"You talk about destiny, well, you
can't rule that out. We were hard-nosed and that showed up in 1957."
-- Braves catcher Del Crandall to editor Gregory H. Wolf
Few teams in baseball history have
captured the hearts of their fans like the Milwaukee Braves of the
19505. During the Braves' 13-year tenure in Milwaukee (1953-1965),
they had a winning record every season, won two consecutive NL
pennants (1957 and 1958), lost two more in the final week of the
season (1956 and 1959), and set big-league attendance records along
the way.
This book celebrates the Milwaukee
Braves' historic 1957 World Series championship season. Led by the
bats of National League Most Valuable Player Henry Aaron and slugging
third baseman Eddie Mathews and the "Big Three" pitching
trio (Cy Young Award winner Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, and Bob Buhl)
the Braves won 95 games. The team enjoyed standout seasons by
shortstop Johnny Logan, outfielder Wes Covington, and catcher Del
Crandall And GM John Quinn pulled off the biggest trade of the
summer, acquiring All-Star second baseman Red Schoendienst from the
New York Giants. The Braves cemented their place in history by
defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series. In one of the
greatest performances in the history of the fall classic, crafty Lew
Burdette tossed his second consecutive shutout (and third complete
game) to defeat the Bronx Bombers in Game Seven, in Yankee Stadium.
A collaborative effort of 32 members of
the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Thar's Joy in
Braveland! The 1957 Milwaukee Braves portrays that memorable team
with life stories of all of the roster players, the manager and
coaching staff, the owner, the general manager, and sportswriters and
radio announcers. Summaries of the regular season and World Series
re-create the magic of that unforgettable season.
Table of Contents:
Introduction:The
Milwaukee Braves Make History by Gregory H Wolf
From
Yawkey to Milwaukee: Lou Perini Makes his Move by Saul Wisnia
THE
BRAVES
Henry
“Hank” Aaron by William Johnson
Joe Adcock by
Gregory H Wolf
Bill Bruton by
John Harry Stahl
Bob Buhl by
Gregory H Wolf
Lew
Burdette by Alex Kupfer
Dick
Cole by Doug Engleman
Gene
Conley by John R Husman
Wes
Covington by Andy Sturgill
Del
Crandall by Gregory H Wolf
Ray
Crone by Gregory H Wolf
John
DeMerit by Steven Schmitt
Harry
Hanebrink by Andy Sturgill
Bob
Hazle by Nancy Snell Griffith
Joey
Jay by Joe Wancho
Ernie
Johnson by Dana Sprague
Dave
Jolly by Chip Greene
Nippy
Jones by Dan Fields
Johnny
Logan by Bob Buege
Bobby
Malkmus by Gregory H Wolf
Felix
Mantilla by Rick Schabowski
Eddie
Mathews by David Fleitz
Don
McMahon by John Vorperian
Red
Murff by Michael J Bielawa
Danny
O’Connell by Mel Marmer
Andy
Pafko by Dale Voiss
Phil
Paine by Chip Greene
Taylor
Phillips by Rick Schabowski
Juan
Pizarro by Rory Costello
Del
Rice by Norm King
Mel
Roach by David Fleitz
Carl
Sawatski by Gregory H Wolf
Red
Schoendienst by Kristen Lokemoen
Ray
Shearer by William Johnson
Warren
Spahn by Jim Kaplan
Chuck
Tanner by Dan Fields
Hawk
Taylor by Steven Schmitt
Bobby
Thomson by Jeff Findley
Frank
Torre by Norm King
Bob
Trowbridge by Nancy Snell Griffith
THE
MANAGER
Fred
Haney by Jim Gordon
THE
COACHES
Bob
Keely by Gregory H Wolf
Johnny
Riddle by Nancy Snell Griffith
Charlie
Root by Gregory H Wolf
Connie
Ryan by John McMurray
GENERAL
MANAGER
John
Quinn by Rory Costello
County
Stadium by Gregg Hoffmann
Jane
Jarvis by Rory Costello
THE
SPORTSWRITERS
Headlines
and Deadlines: Wordsmiths of the Braves by Bob Buege
Lou
Chapman by Bob Buege
Red
Thisted by Bob Buege
Bob
Wolf by Bob Buege
RADIO
ANNOUNCERS
Voices
of the Braves: Blaine Walsh and Earl Gillespie by Bob Buege
REGULAR
SEASON SUMMARY
The
Milwaukee Braves Season Timeline and Summary by Gregory H Wolf
WORLD
SERIES SUMMARY
World
Series Summary by Norm King
By
the Numbers: Milwaukee Braves in 1957 by Dan Fields
Thirteen
Years of Magic by Bob Buege