The Game Must Go On: Hank Greenberg, Pete Gray, and the Great Days of Baseball on the Home Front in WWII

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, it appeared as though baseball might be doomed, as established players and up-and-comers alike enlisted with the armed services. Klima's chronicle of the survival of the great American pastime during WWII zips along and offers great depictions of the players who made baseball history. He enthusiastically brings to life Hank Greenberg, the Detroit Tigers slugger who was the first Major League player to enter the Army; Pete Gray, the astonishing one-armed center fielder who played one season in the majors for the St. Louis Browns; and Billy Southworth Jr., whose father managed the St. Louis Cardinals, and who later died flying a B-17 during the war. He hits all the big names along the way as well: Stan Musial, Bob Feller, Warren Spahn, and Satchel Paige. Klima (Bushville Wins!) clearly illustrates that much of baseball as we know it today%E2%80%94the amateur draft, free agency, and the integration of African-American and Latino players, among other elements%E2%80%94took shape between 1941 and 1945. (Apr.)