This Side of Cooperstown: An Oral History of Major League Baseball in the 1950s

The 1950s did much to shape baseball as it is played today: it changed from a day game to a night game, from train to jet, from radio to TV and from East Coast to West Coast. In this history, Moffi (coauthor, Crossing the Line) reports on interviews with 17 of the players who weathered the transition: not the Williamses, Mantles or Mayses but major leaguers who might be called near-great, from pitchers Mel Parnell and Virgil Trucks, both of whom pitched no-hitters and ended with ERAs under 4.0, to sluggers such as Roy Sievers, who hit more than 300 home runs, and exceptional fielders such as shortstop Marty Marion, who played on three World Series-winning teams. To a man they reject the romantic notion that they played only for love of the game and were indifferent to money. Any fan will enjoy this title as part of the history of the game, and it should particularly delight the over-50 crowd. Photos. (Feb.)