the early 80s took over as manager of the struggling Chicago Cubs and unleashed tirades directed at everyone—particularly the fans, whom he referred to as “nickel-dime people” and “urged them all to find jobs instead of hanging out at the ball park, which he labeled their ‘playground.‘” Then, there is Dave Kingman, a superb hitter and malcontent, whose “itinerant lifestyle” led him to play for four different clubs in the 1977 season. Stubborn and contentious, his is a story of talent and tantrum. To no surprise, the chapter on “Onerous Owners” features a profile on George Steinbrenner, described by Weeks as a “walking contradiction” who had “no qualms about insulting the highest paid Yankee players.” Batting statistics for more than 35 players are included, as biographic information. The bad boys reign in this book as cringe-worthy activities are recalled on every page. * Publishers Weekly *This volume fills a gap in the wide and deep literature of the history of professional baseball, focusing exclusively on the more infamous players to grace the sport. The text is divided into 10 chapters of short biographies, such as “The Mysterious and the Macabre”; “Liars, Cheats, and Tattletales”; and “Meddlesome Managers.” A sampling of the entries provides Marty Bergen, a catcher for the Boston Beaneaters who murdered his family; and Carl Mays, a pitcher who killed a batter with a brush-back pitch to the head. A name index is provided as well as statistics for each of the mentioned players. This volume would be a great addition to the circulating collection of most libraries. * Booklist *Baseball isn’t always about batting champs, gold gloves and Cy Young winners. It’s also about the game’s infamous lamebrains, cheaters and other toxic characters. Jon Weeks has done a masterful job of profiling the scoundrels, rascals and villains who have added a dash of color—mostly black—to the history of our national pastime. – Allan Zullo, coauthor of The Baseball Hall of Shame: The Best of BlooperstownWe all know the inspirational biographies of Ruth, Gehrig, and Robinson. Baseball’s Most Notorious Personalities rounds up the colorful, incorrigible, irascible, and—most of all—highly entertaining characters from the corners and shadows of baseball’s rich history. You may not remember the stats but you won’t forget their stories. – Mickey Bradley, co-author of Haunted Baseball and Field of Screams

Jonathan Weeks is a lifelong baseball enthusiast and member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He is the author of Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History (Scarecrow, 2012).

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