The 1937 Newark Bears: A Baseball LegendHere is the fascinating account, rich in nostalgia, of the greatest minor league team in the history of baseball. Ronald Mayer recounts the wonderful early years of the Newark Bears when millionaire beer baron Jacob Ruppert, owner of the New York Yankees, purchased the team from the newspaper publisher Paul Block in 1931. Mayer traces the Bears' exciting first five seasons under Ruppert and the building of a farm system that eventually produced the great Yankee dynasty. These colorful early seasons were sprinkled with some of the great names of the American pastime: Ed Barrow, Paul Kritchell, Al Mamaux, Red Rolfe, Babe Ruth, Shag Shaughnessey, Bob Shawkey, and George Weiss. The Bears' finest hour, however, came in 1937 with a team that many experts consider the greatest in the history of the minor leagues. This book captures all the thrilling moments of that memorable season--action-packed Spring training at Sebring, Florida, the day-to-day excitement of the pennant race, the vivid play-by-play action of the semifinal playoff against the Syracuse Chiefs, the final playoof against the Baltimore Orioles, and finally, the spellbinding, unforgettable Little World Series against the powerful Columbus Red Birds. This book is packed with photos and colorful profiles of Babe Dahlgren, Atley Donald, Joe Gordon, Charley Keller, George McQuinn, manager Oscar Vitt, and the rest of the great Newark players. It's all here, in the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched book every published about the Newark Bears. |
Contents
A Year To Remember 1937 | 3 |
XV | 19 |
The Championship 1932 | 27 |
The Frustrating Years | 39 |
The Downhill Years 1935 and 1936 | 57 |
Spring Training 1937 | 76 |
Opening Day 1937 | 96 |
On The Road | 119 |
Home Sweet Home | 191 |
Clinched | 201 |
Batting Title Comes To Newark | 215 |
Semifinal PlayOffs Syracuse Chiefs | 233 |
Final PlayOffs Baltimore Orioles | 247 |
Little World Series | 259 |
On To Columbus | 275 |
The Parade | 287 |
Common terms and phrases
Atley Donald Babe Dahlgren ball club ballplayers Baltimore Barrow base baseball baseman batter batting average Bears won Binghamton Bob Seeds Brennan Buddy Rosar Buffalo catcher Chandler Charlie Keller Cleveland Colonel Columbus double double-header eight fielder final finished four fourth game number George McQuinn George Weiss Giants Henrich hitter home run homers infield International League Jack Fallon Jersey City Jimmy Gleeson Joe Beggs Joe Gordon Johnny lead left field left-hander lineup Little World Series Mamaux Marius Russo McCarthy Montreal mound Newark Bears Newark fans ninth Nolen Richardson Orioles Oscar Vitt outfielder pennant pitcher pitching staff plate play-offs played players RBI's record Red Birds Red Sox regular season right field right-hander Rochester rookie Ruppert Stadium score Sebring second game seven seventh Shawkey shortstop shutout single spring training Steve Sundra streak Syracuse Tamulis three hits Toronto victory Vito Tamulis Vitt's Willard Hershberger Yankee management York Yankees young