Home Team by Robert F Garratt

Home Team by Robert F Garratt

In 1957 Horace Stoneham took his Giants of New York baseball team and headed west, starting a gold rush with bats and balls rather than pans and mines. But San Francisco already had a team, the Seals of the Pacific Coast League, and West Coast fans had to learn to embrace the newcomers. Starting with the franchise’s earliest days and following the team up to recent World Series glory, Home Team chronicles the story of the Giants and their often topsy-turvy relationship with the city of San Francisco. Robert F. Garratt shines light on those who worked behind the scenes in the story of West Coast baseball: the politicians, businessmen, and owners who were instrumental in the club’s history. Home Team presents Stoneham, often left in the shadow of Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, as a true baseball pioneer in his willingness to sign black and Latino players and his recruitment of the first Japanese player in the Major Leagues, making the Giants one of the most integrated teams in baseball in the early 1960s. Garratt also records the turbulent times, poor results, declining attendance, two near-moves away from California, and the role of post-Stoneham owners Bob Lurie and Peter Magowan in the Giants’ eventual reemergence as a baseball powerhouse. Garratt’s superb history of this great ball club makes the Giants’ story one of the most compelling of all Major League franchises.

"A great read and great baseball history"—Allen Barra, San Francisco Chronicle
"A significant, authoritative history of the Giants. Baseball fans should read it. Libraries should acquire it."—G. Louis Heath, Aethlon
“A good reason to read Home Team is the chance to get to know Horace Stoneham the way I did. He was a good friend, a hard worker, and a great man. He did a lot for me and for baseball.”—Willie Mays
 
“Once you begin the journey with Garratt you won’t stop until the first pitch at Pac Bell Park in 2000. Home Team is a must for any baseball fan.”—Marty Lurie, Giants pre- and postgame radio host of the Bay Area’s KNBR 680
 
“From the boardroom to the courtroom to the ballpark, Rob Garratt touches all the bases. Must-reading for any baseball fan.”—Hank Greenwald, the voice of the Giants (1979–96) and author of This Copyrighted Broadcast 
“The vision of Horace Stoneham . . . opened the door for many Latin baseball players, including myself, the Alou brothers, and Juan Marichal, among others. This is an important history of the Giants franchise.”—Orlando Cepeda       

Robert F. Garratt is emeritus professor of English and humanities at the University of Puget Sound. He has published books and articles on modern Irish literature. His baseball articles have appeared in NINE and the SABR BioProject.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780803286832
ISBN 10	080328683X
Title	Home Team
Author	Robert F Garratt
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	University of Nebraska Press
Year published	2017-04-01
Number of pages	264
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.