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The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-from-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series - and America's Heart
With The Gashouse Gang, John Heidenry delivers the definitive account of one the greatest and most colorful baseball teams of all times, the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, filled with larger-than-life baseball personalities like Branch Rickey, Leo Durocher, Pepper Martin, Casey Stengel, Satchel Paige, Frankie Frisch, andespecially the eccentric good ol' boy and great pitcher Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul.
The year 1934 marked the lowest point of the Great Depression, when the U.S. went off the gold standard, banks collapsed by the score, and millions of Americans were out of work. Epic baseball feats offered welcome relief from the hardships of daily life. The Gashouse Gang, the brilliant culmination of a dream by its general manager, Branch Rickey, the first to envision a farm system that would acquire and "educate" young players in the art of baseball, was adored by the nation, who saw itselfscruffy, proud, and unbeatablein the Gang.
Based on original research and told in entertaining narrative style, The Gashouse Gang brings a bygone era and a cast full of vivid personalities to life and unearths a treasure trove of baseball lore that will delight any fan of the great American pastime.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2007
57 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
About the author
John Heidenry
13 books4 followersFounding editor of St. Louis Magazine and the St. Louis Literary Supplement. Former executive editor of The Week.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 21, 2018
Great book. I have read much on this enigmatic ballclub, with personas that ranged from dizzy to surly. Some of the greats of the game, stories that will live on forever, baseball at its best. This was written in an engaging style - many of the tales have been told before, and some in more exaggerated fashion, but there were still some nuggets in here that this baseball buff has not stumbled upon before. I could read these sorts of accounts forever, and I mean to.
Dizzy and Paul Dean, Durocher, Pepper Martin, Medwick, Frankie Frisch - joking, fighting, and playing their way to the big prize, Branch Rickey overseeing it all in his staid manner, and appearances by the likes Babe Ruth, Hank Greenburg, Bill Klem, and Judge Landis, to boot! - all to the backdrop of the post-Depression (and Prohibition) 1930s - this was a dandy read.
Dizzy and Paul Dean, Durocher, Pepper Martin, Medwick, Frankie Frisch - joking, fighting, and playing their way to the big prize, Branch Rickey overseeing it all in his staid manner, and appearances by the likes Babe Ruth, Hank Greenburg, Bill Klem, and Judge Landis, to boot! - all to the backdrop of the post-Depression (and Prohibition) 1930s - this was a dandy read.
May 24, 2020
Despite its title, John Heidenry’s “The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-From-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series – and America’s Heart – During the Great Depression” is mostly a book about the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals’ star pitcher – Dizzy Dean.
Of course, the book touches on the other personalities that drove the team, including Frankie Frisch, Paul Dean, Pepper Martin, Ducky Medwick, and Leo Durocher, and even includes an early chapter on Branch Rickey, though he disappears for most of the book. However, most of these characters are only discussed in the broadest biographical terms; this is mostly a book about the Deans and the way in which Dizzy took the baseball world by storm in the summer of 1934.
Heidenry covers Dizzy Dean’s path to the Major Leagues, the brothers’ confrontation with Cardinals owner Sam Breadon and Rickey over salary in the midst of a pennant race, and the variety of crazy things Dean said and did over the course of the season.
Interestingly, Heidenry admits that while the team’s famous nickname did not arrive until 1935, he doesn’t have an explanation for why the 1934 Cardinals were dubbed “the Gashouse Gang,” though he offers a number of suggestions that have been proposed elsewhere. In fact, he spends a not insignificant amount of time describing why the name makes little sense, as the term “gashouse” had been out of vogue for decades, and while New York had a “gashouse district” a generation previous, St. Louis did not.
Nonetheless, while Heidenry does not dive into great deal into any of the personalities on display outside of Dizzy Dean, he does provide a sense of how the Gashouse Gang fit into the culture of 1930s America, and the way that baseball was in many respects an entirely different atmosphere in those days.
Heidenry provides a steady stream of entertaining anecdotes – most centered on Dean, but a few that don’t. He includes the day that Dean famously provided interviews to three different journalists from New York City and helpfully gave them each a different birth date so they each would have a scoop for their readers.
Among my favorites:
When player-manager Frisch went to the mound to pull Tex Carleton from the game and the pitcher objected. “Well, you may feel all right, but I feel terrible,” Frisch responded. “Please go away from here.”
After striking Dizzy Dean in the head with a thrown ball in the 1934 World Series, knocking the young superstar unconscious, Detroit Tigers shortstop told reporters, “If I’d known his head was there, I would have thrown the ball harder.”
After Dizzy Dean’s playing days ended prematurely due to injury, he began a successful broadcasting career and was paired with Pee Wee Reese on CBS’s game of the week. “Look-a-there, Pee Wee,” Dean reportedly said once. “Those young folks are smooching after every pitch. He’s kissing her on the strikes and she’s kissing him on the balls.”
Though it wasn’t directly related to the Cardinals, I also appreciated this quote from Casey Stengel, whose Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the New York Giants on the final day of the season to help cement New York’s fall from the top of the National League and the Cardinals to capture the pennant:
“Farewell, my bonny men,” he told his players now that the season was over. “Some of you are off to maim the gentle rabbit. Some of you will shoot the carefree deer. I bid you Godspeed, my lamby-pambies, my brave young soldiers. Go with Casey’s blessing on your sweet heads.”
That, my friends, is poetry far superior to most anything I was forced to read in my English literature classes.
As for “The Gashouse Gang,” it’s a book that recounts a time in baseball history when the personalities were bigger and the game was far less polished. For fans of the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s a comprehensive look at the 1934 season and a team that will forever be remembered in Redbirds lore.
Of course, the book touches on the other personalities that drove the team, including Frankie Frisch, Paul Dean, Pepper Martin, Ducky Medwick, and Leo Durocher, and even includes an early chapter on Branch Rickey, though he disappears for most of the book. However, most of these characters are only discussed in the broadest biographical terms; this is mostly a book about the Deans and the way in which Dizzy took the baseball world by storm in the summer of 1934.
Heidenry covers Dizzy Dean’s path to the Major Leagues, the brothers’ confrontation with Cardinals owner Sam Breadon and Rickey over salary in the midst of a pennant race, and the variety of crazy things Dean said and did over the course of the season.
Interestingly, Heidenry admits that while the team’s famous nickname did not arrive until 1935, he doesn’t have an explanation for why the 1934 Cardinals were dubbed “the Gashouse Gang,” though he offers a number of suggestions that have been proposed elsewhere. In fact, he spends a not insignificant amount of time describing why the name makes little sense, as the term “gashouse” had been out of vogue for decades, and while New York had a “gashouse district” a generation previous, St. Louis did not.
Nonetheless, while Heidenry does not dive into great deal into any of the personalities on display outside of Dizzy Dean, he does provide a sense of how the Gashouse Gang fit into the culture of 1930s America, and the way that baseball was in many respects an entirely different atmosphere in those days.
Heidenry provides a steady stream of entertaining anecdotes – most centered on Dean, but a few that don’t. He includes the day that Dean famously provided interviews to three different journalists from New York City and helpfully gave them each a different birth date so they each would have a scoop for their readers.
Among my favorites:
When player-manager Frisch went to the mound to pull Tex Carleton from the game and the pitcher objected. “Well, you may feel all right, but I feel terrible,” Frisch responded. “Please go away from here.”
After striking Dizzy Dean in the head with a thrown ball in the 1934 World Series, knocking the young superstar unconscious, Detroit Tigers shortstop told reporters, “If I’d known his head was there, I would have thrown the ball harder.”
After Dizzy Dean’s playing days ended prematurely due to injury, he began a successful broadcasting career and was paired with Pee Wee Reese on CBS’s game of the week. “Look-a-there, Pee Wee,” Dean reportedly said once. “Those young folks are smooching after every pitch. He’s kissing her on the strikes and she’s kissing him on the balls.”
Though it wasn’t directly related to the Cardinals, I also appreciated this quote from Casey Stengel, whose Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the New York Giants on the final day of the season to help cement New York’s fall from the top of the National League and the Cardinals to capture the pennant:
“Farewell, my bonny men,” he told his players now that the season was over. “Some of you are off to maim the gentle rabbit. Some of you will shoot the carefree deer. I bid you Godspeed, my lamby-pambies, my brave young soldiers. Go with Casey’s blessing on your sweet heads.”
That, my friends, is poetry far superior to most anything I was forced to read in my English literature classes.
As for “The Gashouse Gang,” it’s a book that recounts a time in baseball history when the personalities were bigger and the game was far less polished. For fans of the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s a comprehensive look at the 1934 season and a team that will forever be remembered in Redbirds lore.
March 20, 2021
Branch Rickey was the greatest baseball executive of all time. He's most famous for being the prime mover behind the integration of baseball, which was the greatest thing ever done by a baseball executive, but before that he was the man who created the farm system. By linking the Cardinals with minor league teams and developing talent in-house he was able to both save money and create some really great baseball teams, including the 1934 Cardinals, the legendary Gashouse Gang. This book tells the story of that team but focuses primarily on the eccentric redneck pitcher, Dizzy Dean. The team also included characters like Leo Durocher (who would also play a small, but pivotal, role in the career of Jackie Robinson), Pepper Martin, and Joe Medwick. If you are into baseball history, this is one you'll want to read.
May 16, 2020
I liked this book about the 1934 Cardinals. I like baseball books. Not sure it's great for a general audience. Easy reading, and it was kinda cool to have play-by-play of some of the games.
February 7, 2016
The preface to The Gashouse Gang seems to indicate that the rest of the book will be maudlin and nostalgic, but that is thankfully not the case. This is an entertaining account of the St. Louis Cardinals of 1934 that focuses on the personalities of the players more than it does on particular plays. It's not until the narrative reaches the World Series that Heidenry begins to focus on the field exclusively.
Not that that hurts the book much; Heidenry is good at portraying the various interpersonal foibles of the players, management, and ownership. It's a fun read; just don't expect much analysis.
Most of what I've read about Dizzy Dean as a player in 1934 makes me cringe. His antics often seem mean-spirited when I read about them, but Heidenry's portrayal of Dizzy didn't bother me so much. I was grateful for being able to read this book without having to put it down for a period to get a break from Dizzy Dean.
Good baseball book for just about everyone interested in baseball, although it contains a couple of f-bombs that might preclude this being gifted to a kid. (Psst, kid: go check it out at the library.)
Not that that hurts the book much; Heidenry is good at portraying the various interpersonal foibles of the players, management, and ownership. It's a fun read; just don't expect much analysis.
Most of what I've read about Dizzy Dean as a player in 1934 makes me cringe. His antics often seem mean-spirited when I read about them, but Heidenry's portrayal of Dizzy didn't bother me so much. I was grateful for being able to read this book without having to put it down for a period to get a break from Dizzy Dean.
Good baseball book for just about everyone interested in baseball, although it contains a couple of f-bombs that might preclude this being gifted to a kid. (Psst, kid: go check it out at the library.)
October 26, 2011
Was kind of surprised I hadn't reviewed this one yet. With the Card's in the World Series I decided to re-read this one and it's still good. Probably one of my top 10 baseball books I've ever read. You want characters? This team had some of the all-time best in Dizzy and Paul Dean, Joe Medwick, Pepper Martin, Frankie Frisch, Leo Durocher, etc. Very, very, well-written book about the team that cheered up people during the Great Depression, well, at least for one year anyway. A MUST read for any baseball fan, I wish this book had gotten better press when it came out in 2007. Would make an awesome movie if done right.
July 26, 2010
A good look at one of the best named teams in baseball history. The author tries to explain where the name came from (gas house were places that stored the gas used in street lamps and home lighting before electricity took over, a fact that I had never read before), but I always took the name to mean a bunchy of hard playing, rowdy ballplayers. The 1934 Cardinals were certtainly that. The book centers around Dizzy Dean and Branch Rickey.
April 21, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: A GAS OF A BOOK FOR OLD-SCHOOL-BASEBALL-FANS!
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Before I give you the details of this book, let me save some people their valuable time, by telling you who this book would appeal to! Old School Baseball fanatics, “Baseball Historians”, Saint Louis Cardinal fans. If you think the designated hitter rule is good for baseball this book isn’t for you.
73 years after the famous (To the above listed people.) Saint Louis Cardinals, hereafter known as “The Gashouse Gang” won the World Series, they have had an excellent book released on their exploits and accomplishments. As a self-acclaimed baseball fanatic, some of the statistics, and idiosyncrasies, I discovered in this book about famous old time players that I already knew about, were both interesting and amusing. The author’s writing style is not anything you’ll remember as out of the ordinary, since so much of the meat of the book, you can tell is repeated from old newspaper articles. But the detailed, meticulous, research should be applauded. As I’ve mentioned in my earlier reviews, I’ve read literally over at least six-hundred-plus baseball books, and memorized half the “Encyclopedia Of Baseball” when I was 10 years old, yet I learned even more details and amusing personality “quirks” of some of the old-time stars. I of course already knew that Dizzy Dean was a great pitcher, in the Hall Of Fame, and the last National League pitcher to win 30 games. What I didn’t know, but learned here, was the absolute bottom of the barrel poverty he came from in the historically famous “dust bowl”! I knew he was a “wacky” character, but I didn’t know, it went to the extent of him literally being the Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, of the baseball world in the 1930’s, before there was an Ali. I didn’t know that Dizzy held out and boycotted games, in a demand for an increased contract, in the middle of the season. I also got to learn much more about the great Ducky Medwick, (The last National League Player to win the Triple Crown 70 years ago.) who was one of my dear departed Mother’s favorite players, when he later played on the Brooklyn Dodgers. I never knew he was such a New Jersey, street fighting, chip on the shoulder, ready to fight anyone, including his own teammates, type of guy! I learned more than I ever had known about what led up to one of the biggest name trades in baseball history, Rogers Hornsby for Frankie Frisch. The detailed background on Branch Rickey, before his famous relationship with Jackie Robinson, was also expertly detailed. The almost blow by blow reporting on the 1934 World Series between
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I give you the details of this book, let me save some people their valuable time, by telling you who this book would appeal to! Old School Baseball fanatics, “Baseball Historians”, Saint Louis Cardinal fans. If you think the designated hitter rule is good for baseball this book isn’t for you.
73 years after the famous (To the above listed people.) Saint Louis Cardinals, hereafter known as “The Gashouse Gang” won the World Series, they have had an excellent book released on their exploits and accomplishments. As a self-acclaimed baseball fanatic, some of the statistics, and idiosyncrasies, I discovered in this book about famous old time players that I already knew about, were both interesting and amusing. The author’s writing style is not anything you’ll remember as out of the ordinary, since so much of the meat of the book, you can tell is repeated from old newspaper articles. But the detailed, meticulous, research should be applauded. As I’ve mentioned in my earlier reviews, I’ve read literally over at least six-hundred-plus baseball books, and memorized half the “Encyclopedia Of Baseball” when I was 10 years old, yet I learned even more details and amusing personality “quirks” of some of the old-time stars. I of course already knew that Dizzy Dean was a great pitcher, in the Hall Of Fame, and the last National League pitcher to win 30 games. What I didn’t know, but learned here, was the absolute bottom of the barrel poverty he came from in the historically famous “dust bowl”! I knew he was a “wacky” character, but I didn’t know, it went to the extent of him literally being the Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, of the baseball world in the 1930’s, before there was an Ali. I didn’t know that Dizzy held out and boycotted games, in a demand for an increased contract, in the middle of the season. I also got to learn much more about the great Ducky Medwick, (The last National League Player to win the Triple Crown 70 years ago.) who was one of my dear departed Mother’s favorite players, when he later played on the Brooklyn Dodgers. I never knew he was such a New Jersey, street fighting, chip on the shoulder, ready to fight anyone, including his own teammates, type of guy! I learned more than I ever had known about what led up to one of the biggest name trades in baseball history, Rogers Hornsby for Frankie Frisch. The detailed background on Branch Rickey, before his famous relationship with Jackie Robinson, was also expertly detailed. The almost blow by blow reporting on the 1934 World Series between
May 16, 2023
Dizzy Dean is a hard fellow to love and a hard fellow to loathe- his corny, hayseed antics are a bit over the top, and his inflation of his brother’s skills (that lasted in the equivalent of a blink of the eye) were a bit annoying.
The guy could pitch, though, and it’s a shame his career ended as early as it did.
This was a very entertaining read; however, it focused just a tad to much on Dean, and I would have like deeper biographical dives on some of the other players, though that seems like a peccadillo. I could have also done without the deep dive (last three chapters?) of the World Series. Such play-by-play becomes tedious and exhaustive. It didn’t denigrate the overall quality of this- a fun read, to be sure.
The guy could pitch, though, and it’s a shame his career ended as early as it did.
This was a very entertaining read; however, it focused just a tad to much on Dean, and I would have like deeper biographical dives on some of the other players, though that seems like a peccadillo. I could have also done without the deep dive (last three chapters?) of the World Series. Such play-by-play becomes tedious and exhaustive. It didn’t denigrate the overall quality of this- a fun read, to be sure.
October 14, 2022
Really enjoyed taking a look at the crazy team which was the 1934 St Louis Cardinals. The book goes into some depth of the major characters such as Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin and of course the Dean brothers, Dizzy and Paul. Dizzy was a showman but he was a great dominating pitcher and Paul was very good as well, though seemingly a mute compare to his brother. Along with the character studies it also details the season and all the ups and downs leading to a fantastic World Series that went the full seven games.
Highly recommended, had a nice flow and kept my interest throughout.
Highly recommended, had a nice flow and kept my interest throughout.
July 19, 2020
Best account, to date, of the most memorable team/season in St. Louis Cardinals history. It's a crime that Hollywood hasn't given the big-budget treatment to the 1934 Cards. Dizzy Dean, Ducky Medwick, Pepper Martin, Frankie Frisch . . . a casting director's dream! A late-season comeback to win the National League pennant (despite a holdout by the team's star), then an epic World Series against Detroit that included a near-riot in Game 7! Terrific book. Now, MAKE THE MOVIE.
November 15, 2020
Another amazing baseball book
Adding this to the list of “My favorite baseball book”, The Gashouse Gang brings to life one of the greatest sh#*shows in all of baseball history. The characters real, the stories crazy, you can’t make up this stuff. Don’t worry, St Louis wins the World Series despite all of it.
Adding this to the list of “My favorite baseball book”, The Gashouse Gang brings to life one of the greatest sh#*shows in all of baseball history. The characters real, the stories crazy, you can’t make up this stuff. Don’t worry, St Louis wins the World Series despite all of it.
February 10, 2018
A narrative history of the 1934 St Louis Cardinals Gashouse Gang, this book keeps the colorful larger-than-life character of Dizzy Dean alive for another generation. This is an easy and good read for any Cardinals fan who'd like to know more about an earlier era.
August 3, 2020
Remembering Baseball as a Sport
I enjoyed reading about the history of my favorite National League team. While I knew about the Deans it was enjoyable learning more about Pepper Martin and some of the others.
I enjoyed reading about the history of my favorite National League team. While I knew about the Deans it was enjoyable learning more about Pepper Martin and some of the others.
November 23, 2022
This was an interesting account of the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals. Lots of fun stories about those involved. Sometimes felt like the narrative jumped around, and the writing was OK, but if you're reading it for the love of the game, then you're good.
October 20, 2017
I should be "Dizzy Dean and the Gashouse Gang. Well written but I would really have liked more game/series information for the season.
January 24, 2018
Well cited. When people opine about older players dedication to the game and professionalism, just tell them to look up Dizzy Dean.
April 20, 2019
Really glad I learned about The Gashouse Gang and Dizzy Dean, and more about Branch Rickey as GM of the the Cardinals. Things were certainly different in 1934. Good read.
May 29, 2021
Hate the Cardinals, love the book
As anti-Cardinals as they come I thoroughly enjoyed this story of some of the greatest characters in baseball history. Great read
As anti-Cardinals as they come I thoroughly enjoyed this story of some of the greatest characters in baseball history. Great read
May 30, 2023
Reading about the legendary time of depression era baseball gives me a sense of how ball players were back in that day. A gritty bunch. A classic for anyone who likes baseball!
December 30, 2023
The Cards were cheap then too
Great book about a time in baseball that few can relate to today. The greatness of the players was almost lost to all of the different personalities.
Great book about a time in baseball that few can relate to today. The greatness of the players was almost lost to all of the different personalities.
March 22, 2012
The book, "The Gashouse Gang", written by John Heidenry was a very interesting, informational story about this inspirational team, who overcame the adversity to win the World Series. Overall, it was a pretty decent read as the content was very exciting to learn about and see the characters develop. Also, I enjoyed reading about how the team came/worked together to try to become better and not the laughingstock of the MLB. It was quite amazing to see how throughout the story, this baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, slowly and steadily build up steam and momentum to eventually become the one of the premier baseball clubs in the league. Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and the whole rest of the Cardinals organization grinded through the very lows of the franchise in the late 1920’s, but as they gained more firepower and confidence, when the early 1930’s rolled around they were as dominate as anyone. When the general public of the US started to become aware of this “underdog” team, the Cardinals’ success sort of sparked the turning point of the Great Depression. As the people realized that if this team could overcome their miserable stretch, that Americans could too overcome the crashed economy and start the upward battle towards prosperity again. This was a great example of how one team could lift the spirits of a whole nation. The book itself was a little wordy at times and a bit slow moving as the same idea/event was stretched out for a few too many pages. But other than that, it was a fun book to read and learn about that particular time period and team that helped America get the confidence it needed to get out of the depression.
May 13, 2023
The Gashouse Gang is about the development of the St. Louis Cardinals into a World Series champion in 1934. The book chronicles the step by step development that the team experienced. Branch Rickey, the general manager of the team, facilitated the growth of the team by making good decisions, providing leadership and developing a minor league system that helped the Cardinals to develop good players.
The book addresses the following topics: the leadership of Branch Rickey; the contributions of Dizzy and Daffy Dean, two of the best pitchers of this time period; an overview of baseball in the 1930's; some of the games played that year; the unique personalities of the players and manager; the attempts by Dizzy and Daffy Dean to make more money by renegotiating their contracts; a no hitter thrown by Daffy Dean against the Brooklyn Dodgers, who were managed by Casey Stengel at the time; and description of the 1934 World Series between the Tigers and Cardinals. Other topics are addressed as well.
The author did a good job of describing the background and personalities of some of the players. He did a particularly good job of describing Dizzy and Daffy Dean, who won all four of the World Series games for the Cardinals. Additionally, Dizzy Dean won 30 regular season games and Daffy Dean won 19 regular season games.
There is a decent amount of stories about the players and the season that they experienced in 1934. The stories were interesting and helped the reader to learn more about the players.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in baseball. I would particularly recommend this book for anyone interested in the St. Louis Cardinals.
The book addresses the following topics: the leadership of Branch Rickey; the contributions of Dizzy and Daffy Dean, two of the best pitchers of this time period; an overview of baseball in the 1930's; some of the games played that year; the unique personalities of the players and manager; the attempts by Dizzy and Daffy Dean to make more money by renegotiating their contracts; a no hitter thrown by Daffy Dean against the Brooklyn Dodgers, who were managed by Casey Stengel at the time; and description of the 1934 World Series between the Tigers and Cardinals. Other topics are addressed as well.
The author did a good job of describing the background and personalities of some of the players. He did a particularly good job of describing Dizzy and Daffy Dean, who won all four of the World Series games for the Cardinals. Additionally, Dizzy Dean won 30 regular season games and Daffy Dean won 19 regular season games.
There is a decent amount of stories about the players and the season that they experienced in 1934. The stories were interesting and helped the reader to learn more about the players.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in baseball. I would particularly recommend this book for anyone interested in the St. Louis Cardinals.
December 25, 2017
An entertaining read for any baseball fan. It transcends the game, into personalities, business and social conditions, historical context, etc. The players are real human beings, warts and all, not just names on a score card. As Joe Garagiola would say, these guys didn’t run on batteries. Dizzy Dean may have been a 30-game winner but he was really just a big kid at heart. “A great big boy,” said his wife. He did have legitimate grievances, however, as no baseball team today would exploit a pitcher’s arm as the Cardinals did his. He had a right to complain of arm soreness.
This was “the most colorful team in the history of baseball,” says author Heidenry, and he has a point. With Ripper playing first base and Pepper playing third; with “The Lip” at shortstop and “The Flash” at second. With Spud behind the plate and Ducky-Wucky in the outfield, this team had some serious color! The pitching rotation mostly consisted of Dizzy and Daffy, with Tex and Wild Bill thrown in for good measure.
The first chapter is about Branch Rickey, the second is about the Dean Brothers. The rest of the book recaps the 1934 pennant race and World Series, punctuated by amusing anecdotes about the antics of a wild bunch of jokers and alpha males! A fun read for any baseball fan, especially those partial to St. Louis.
This was “the most colorful team in the history of baseball,” says author Heidenry, and he has a point. With Ripper playing first base and Pepper playing third; with “The Lip” at shortstop and “The Flash” at second. With Spud behind the plate and Ducky-Wucky in the outfield, this team had some serious color! The pitching rotation mostly consisted of Dizzy and Daffy, with Tex and Wild Bill thrown in for good measure.
The first chapter is about Branch Rickey, the second is about the Dean Brothers. The rest of the book recaps the 1934 pennant race and World Series, punctuated by amusing anecdotes about the antics of a wild bunch of jokers and alpha males! A fun read for any baseball fan, especially those partial to St. Louis.
February 27, 2013
The Gashouse Gang is an amazing book. This book is for solid Cardinals fans. John Haidenry wrote this book for a reason. He wrote it for St. Louis Cardinals fans who weren't around for the Gashouse Gang. John's purpose of this book is to inform people about what they accomplished during the Great Depression and World War II. He wanted to say, "Hey look at what the worst team in baseball did during a terrible time in America's history, look what teams can accomplish if they work for it all the time.
The theme of this book would have to be sports, and non-fiction. It sports because its baseball, and its non-fiction due to the fact that’s its true. The writer is trying to say that the Cardinals can accomplish anything even when times are tough.
If you are a Cardinals fan this is a book for you. If you want to know what happened in baseball during the Great Depression, I highly recommend this book for you. I would recommend this book to guy baseball fans, because this isn’t much of a female sports book.
The theme of this book would have to be sports, and non-fiction. It sports because its baseball, and its non-fiction due to the fact that’s its true. The writer is trying to say that the Cardinals can accomplish anything even when times are tough.
If you are a Cardinals fan this is a book for you. If you want to know what happened in baseball during the Great Depression, I highly recommend this book for you. I would recommend this book to guy baseball fans, because this isn’t much of a female sports book.
October 15, 2012
A rather flat and uninspired telling of the story of the 1934 Cardinals.
It's lacking in historical context -- we get lots of talk about salary disputes between wealthy ballplayers and wealthy owners, but except for a nice anecdote about Mickey Cochrane, who wasn't even part of the team in question, there's very little detail on how these Cardinals "won America's heart during the Great Depression".
Also lacking in baseball context -- we see lots of names, like Carl Hubbell and Bill Terry, but no elaboration on what huge players they were in the game. The Cardinals themselves are reduced to caricatures, if that.
What we get mostly is uncritical praise of Dizzy Dean. The tales of his greatness are presented in such a breathless manner that they come off like mere proofs -- we get it, he was a singular figure in baseball -- rather than the basis for us to draw the conclusions the author wants to lead us to.
It's lacking in historical context -- we get lots of talk about salary disputes between wealthy ballplayers and wealthy owners, but except for a nice anecdote about Mickey Cochrane, who wasn't even part of the team in question, there's very little detail on how these Cardinals "won America's heart during the Great Depression".
Also lacking in baseball context -- we see lots of names, like Carl Hubbell and Bill Terry, but no elaboration on what huge players they were in the game. The Cardinals themselves are reduced to caricatures, if that.
What we get mostly is uncritical praise of Dizzy Dean. The tales of his greatness are presented in such a breathless manner that they come off like mere proofs -- we get it, he was a singular figure in baseball -- rather than the basis for us to draw the conclusions the author wants to lead us to.
March 19, 2013
In the introduction, we learn that World War I went from 1915 to 1919, so perhaps we should take any hard information from this book with a grain of salt.
However, it's an entertaining and largely true story, even if I don't double-check all the details. Dizzy and Paul Dean did lead the Cards to a 1934 World Series win in unpredictable fashion, and the exploits make for a good read. Maybe he got everything else right, maybe not - some of the other stuff didn't seem to add up to me, as I recall.
I can't go 4 stars because some of the parts could have dovetailed better - this book is pretty roughly hewn construction.
I also had more respect for the 'gashouse gang' before I read the book than after. Now they strike me as that generation's 1985 Chicago Bears. They got lucky, and they're more fondly remembered than they deserve. It's no wonder Dizzy and Paul Dean's careers were short - the club asked them to whipsaw their arms basically every other day for most of the season.
However, it's an entertaining and largely true story, even if I don't double-check all the details. Dizzy and Paul Dean did lead the Cards to a 1934 World Series win in unpredictable fashion, and the exploits make for a good read. Maybe he got everything else right, maybe not - some of the other stuff didn't seem to add up to me, as I recall.
I can't go 4 stars because some of the parts could have dovetailed better - this book is pretty roughly hewn construction.
I also had more respect for the 'gashouse gang' before I read the book than after. Now they strike me as that generation's 1985 Chicago Bears. They got lucky, and they're more fondly remembered than they deserve. It's no wonder Dizzy and Paul Dean's careers were short - the club asked them to whipsaw their arms basically every other day for most of the season.
October 6, 2007
Baseball before the 1980's was a much more interesting sport because the baseball players were larger than life due to their personalities and not steroids. I love reading about Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher and all the other characters that made up the Gashouse Gang. This book was a little long winded in the play by play of the actual 1934 World Series but the author did convey his love of these players.
June 14, 2013
I loved this book. It covers an early era of baseball and highlights the rambunctious Cardinals, including the many antics of Dizzy Dean. Branch Rickey is also a fascinating study. If you want a throw back look at how a crazy group of players were harvested with a goal to move a loser franchise into a winner, this book is a very interesting account. I felt like I was walking through the seasons with the "Gashouse Gang."
February 27, 2012
My dislike of this book stems from two main sources:
1. It focuses on facts without enough detail.
2. It takes a fun, spirited team winning a World Championship and makes that a dry experience.
Other than a few quotes in the book, I found it to be dry and dull. I'm wondering if I should stop reading about baseball.
1. It focuses on facts without enough detail.
2. It takes a fun, spirited team winning a World Championship and makes that a dry experience.
Other than a few quotes in the book, I found it to be dry and dull. I'm wondering if I should stop reading about baseball.
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