Baseball has had its fair share of one-and-out champions, but few clubs have dominated the sport for any great length of time. Given the level of competition and the expansive length of the season, it is a remarkable accomplishment for a team to make multiple World Series appearances in a short timespan. From the Baltimore Orioles of the 1800s who would go to any length to win-including physically accosting opponents-to the 1934 Cardinals known as the "Gashouse Gang" for their rough tactics and determination, and on to George Steinbrenner's dominant Yankees of the late twentieth century, baseball's greatest teams somehow found a way to win year after year. Spanning three centuries of the game, Baseball's Dynasties and the Players Who Built Them examines twenty-two of baseball's most iconic teams. Each chapter not only chronicles the club's era of supremacy, but also provides an in-depth look at the players who helped make their teams great. Nearly two hundred player profiles are included, featuring such well-known stars as Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Pete Rose, as well as players who were perhaps overshadowed by their teammates but were nonetheless vital to their team's reign, such as Pepper Martin, Allie Reynolds, and George Foster. With a concluding chapter that profiles the clubs that were on the cusp of greatness, Baseball's Dynasties and the Players Who Built Them is a fascinating survey of what makes some teams dominate year after year while others get only a small taste of glory before falling to the wayside. Written in a lively style with amusing anecdotes and colorful quotes, this comprehensive book will be of interest to all fans and historians of baseball.
Introduction Chapter 1: Baltimore Orioles: 1894-1897 Chapter 2: Pittsburgh Pirates: 1901-1903 Chapter 3 Chicago Cubs: 1906-1910 Chapter 4 Philadelphia Athletics: 1910-1914 Chapter 5 Boston Red Sox: 1915-1918 Chapter 6: New York Giants: 1921-1924 Chapter 7: New York Yankees: 1926-1928 Chapter 8: Philadelphia Athletics: 1929-1931 Chapter 9: St. Louis Cardinals: 1930-1934 Chapter 10: New York Yankees: 1936-1939 Chapter 11: New York Yankees: 1949-1953 Chapter 12: Brooklyn Dodgers: 1952-1956 Chapter 13: Los Angeles Dodgers: 1963-1966 Chapter 14: St. Louis Cardinals: 1964-1968 Chapter 15: Baltimore Orioles: 1966-1971 Chapter 16: Oakland Athletics: 1972-1974 Chapter 17: Cincinnati Reds: 1972-1976 Chapter 18: New York Yankees: 1976-1978 Chapter 19: Oakland Athletics: 1988-1990 Chapter 20: Toronto Blue Jays: 1991-1993 Chapter 21: Atlanta Braves: 1991-1996 Chapter 22: New York Yankees: 1996-2000 Chapter 23: Honorable Mentions Bibliography Index About the Author
