Electric October by Kevin Cook

Electric October by Kevin Cook

The epic World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers and the six men whose lives were changed forever

The 1947 World Series was "the most exciting ever" in the words of Joe DiMaggio, with a decade's worth of drama packed into seven games between the mighty New York Yankees and underdog Brooklyn Dodgers. It was Jackie Robinson's first Series, a postwar spectacle featuring Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway and President Harry Truman in supporting roles. It was also the first televised World Series - sportswriters called it "Electric October."

But for all the star power on display, the outcome hinged on role players: Bill Bevens, a journeyman who knocked on the door of pitching immortality; Al Gionfriddo and Cookie Lavagetto, bench players at the center of the Series' iconic moments; Snuffy Stirnweiss, a wartime batting champion who never got any respect; and managers Bucky Harris and Burt Shotton, each an unlikely choice to run his team. Six men found themselves plucked from obscurity to shine on the sport's greatest stage. But their fame was fleeting; three would never play another big-league game, and all six would be forgotten.

Kevin Cook brings the '47 Series back to life, introducing us to men whose past offered no hint they were destined for extraordinary things. For some, the Series was a memory to hold onto. For others, it would haunt them to the end of their days. And for us, Cook offers new insights--some heartbreaking, some uplifting--into what fame and glory truly mean.

Kevin Cook, the former editor-in-chief of Golf Magazine, has written for Sports Illustrated, GQ, Playboy, Details, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Portfolio, and a variety of other publications, and has appeared on ESPN and CNN as a commentator. Tommy's Honor, his debut book, was named the Best Golf Book of 2007 by the USGA, made Sports Illustrated's 2007 Books of the Year list, and was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in the United Kingdom.