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The Best They Could Be: How the Cleveland Indians became the Kings of Baseball, 1916-1920
Since the founding of professional baseball, few teams have risen above years of mediocrity only to see their fortunes interrupted by war and tragedy. Fewer still have then rallied to win the World Series. In the early twentieth century, the Cleveland Indians brought the world championship to their city of passionate fans in a spectacular style that has yet to be replicated. The Best They Could Be recaps the compelling story of the ballplayers and team owner who resurrected this proud but struggling franchise. Although the Cleveland ball club had been an active part of professional baseball from the late 1860s and a charter member of the American League, by 1915 the team was on the brink of collapse. Into this dejected atmosphere came new owner James C. Dunn, who, lacking baseball experience, nonetheless had the business savvy to bring his club to the forefront, acquiring superstar center fielder Tris Speaker, Larry Gardner, and other great players. But during the rise of the franchise, the outbreak of World War I interrupted baseball. Then, in 1920, as the Indians were leading the pennant race, shortstop Ray Chapman died after a pitch fractured his skull. The outpouring of sorrow from teammates and fans alike made the Indians more determined than ever to fight their way to the top. Scott H. Longert’s entertaining and poignant narrative traces the rise, fall, and rebirth of one of America’s most beloved baseball teams.
- GenresBaseballSportsNonfiction
270 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 2014
4 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Scott H. Longert
8 books6 followersScott H. Longert, an avid baseball historian, has an undergraduate degree from the Ohio State University and an M.A. degree in American History from Cleveland State University. He has spent many years in the history field serving as the Sports Archivist for the Western Reserve Historical Society and Site Manager for Shandy Hall, an 1815 home in northeast Ohio. Scott was a Park Ranger for the National Park Service, stationed at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site until his recent retirement.
Scott has been a freelance writer for twenty- five years, publishing news articles on baseball history for The Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine, The National Pastime, The Baseball Research Journal and TimeLine Magazine.
In addition to writing, Scott is an accomplished speaker, presenting talks on Cleveland baseball history and League Park. He spoke at the 100th anniversary ceremony of Addie Joss's perfect game, held on the grounds of historic League Park. Scott enjoys speaking to groups and organizations all around northeast Ohio. Check the home page for dates and times.
As a huge Indians fan Scott and his wife Vicki attend many games each summer, patiently waiting for another World Series appearance. Although it finally happened in 2016 both Scott and Vicki will remain loyal fans until the end of time.
Scott has been a freelance writer for twenty- five years, publishing news articles on baseball history for The Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine, The National Pastime, The Baseball Research Journal and TimeLine Magazine.
In addition to writing, Scott is an accomplished speaker, presenting talks on Cleveland baseball history and League Park. He spoke at the 100th anniversary ceremony of Addie Joss's perfect game, held on the grounds of historic League Park. Scott enjoys speaking to groups and organizations all around northeast Ohio. Check the home page for dates and times.
As a huge Indians fan Scott and his wife Vicki attend many games each summer, patiently waiting for another World Series appearance. Although it finally happened in 2016 both Scott and Vicki will remain loyal fans until the end of time.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 28, 2014
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
The 1920 Cleveland Indians championship baseball team was not built just out of good luck, an owner with deep pockets or even because of their good fortune. While some it was true, this team overcame a lot of hardship and even a death of one of the better players to win the World Series that year. Scott Longert’s book on how that team was built and what they overcame is a terrific read that any baseball fan will enjoy.
The book takes the reader from the time that Jim Dunn became the owner of the club in 1915 up to the end of the 1920 World Series that Cleveland won 5 games to 2 over the Brooklyn Robins. At that time, the World Series was a best-of-nine series. Through the chapter on the World Series, it is noted that three historic events took place all in game four and all were good for Cleveland. Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam homer in World Series history to put the Indians up 4-0. Indians pitcher Jim Bagby followed up with a three run shot of his own, becoming the first pitcher to homer in a World Series game. Then Bill “Wamby” Wambsganss turned the first (and to date, only) unassisted triple play in World Series history. Each achievement gets special treatment during Longert’s recap of the game. These are but a few examples of the excellent writing about the baseball played at that time.
What sets this book apart from other baseball history books is Longert’s writing about off the field activities that affect the Cleveland Indians. His telling of how Dunn acquired the team was a rich collection of stories not only about Dunn himself, but also of the business climate at that time in the country as well as some good research on the owner and American League president Ban Johnson. The chapters about how baseball dealt with World War I and the government’s order for all men aged 21-30 to “work or fight” was well researched and gives the reader a clear picture of what the game meant to the country at that time.
However, I felt the best part of the book was the moving passage about the death of Ray Chapman. The Indians shortstop became the first player to be killed on the field when he was hit in the temple by a fastball thrown by New York Yankees pitcher Carl Mays on August 16, 1920 and died the next day. The stories of how Chapman’s death shook not only the Indians, but the soul of a city and of a sport were some of the best researched and written baseball stories I have read. It felt like I was grieving along with Chapman’s teammates.
This was an outstanding book on that time span in which the Indians became the toast of baseball. The research and writing is top-notch and all baseball fans, regardless of team loyalties, will enjoy this book.
I wish to thank Mr. Longert for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Pace of the book:
Very good as it is an easy read that chronicles the team for those five years. The interruptions of the history with brief biographies of players were well placed in the book and enhanced the particular story being told at that point in the book.
Do I recommend?
This book is an absolute must-read for not only Cleveland Indians fans, but all baseball fans, especially baseball historians who want to learn more about how this team was built.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
The 1920 Cleveland Indians championship baseball team was not built just out of good luck, an owner with deep pockets or even because of their good fortune. While some it was true, this team overcame a lot of hardship and even a death of one of the better players to win the World Series that year. Scott Longert’s book on how that team was built and what they overcame is a terrific read that any baseball fan will enjoy.
The book takes the reader from the time that Jim Dunn became the owner of the club in 1915 up to the end of the 1920 World Series that Cleveland won 5 games to 2 over the Brooklyn Robins. At that time, the World Series was a best-of-nine series. Through the chapter on the World Series, it is noted that three historic events took place all in game four and all were good for Cleveland. Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam homer in World Series history to put the Indians up 4-0. Indians pitcher Jim Bagby followed up with a three run shot of his own, becoming the first pitcher to homer in a World Series game. Then Bill “Wamby” Wambsganss turned the first (and to date, only) unassisted triple play in World Series history. Each achievement gets special treatment during Longert’s recap of the game. These are but a few examples of the excellent writing about the baseball played at that time.
What sets this book apart from other baseball history books is Longert’s writing about off the field activities that affect the Cleveland Indians. His telling of how Dunn acquired the team was a rich collection of stories not only about Dunn himself, but also of the business climate at that time in the country as well as some good research on the owner and American League president Ban Johnson. The chapters about how baseball dealt with World War I and the government’s order for all men aged 21-30 to “work or fight” was well researched and gives the reader a clear picture of what the game meant to the country at that time.
However, I felt the best part of the book was the moving passage about the death of Ray Chapman. The Indians shortstop became the first player to be killed on the field when he was hit in the temple by a fastball thrown by New York Yankees pitcher Carl Mays on August 16, 1920 and died the next day. The stories of how Chapman’s death shook not only the Indians, but the soul of a city and of a sport were some of the best researched and written baseball stories I have read. It felt like I was grieving along with Chapman’s teammates.
This was an outstanding book on that time span in which the Indians became the toast of baseball. The research and writing is top-notch and all baseball fans, regardless of team loyalties, will enjoy this book.
I wish to thank Mr. Longert for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Pace of the book:
Very good as it is an easy read that chronicles the team for those five years. The interruptions of the history with brief biographies of players were well placed in the book and enhanced the particular story being told at that point in the book.
Do I recommend?
This book is an absolute must-read for not only Cleveland Indians fans, but all baseball fans, especially baseball historians who want to learn more about how this team was built.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
June 25, 2013
Great read for any Cleveland Indians' fan. The story of "rebuilding" a fallen franchise by a new, determined, and aggressive owner, culminating in the World Series championship of 1920. Many correlations to the Jacobs' brothers rejuvenation of the Intdians in the 1990's and to some degree,the Dolan familiy's less-than-successful ownership in the the last decade and a half.
Learning about the Tribe players from their first championship era is fascinating. Enjoyed it from cover to cover. Go Tribe!
Learning about the Tribe players from their first championship era is fascinating. Enjoyed it from cover to cover. Go Tribe!
December 28, 2017
A factual, thorough history of the Cleveland Indians in the World War I era. The book never really grabbed me and if it weren't for the subject matter, I would have just put it down. It is history that reads like a history book. The book lacked a way to connect me to the era, the players, and the city. There's lots of good information in the book. For instance, getting a glimpse of how World War I affected major league baseball was significant, but the narrative style of writing provided a factual account without drawing me in with comparisons to major leaguers who went to war and other Americans who went with them. Some storytelling might have made it a more interesting read. I'm looking forward to reading other books on the subject and comparing them to this book.
July 15, 2019
While it took a while to get thru, I loved this book! Being a lifelong Indians fan, it was great to read the story of the first World Series win for them. I knew the names of many of the players, but never knew the story. This was a must read for any Indians or baseball fan!
January 20, 2023
Solid book. Builds out players/owners to provide context for the championship season. Even though significant time is spent doing this, I never really felt attached to the players. Not sure why. Nonetheless a good read for a baseball fan.
August 31, 2021
Longert with a great glimpse into the World's Champions and the team that saved baseball. I feel like I traveled back in time to see the team I've always longed for.
March 27, 2025
A great baseball history book that is well worth the read for any cleveland baseball fan.
March 12, 2015
When I read historical non-fiction I am continually surprised at the similarities in human goings-on between the present generation and generations past. Until reading this book I definitely considered the champion 1920 Indians, the 1919 Black Sox, Ray Chapman, League Park, etc. to be ancient history - long forgotten and thus kind of irrelevant, or at least hard to connect with. Reading such historical books opens one's eyes to the hearts and thoughts of our ancestors, and it is a revelation and a joy to rediscover that they really were just like we are: full of passion, argumentative, obsessive, responsive, loving, vibrant.
I will say that Longert's staccato prose leaves a lot to be desired. "This happened. Then this. Then another thing." He is also inconsistent in tone, an academic narrator that will without warning throw out a modern idiomatic expression or a bitingly sarcastic remark. That being said, his research was thorough and he does a great job bringing the reader back to a time when spitballs were legal, foul balls were thrown back to be reused, and spectators could picnic on the outfield grass during games; $5,000 was a blockbuster American League salary, and in the offseason players went home to work as miners, grocers, auto salesmen, and even doctors. Egos were much smaller. Indians legends like Tris Speaker, Stan Covelski, and Ray Chapman came to life, ceasing to be just names I'd heard about while growing up or black-and-white pictures I'd seen in Cooperstown. Baseball fans in 1920 were just as invested in their teams, if not more invested, than those of today, this never more apparent than during the miracle season of 1920 in Cleveland.
Can you imagine the TV viewership today if a World Series team that had their star player killed by a pitch earlier in the season came back to win it all, in his honor? Talk about the ultimate feel-good story to follow and cheer for. As it stands though, hardly a soul today could tell you anything about that fateful gray August day in New York, about Ray Chapman's horrible death, Carl Mays's guilt, and a city's great sadness - or their ultimate redemption and triumph over despair. I can't wait to visit Chapman's grave in Cleveland this summer with this story, and his realness, fresh in my mind.
November 20, 2020
Reread this in advance of the author presenting to local SABR group in Cleveland on the 100th anniversary of the season. My rating improved a bit on the second read, even as I read this in the heels of Mike Sowell's "The Pitch That Killed", which was more focused specifically on the tragedy surrounding Ray Chapman and Carl Mays but covered the entire pennant race very well.
Original review from 2016 which mostly holds, but really didn't seem as dry this time:
The writing was a bit dry, but overall this was a pretty good write-up of the years leading up to and including the Cleveland baseball championship of 1920. It included some of the intrigue from the Ban Johnson era, short bio's of many of the core players on the '20 team including Tris Speaker, the catcher O'neill, Wamby and Ray Chapman, and most interestingly some detours through baseball's culture during WWI with the "work or fight" doctrine and the flu epidemic.
Original review from 2016 which mostly holds, but really didn't seem as dry this time:
The writing was a bit dry, but overall this was a pretty good write-up of the years leading up to and including the Cleveland baseball championship of 1920. It included some of the intrigue from the Ban Johnson era, short bio's of many of the core players on the '20 team including Tris Speaker, the catcher O'neill, Wamby and Ray Chapman, and most interestingly some detours through baseball's culture during WWI with the "work or fight" doctrine and the flu epidemic.
September 17, 2015
Longert circles the bases with The Best They Could Be. It's not just for Tribe diehards. It's for baseball fans (especially baseball history buffs), and everyone who loves a great underdog story. Written well, meticuously researched, The Best They Could Be is a wonderful trip back in time to a long-gone baseball era.
May 19, 2014
An interesting book about the building of Cleveland's first World Series team. While not quite on par with The Pitch That Killed, by Mike Sowell, this book makes a nice companion piece that provides a lot more context about the years leading up to that 1920 season.
December 10, 2018
An amazing look at the Indians first championship team. Great idea to go back to the change in ownership to begin the story and a thrilling and driving story the whole way through. Throw in some great "play-by-play" of games and Longert makes a great read for any baseball fan.
August 26, 2014
Excellent! Championships of future past.
March 19, 2015
An interesting look at The Cleveland Indians. A very worthwhile read for the sports fan.
February 2, 2016
A definitive history of the lead-up to the 1920 World Series Champion Cleveland Indians.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews