The 1940 Cincinnati Reds

One of the oldest and most celebrated franchises in baseball history, the Cincinnati Reds have left an indelible mark on the national pastime. Perhaps the most compelling but overlooked period in Reds history is the 1940 championship season, during which the team won 100 games and earned the world title while overcoming an in-season tragedy faced by no other team in baseball history. Four attempted suicides, three of which were successful, by individuals connected to the team dealt a tragic and unprecedented setback to what was ultimately a successful season. This book addresses both the 1940 Cincinnati Reds as a collective group and, to a greater degree, the individual players who comprised that championship squad. The book begins with the story of Willard Hershberger, the 1940 reserve catcher for the Reds and the only player ever to commit suicide during a major league season. Later chapters tell the stories of Bill McKechnie and Warren Giles, the managers who together led the Reds to victory over the Detroit Tigers in 1940, and the stories of the players on the pennant-winning team: Frank McCormick, Lonnie Frey, Billy Myers, Billy Werber, Eddie Joost, Paul Derringer, William "Bucky" Walters, Johnny Vander Meer, Gene Thompson, Jim Turner, Joseph Beggs, Jimmy Ripple, and Ernie Lombardi. The crucial games, important performances, and personal tragedies of the 1940 season, culminating in the drama of a seven-game World Series, are chronicled in this book.

The passion for baseball in Cincinnati that's nearly unrivaled and the unequalled feel for the game that only exists in the Queen City are captured in this record. Unearthing the greatest stories ever written about one of the most storied teams in Major League Baseball history, the book brings back to life the most memorable Reds moments and the people who lived them.

Inside MLB profiles each of the 30 franchises in Major League Baseball. Cincinnati Reds is a beginner's history of the Reds, covering the beginnings of the franchise, the greatest and lowest moments of the team, and the best players and managers. Fun facts, anecdotes, and sidebars round out the story of each club, allowing your readers to get Inside MLB! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

In the first half of the twentieth century, the Cincinnati Reds--though only rarely dominant on the field--exerted considerable influence over the world of organized baseball. The creation of the World Series, baseball's first "de facto" commissioner, nighttime baseball beneath the lights, radio broadcasts, and modern groundskeeping--all innovations in major league baseball that can be attributed to the Cincinnati Reds. The 1919 Reds played in one of the most infamous sporting events ever, winning the World Series over the scandal-ridden Chicago "Black Sox." They returned to the Fall Classic in 1939 and 1940 without controversy, winning the championship in "40. This is the era of The Palace of the Fans and Crosley Field, of a 15-year-old pitcher turned Cincinnati legend, and of Hall of Famers Ed Roush, Eppa Rixey, and Ernie Lombardi.

The Big 50: Cincinnati Reds is an amazing, full-color look at the 50 men and moments that made the Reds the Reds. Experienced sportswriters Chad Dotson and Chris Garber recount the living history of the Reds, counting down from No. 50 to No. 1. Big 50: Reds brilliantly brings to life the Reds remarkable story, from Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin to the roller coaster that was Pete Rose to the team's 1990 World Series championship and Todd Frazier's 2015 Home Run Derby win.

This is a book about baseball’s true “replacement players.” During the four seasons the U.S. was at war in World War II (1942-1945), 533 players made their major-league debuts. There were 67 first-time major leaguers under the age of 21 (Joe Nuxhall the youngest at 15 in 1944). More than 60 percent of the players in the 1941 Opening Day lineups departed for the service. The 1944 Dodgers had only Dixie Walker and Mickey Owen as the two regulars from their 1941 pennant-winning team. The owners brought in not only first-timers but also many oldsters. Hod Lisenbee pitched 80 innings for the Reds in 1945 at the age of 46. He had last pitched in the major leagues in 1936. War veteran and former POW Bert Shepard, with an artificial leg, pitched in one game for the 1945 Senators, and one-armed outfielder Pete Gray played for the St. Louis Browns. The war years featured firsts and lasts. The St. Louis Browns won their first (and last) pennant in 1944 — a feat made more amazing by the fact that they had not finished in the first division since 1929. The 1944 team featured 13 players classified as 4-F. The Chicago Cubs appeared in the 1945 World Series but have not made it back since. Some 53 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) have contributed to this volume. We invite you to sit back and relax as you learn Who's on First? Includes contributions by: Alan Cohen, Ashlie Christian And Armand Peterson, Bill Nowlin, Bob Brady, Bob Lemoine, Bob Mayer, Bob Webster, Charles Faber, Charlie Weatherby, Chris Rainey, Cort Vitty, David Finoli, David M. Jordan, David Raglin And Barb Mantegani, David W. Pugh, Don Zminda, Duke Goldman, Greg Erion, Gregg Omoth, Gregory H. Wolf, J. G. Preston, James D. Smith, Iii, Jay Hurd, Jeff Marlett, Jeff Obermeyer, Jim Sweetman, Joanne Hulbert, John Shannahan, Leslie Heaphy, Lyle Spatz, Marc Lancaster, Marc Z Aaron, Mark S. Sternman, Mel Marmer, Merrie A. Fidler, Michael Huber, Michael Huber And Rachel Hamelers, Mike Mcclary, Peter C. Bjarkman, Rex Hamann, Rich Bogovich, Richard Cuicchi, Richard Moraski, Rory Costello And Lou Hernández, Seamus Kearney, Sidney Davis, Steve Smith, Thomas Ayers, Tom Hawthorn, Walter Leconte Table of Contents: Introduction MARC Z AARON The Business of Baseball During World War II JEFF OBERMEYER “But Where is Pearl Harbor?” Baseball and the Day the World Changed, December 7, 1941 BOB LEMOINE The Tri-Cornered War Bond Baseball Game MICHAEL HUBER AND RACHEL HAMELERS NATIONAL LEAGUE Boston Braves How the Boston Braves Survived the War But Lost the Battle for Boston BOB BRADY Ben Cardoni BY MARK S. STERNMAN Buck Etchison BY ALAN COHEN Butch Nieman BY SIDNEY DAVIS Mystery Member of the ‘45 Braves BOB BRADY Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers in Wartime MICHAEL HUBER John “Fats” D’Antonio RICHARD CUICCHI Bill Hart BOB LEMOINE Lee Pfund BOB WEBSTER Chicago Cubs The Cubs in Wartime THOMAS AYERS Jorge Comellas RICH BOGOVICH Billy Holm BILL NOWLIN Walter Signer GREGORY H. WOLF Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds During World War II JAY HURD Tomás de la Cruz PETER C. BJARKMAN Buck Fausett J. G. PRESTON Dick Sipek CHARLES FABER New York Giants The New York Giants in Wartime BOB MAYER Al Gardella CHARLIE WEATHERBY Frank Seward JEFF MARLETT Roy Zimmerman JOANNE HULBERT Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies in Wartime SEAMUS KEARNEY Chet Covington STEVE SMITH Hilly Flitcraft JIM SWEETMAN Lee Riley MEL MARMER Pittsburgh Pirates The Pirates in Wartime DAVID FINOLI Xavier Rescigno DAVID FINOLI Len Gilmore DAVID FINOLI Frankie Zak DAVID FINOLI St. Louis Cardinals The Cardinals in Wartime GREGORY H. WOLF Jack Creel GREGORY H. WOLF Gene Crumling GREGORY H. WOLF Bob Keely GREGORY H. WOLF AMERICAN LEAGUE Boston Red Sox The Red Sox in Wartime BILL NOWLIN Otey Clark BILL NOWLIN Ty LaForest BILL NOWLIN Stan Partenheimer JOHN SHANNAHAN The Frostbite League: Spring Training 1943 - 1945 BILL NOWLIN The 1944 Red Sox: What Could Have Been DUKE GOLDMAN Chicago White Sox The White Sox in Wartime DON ZMINDA Vince Castino DAVID RAGLIN AND BARB MANTEGANI Guy Curtright DON ZMINDA Floyd Speer REX HAMANN Cleveland Indians World War II and the Cleveland Indians DAVID W. PUGH Otto Denning CHRIS RAINEY Jim McDonnell ASHLIE CHRISTIAN AND ARMAND PETERSON Mickey Rocco GREGG OMOTH Detroit Tigers The Tigers in Wartime MIKE MCCLARY Chuck Hostetler MARC LANCASTER Bobby Maier MARC LANCASTER Charlie Metro TOM HAWTHORN New York Yankees The Yankees in Wartime MARC Z AARON Joe Buzas MARC Z AARON Mike Garbark MARC Z AARON Bud Metheny MARC Z AARON Philadelphia Athletics The Wartime Philadelphia Athletics DAVID M. JORDAN Orie Arntzen GREGORY H. WOLF Jim Tyack ALAN COHEN Woody Wheaton ALAN COHEN St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns in World War II GREG ERION Milt Byrnes GREG ERION Charley Fuchs GREG ERION Pete Gray MEL MARMER Washington Senators The Washington Senators in Wartime RICHARD MORASKI Ed Butka CORT VITTY Jug Thesenga BOB LEMOINE Tony Zardón RORY COSTELLO AND LOU HERNÁNDEZ Senators Who Died in Combat RICHARD MORASKI OTHER ESSAYS The All-Star Games in the War Years LYLE SPATZ Wartime Baseball: Minor Leagues, Major Changes (San Diego to Buffalo) JAMES D. SMITH, III Impact of WWII on the Negro Leagues LESLIE HEAPHY Baseball’s Women on the Field During WWII MERRIE A. FIDLER In-season Exhibition Games During Wartime WALTER LECONTE The Double Victory Campaign and the Campaign to Integrate Baseball DUKE GOLDMAN

In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first all-professional baseball club. The history, geography, demography and economy of the area made Cincinnati a baseball town par excellence. During pro ball's early years, the city was almost always represented by a club called the Reds. In 1903 Reds owner Garry Hermann helped broker peace between the National and American leagues and became known as the "Father of the World Series." The Reds won the Series in 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976 and 1990. Under the ownership of the controversial Marge Schott and managed by the mercurial Lou Piniella, the 1990 Reds led the National League West, defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Championship Series and swept the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Stars such as Barry Larkin and Eric Davis--along with pitcher Jose Rijo and the trio of relievers known as the Nasty Boys--deserve much of the credit that year but lesser knowns like Billy Hatcher and Glenn Braggs made significant contributions. They have come close but the Reds have not won another pennant since.

This is the second edition of the Vintage Pennant Price Guide. It has been updated with prices and now has over 2,200 baseball and football pennants spanning 348 pages. A must have for any collector or dealer. This is also available in full color for Kindle or eBook for desktop or tablet. "The Vintage Pennant Price Guide II is a tremendous resource for all collectors! Vintage pennants are a difficult area for research. This guide is comprehensive. It provides illustrations and notes and values for over 2,200 pennants. It is THE guide for this popular area of collecting. The Vintage Pennant Price Guide has a permanent place in our reference library." Robert Lifson, President, Robert Edward Auctions, LLC "Absolutely tremendous resource guide that is a must have for anyone who ever wants to buy or sell pennants. You did a tremendous job with it and we look forward to using it for every auction we run!" Josh Wulkan, Vice President, Huggins and Scott Auctions