Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History

by Jonathan Weeks

In 1890, baseball’s Pittsburgh Alleghenys won a measly 23 games, losing 113. The Cleveland Spiders topped this record when they lost an astonishing 134 games in 1899. Over 100 years later, the 2003 Detroit Tige rs stood apart as the only team in baseball history to lose 60 games before July in a season. These stories and more are told in Cellar The Worst Teams in Baseball History, a colorful tribute to the sport’s least successful clubs.

Cellar Dwellers spans three centuries of professional baseball, recounting the seasons of those teams whose misadventures have largely been forgotten over time. Chapters not only cover the stories of the luckless teams, they also include reams of statistics and detailed player profiles of those who helped the clubs—and those who helped them fail. In addition to the Alleghenys, Spiders, and Tigers, the cellar dwellers of baseball


While many books revel in the glories of teams whose exploits have become legendary, the stories found in this volume offer an engaging alternative to the thrill of victory. Embellished with comical and amusing anecdotes alongside historical perspectives, Cellar Dwellers will entertain baseball fans and fascinate those who love baseball history.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Weeks spent most of his life in the Capital District region of New York State. He earned a degree in psychology from SUNY Albany. In 2004, he migrated to Malone, NY. He continues to gripe about the frigid winter temperatures to the present day. He has published several books on the topic of baseball. He would have loved to play professionally, but lacked the talent. He still can't hit a curve ball or lay off the high heat. In the winter months, he moonlights as a hockey fan.

Reviews

[John Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting facts about pre-war baseball. The thumbnail player bios were concise and presented info on a lot of obscure players. The book is a bit more scholarly than recreational though and may not resonate with casual fans. Since I myself am a fanatic, I really liked it.

[Dave]

Book takes a look at the worse baseball teams of all time. If you think the team you are a fan of read this book. I guarantee your team isn't as horrible as any of these teams.