{"product_id":"9781250116567","title":"Electric October : Seven World Series Games, Six Lives, Five Minutes of Fame That Lasted Forever","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eElectric October\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Kevin Cook\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe epic World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers and the six men whose lives were changed forever\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKevin 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Ron Gabriel Award of the Society for American Baseball Research\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Heartfelt and entertaining. . . . Cook's narrative is splendid, but the subtext of his book is even better.\" -- \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A wonderful book by someone who clearly loves the game and the seemingly small moments that cement that love. Bravo!”--\u003cb\u003eKen Burns\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A poignant study that goes beyond baseball.\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The 1947 World Series had everything: Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson, Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field. It went a full and fully dramatic seven games, with enduring legends in both dugouts. And yet, as so often happens in baseball, bit players jumped from the agate type into the headlines as well. Kevin Cook offers a fine appreciation of the games, the subplots, and the personalities that made ’47 a true Fall Classic.”--\u003cb\u003eBob Costas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A magnificent, Hall of Fame caliber addition to baseball literature.\"--\u003cb\u003eGeorge F. Will\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[An] essential summer read... a fascinating deep dive into the unlikely characters that made the 1947 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers a classic\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Entertaining, well-researched history.... In profiling the lives of these six overlooked men, Cook reveals the complicated reality of baseball’s golden era.\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An impressively reported, smoothly written book\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[An] entertaining slice of baseball history.\"--\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An outstanding collection of stories about men, about life and about one glorious World Series, it is one that all baseball readers should add to their libraries.\"--\u003cb\u003eSportsBookGuy.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eElectric October \u003c\/i\u003eis a great baseball story and a classic American tale, as the six hard-working men at the heart of the narrative seized the moment when fate called. Kevin Cook has crafted one of the best books you’ll read this year.”--\u003cb\u003eJames Bradley\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eFlags of Our Fathers \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe China Mirage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The pleasures of \u003ci\u003eElectric October \u003c\/i\u003eare many: from the spectacle of a Babe Ruth popup to the insights of the boy-manager Bucky Harris; from the origin of the relief specialist to the inception of a signature radio call; from a famous running catch to a terrifying prank among teammates. You’ll also learn how it feels to be fired – because Kevin Cook reveals that disappointment, and what skilled men do with it, has defined baseball across its many years.”--\u003cb\u003eNicholas Dawidoff\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Catcher Was a Spy\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Crowd Sounds Happy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The lives on the margins always have been far more interesting to me than the ones at the top of the sports page. That's what makes \u003ci\u003eElectric October\u003c\/i\u003e such a wonder. Six character actors named Snuffy and Cookie, Burt and Al, and Bill and Bucky have their leading-man moments during the implausible events of the 1947 World Series. There is magic here and we all get to share in it. Terrific.” --\u003cb\u003eLeigh Montville\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. the United States of America, 1966-1971\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250116567\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Henry Holt and Co.","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40654289535182,"sku":"9781250116567","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250116567","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}