Teenager on First, Geezer at Bat, 4-F on Deck

Download or read book Teenager on First, Geezer at Bat, 4-F on Deck written by James D. Szalontai and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2009-06-08 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Second World War was in the bottom of the ninth inning in Germany and Japan, but back at home the bases were loaded with baseball players, many of them new to the big leagues. While the game's stars traded their stockings and gloves for khaki and rifles, America's leaders believed baseball would boost morale at home. Teams filled out their rosters with retired stars such as Jimmie Foxx and Babe Herman; with players like Pete Gray and Dick Sipek, whose disabilities had kept them out of the majors; and with teenagers like 17-year-olds Putsy Caballero and Tommy Brown. But while the level of major league talent had reached its nadir, war-weary fans packed the ballparks, eagerly following pennant races as intense as any that preceded the war.