Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves

by Martin H. Bush

The unlikely story of one of baseball’s greatest comeback seasons


The Boston Braves (the present-day Atlanta Braves) were a bunch of losers and alcohol-soaked whiskey swiggers, buried in last place as late as mid-July of 1914. This rough gang was led by their bullying, superstitious manager George Stallings and assisted by Johnny Evers, a nasty, egotistical captain who was despised by opponents and umpires alike.


Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves chronicles the team’s misfortune, meteoric rise through the 1914 season, and audacious World Series run against the overwhelmingly dominant Philadelphia Athletics. Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem, a mainstay in the game for over 70 years, called the Braves “the most spirited team he ever saw”––but would their spirit be enough against one of the most powerful teams ever put together?


Making use of extensive archival and primary source research, Martin H. Bush places the Braves’ story within the larger controversies of dead ball–era greedy team owners, exaggerations of the “yellow” press, and blatant cheating tactics used to gain unfair advantage. Bush strips away the myths—but not the romance—that can obscure our understanding of how baseball evolved. Including anecdotes from heroes of the “dead ballers,” like Ty Cobb, Hans Wagner, and “Cy” Young,” Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves is an unforgettable story—at turns painful, exciting, shocking, and funny.

320 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2025

Reviews

[Andy McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book! It is one of the best sports books I have ever read. I loved that the book included history of baseball before 1914. This history led to the amazing Braves season of 1914.

[Gary Sosniecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. I expected it to be about the “Miracle” Boston Braves of 1914, and it was, but only in Part 2, starting on Page 115. Part 1 describes the characters of the early days of Major League Baseball. The emphasis on George Stallings Jr. is understandable, since he managed the 1914 Braves to the world championship. But it’s a drag waiting for the Braves’ story to begin. I also thought the book was overwritten, with too many adjectives and, especially in the early pages, too many similes. I thought the author’s harsh characterizations of Ban Johnson, first president of the American League, and Chicago Cub Heinie Zimmerman were overdone. In a single paragraph (page 214), the author calls Zimmerman “a two-bit psychopathic bully” and a “dim-witted narcissist” who had an “unchecked malignancy.” On the positive side, the book is exceedingly well-researched. I wondered how the author could describe events from 1914 baseball games in such detail, but his source list is extraordinary. Boston alone had nine newspapers, and Philadelphia (the Philadelphia A’s were the Braves’ World Series opponent) had six, all of which, presumably, covered the 1914 World Series. Baseball fans may enjoy the book, but don’t expect it to be an easy read.