The Final Game at Ebbets Field

2020 SABR WINNER OF THE RON GABRIEL AWARD : BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR on The Brooklyn Dodgers. MUST READING FOR L.A. and Brooklyn Dodger fans! The most extensive account ever of the final game played by the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Plus much more! Mr. Hynd is clearly a baseball addict, a true aficionado of the game...." - NY Times The Dodgers played their final game in Brooklyn on September 24th, 1957. From the author of "The Giants of The Polo Grounds," here's a thoughtful entertaining NEW account of that last game played by the Brooklyn Dodgers at baseball's most fabled and best loved ballpark. 'The Final Game At Ebbets Field’ starts this unique collection of true baseball stories. Rare Dodger photographs and a treasure trove of new insights and details accompany this newly researched account. The book continues its title account with a lively assemblage of true major league stories from the golden age of baseball. The stories, anecdotes and memories focus on Brooklyn but there are also classic tales included from New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, most of which touch upon the Dodgers one way or another. We meet the fascinating men and women of the first half of the 20th Century. We get to know the people and places of a colorful bygone time when there were sixteen teams and hundreds of legendary players. Meet, for example, the family that lived at a ballpark in New York, the female Olympic swimmer who became the pitcher and captain of the New York Female Giants. Spend time with championship Boston Red Sox team that featured the greatest everyday outfield ever. Go back to the day when John Dillinger played professional baseball and Al Capone asked a Chicago player for an autograph, an offer that was not to be refused. Fly a single engine plane with Ruth Law, the skilled aviatrix who dropped a grapefruit from an airplane on the Brooklyn manager. Relive the torments of the A's owner who erected a spiteful wall in Philadelphia to prevent neighborhood fans from seeing his team's games. Discover whether Babe Ruth was a Republican or a Democrat...or both. Be at the Polo Grounds when a little used Dodger reserve player ended Carl Hubbell's record winning streak. But foremost, you will meet again the cast of supporting characters from Ebbets Emmett Kelly, Hilda Chester, Happy Felton, announcer Tex Rickart, and organist and soprano Gladys Goodding. ("Who played for the Dodgers, the Knicks and the Rangers? Gladys Goodding.) You'll meet the man who published Duke Snider's memoir and the famed journalist who regrets not having returned more often to Sullivan Place. You will read words and thoughts on the Dodger Universe by Roberto Clemente, Clem Labine, Carl Erskine, Pee Wee Reese, Stan Musial and Duke Snider. All these true stories, anecdotes, Brooklyn memories and more are contained here, assembled for the first time and told in the wry amusing style of Noel Hynd, a former contributor to Sports Illustrated. 'The Final Game at Ebbets Field' is an insightful romp through some of American baseball's quirkiest events. It’s a memorable read! Come join us on a road trip with the Brooklyn Dodgers, their fans and baseball's most colorful times. Praise for Noel Hynd's "The Giants of The Polo Grounds”…... “A compelling and comprehensive history of an extraordinary ball club.” - New York Times “Grandly digressive! The owners, stars like Mathewson and Mays, various eccentric players are all here in this vivid history by Sports Illustrated contributor Hynd.