Outsider Baseball by Scott Simkus
Outsider Baseball is the story of a forgotten world, where independent professional ball clubs zig-zagged across America, plying their trade in big cities and small villages alike. Included among the former and future major leaguers were mercenaries, scalawags, and outcasts. This is where Babe Ruth, Rube Waddell, and John McGraw crossed bats with the Cuban Stars, Tokyo Giants, Brooklyn Bushwicks, dozens of famous Negro league teams, and novelty acts such as the House of David and Bloomer Girls. Legends emerged in this alternate baseball universe and author Scott Simkus sets out to share their stories and use a critical lens to separate fact from fiction. Written in a gritty prose style, Outsider Baseball combines meticulous research with modern analytics, opening the door to an unforgettable funhouse of baseball history.
"Outstanding"-- John Thorn, author & Official Historian of Major League Baseball on Outsider Baseball Bulletin
"There's a Damon Runyan quality to Simkus' muse." -- Dave Hoekstra, Chicago Sun-Times on Outsider Baseball Bulletin
"Amazing." -- John Holway, author/historian on Outsider Baseball Bulletin
"Reading the OBB is like having a vivid, joyous dream about discovering a lost treasure chest, then waking up with gold coins in your hands." -- Josh Wilker, author, "Cardboard Gods on Outsider Baseball Bulletin"
"This is the best baseball book you will read this year. With Outsider Baseball , Scott Simkus provides us with a time traveler's guide to the dark side of the moon--and rattles off weird and wonderful stories at every stop. I learned plenty; you will too." --John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball and author of Baseball in the Garden of Eden
"A must-read for anyone with more than a passing interest in the national pastime. This careful, provocative examination of baseball's history and mystery challenges much of the conventional wisdom surrounding the sport, forcing us to see the game in a different light." --Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times
"Simkus is at his best when presenting the wild and wacky leagues and players. He respects the game and its statistics, but he also strikes a balance with his breezy prose that number geeks and casual fans should find appealing." -- The Tampa Tribune
"...the amount of research he's done--not to mention his number-crunching--is heroic. Just for that, Outisder Basebell deserves to be read by every baseball history junkie." --ChicagoReader.com
"Scott has amazing things to reveal to us about the game we love--a game we thought we were pretty knowledgable about, until now...Simkus' book is a major step in rediscovering the talents and accomplishments of an entire class of ball players ignored and forgotten until now. This book will inspire further histories and fuel many a Hot Stove League debate. Outside Baseball is a great story, a collection of amazing, previously unknown statistics, and a first peak at a whole new universe of baseball." --Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine
"This book is a total joy to read, and is breezy despite the focu on stats. Simkus clearly loves his subject and it shows. If you have any interest in old-time baseball at all, run, don't walk, to get this book..." --The Book Stew
"The obsessive author takes you into the world of semipro teams, independent clubs, minor league sides and barnstorming outfits. Think you know the history of the game? Simkus will open your eyes to whole new worlds." -- Newsday
"There's a Damon Runyan quality to Simkus' muse." -- Dave Hoekstra, Chicago Sun-Times on Outsider Baseball Bulletin
"Amazing." -- John Holway, author/historian on Outsider Baseball Bulletin
"Reading the OBB is like having a vivid, joyous dream about discovering a lost treasure chest, then waking up with gold coins in your hands." -- Josh Wilker, author, "Cardboard Gods on Outsider Baseball Bulletin"
"This is the best baseball book you will read this year. With Outsider Baseball , Scott Simkus provides us with a time traveler's guide to the dark side of the moon--and rattles off weird and wonderful stories at every stop. I learned plenty; you will too." --John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball and author of Baseball in the Garden of Eden
"A must-read for anyone with more than a passing interest in the national pastime. This careful, provocative examination of baseball's history and mystery challenges much of the conventional wisdom surrounding the sport, forcing us to see the game in a different light." --Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times
"Simkus is at his best when presenting the wild and wacky leagues and players. He respects the game and its statistics, but he also strikes a balance with his breezy prose that number geeks and casual fans should find appealing." -- The Tampa Tribune
"...the amount of research he's done--not to mention his number-crunching--is heroic. Just for that, Outisder Basebell deserves to be read by every baseball history junkie." --ChicagoReader.com
"Scott has amazing things to reveal to us about the game we love--a game we thought we were pretty knowledgable about, until now...Simkus' book is a major step in rediscovering the talents and accomplishments of an entire class of ball players ignored and forgotten until now. This book will inspire further histories and fuel many a Hot Stove League debate. Outside Baseball is a great story, a collection of amazing, previously unknown statistics, and a first peak at a whole new universe of baseball." --Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine
"This book is a total joy to read, and is breezy despite the focu on stats. Simkus clearly loves his subject and it shows. If you have any interest in old-time baseball at all, run, don't walk, to get this book..." --The Book Stew
"The obsessive author takes you into the world of semipro teams, independent clubs, minor league sides and barnstorming outfits. Think you know the history of the game? Simkus will open your eyes to whole new worlds." -- Newsday
Scott Simkus is the founder and editor of the Outsider Baseball Bulletin. He is the winner of a research award from the Society of American Baseball Research for his work on the Negro League Database.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781613748169 |
| ISBN 10 | 1613748167 |
| Title | Outsider Baseball |
| Author | Scott Simkus |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Chicago Review Press |
| Year published | 2014-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |