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The First All-Star Game: Babe Ruth, FDR and America at the Crossroads
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26Acclaimed journalist Randall Sullivan brilliantly renders a snapshot of America struggling to find its footing amid the ravages of the Great Depression, told through the story of the first all-star baseball game in Major League history
In July of 1933, America was at or near the lowest point in its history. It was revived, in part, by a World’s Fair staged in the city of Chicago and the baseball game that became the centerpiece of it.
Franklin Roosevelt had been inaugurated president four months earlier, at virtually the same moment Adolph Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The world and the country seemed to be at a tipping point. With whispers of the danger gathering in Europe just beginning to cross the Atlantic, American cities were filled with cardboard and tar paper shantytowns called “Hoovervilles.” Tens of thousands of young men took to riding the rails as a way of life while their younger siblings stood with their parents in breadlines. The state of America was so bleak that even the country’s national pastime, baseball, was suffering a loss of fans and revenue that threatened its continued existence.
An attempted assassination of Franklin Roosevelt that resulted in the death of Chicago’s mayor triggered a series of events that led, almost miraculously, to the idea that a contest pitting baseball’s greatest stars against one another might revive the sport, the city and the United States itself. In a moment that lifted the spirits of the whole country, Babe Ruth, on his last legs as a player, would rise to the occasion as the star of this historic contest.
The First All-Star Game is the story of baseball’s centrality in American history, and of a game that was expected to be a singular event but has been held annually for almost a century. But it is also the story of America in the early years of the Great Depression, told through a cast of characters that features Babe Ruth and Franklin Roosevelt, but includes as well Al Capone, Charles Lindbergh, Sally Rand, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, and all of the legendary players and managers who took part in what was called The Game of the Century.
In July of 1933, America was at or near the lowest point in its history. It was revived, in part, by a World’s Fair staged in the city of Chicago and the baseball game that became the centerpiece of it.
Franklin Roosevelt had been inaugurated president four months earlier, at virtually the same moment Adolph Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The world and the country seemed to be at a tipping point. With whispers of the danger gathering in Europe just beginning to cross the Atlantic, American cities were filled with cardboard and tar paper shantytowns called “Hoovervilles.” Tens of thousands of young men took to riding the rails as a way of life while their younger siblings stood with their parents in breadlines. The state of America was so bleak that even the country’s national pastime, baseball, was suffering a loss of fans and revenue that threatened its continued existence.
An attempted assassination of Franklin Roosevelt that resulted in the death of Chicago’s mayor triggered a series of events that led, almost miraculously, to the idea that a contest pitting baseball’s greatest stars against one another might revive the sport, the city and the United States itself. In a moment that lifted the spirits of the whole country, Babe Ruth, on his last legs as a player, would rise to the occasion as the star of this historic contest.
The First All-Star Game is the story of baseball’s centrality in American history, and of a game that was expected to be a singular event but has been held annually for almost a century. But it is also the story of America in the early years of the Great Depression, told through a cast of characters that features Babe Ruth and Franklin Roosevelt, but includes as well Al Capone, Charles Lindbergh, Sally Rand, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, and all of the legendary players and managers who took part in what was called The Game of the Century.
496 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 8, 2026
In the book The First All-Star Game, author Randall Sullivan provides an immense amount of detail to describe the background and events leading up to the first baseball all-star game held in 1934. Additionally, there is a lot of other history and detail about what is happening in Chicago, the city that hosted the game, the United States, and the world.
I knew very little about the first baseball all-star game before reading this book. I knew Babe Ruth hit the first home run in the game but not much else. The book is full of information about the business and logistical challenges in making the game a reality, as well as many of the baseball personalities of the era, including not just players, but managers and owners.
Providing so much detail is both a plus and a distraction. The plus is the reader gets far more context than the likely imagined while the distraction is that the description of the actual game doesn't take place until the end of the book. In a very long chapter, every inning is detailed including the players who didn't get into the game and the players who scored runs.
We learn about what happened to every player who played in this game; when they retired, what they did after baseball, and for many when and how they died. We learn about many great players who have been left out of the Baseball Hall of Fame (like Lefty O'Doul) and others who were added posthumously after their deaths.
The last chapter details the first Negro baseball all-star game, called the East-West game, that was played the next year in Chicago at Comiskey Park, the site of the 1934 game. This one chapter tries to pay homage to the Negro leagues, but the history is shortened and tends to focus on Satchel Paige, probably the premiere pitcher of that era who refused to play in the game because he was not chosen as one of the starting pitchers.
If you love baseball history and history in general you will enjoy reading this book. I found myself bogged down at times with all of the additional stories/context and wanted to read about the game. I'm also not really sure why a chapter on FDR is included as it added little since the President did not attend the game but he did encourage MLB owners to keep playing games during the war years as a distraction for Americans.
In terms of rating the book I give it 4/5 stars.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author Randall Sullivan, and Atlantic Press for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new book in exchange for an objective review.
I knew very little about the first baseball all-star game before reading this book. I knew Babe Ruth hit the first home run in the game but not much else. The book is full of information about the business and logistical challenges in making the game a reality, as well as many of the baseball personalities of the era, including not just players, but managers and owners.
Providing so much detail is both a plus and a distraction. The plus is the reader gets far more context than the likely imagined while the distraction is that the description of the actual game doesn't take place until the end of the book. In a very long chapter, every inning is detailed including the players who didn't get into the game and the players who scored runs.
We learn about what happened to every player who played in this game; when they retired, what they did after baseball, and for many when and how they died. We learn about many great players who have been left out of the Baseball Hall of Fame (like Lefty O'Doul) and others who were added posthumously after their deaths.
The last chapter details the first Negro baseball all-star game, called the East-West game, that was played the next year in Chicago at Comiskey Park, the site of the 1934 game. This one chapter tries to pay homage to the Negro leagues, but the history is shortened and tends to focus on Satchel Paige, probably the premiere pitcher of that era who refused to play in the game because he was not chosen as one of the starting pitchers.
If you love baseball history and history in general you will enjoy reading this book. I found myself bogged down at times with all of the additional stories/context and wanted to read about the game. I'm also not really sure why a chapter on FDR is included as it added little since the President did not attend the game but he did encourage MLB owners to keep playing games during the war years as a distraction for Americans.
In terms of rating the book I give it 4/5 stars.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author Randall Sullivan, and Atlantic Press for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new book in exchange for an objective review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In February, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt narrowly survived an assassination attempt in Miami, Florida, weeks away from his first inauguration. The Mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak, was injured and later died. So begins this tale of bouncing back from adversity. In Chicago, there was a palpable need to do something grand to heal from this tragedy. Fortunately, the city was already planning a world’s fair to rival the one decades earlier. The new mayor asked the Chicago Tribune to formulate a spectacular sports events. Sports editor Arch Ward considered several sports but settled on baseball for the “Game of the Century.” Up until then, American League and National League teams only played each other once a year in the World Series. To get this off the ground, Ward had to navigate the fragile egos of the league presidents. The iconic baseball commissioner, Kennesaw Mountain Landis was an easy sell however.
Ward went to work, publicizing the event nationwide and was rewarded with a mountain of votes. Fan votes were most important but the league presidents could have the final say. Ward had months to invent this event and bring it to reality. He took some heat for choosing Commiskey Park as the host stadium, but fielded this with the fact that it held more people. As the lineup took shape, Sullivan tells us the stories of each man on the field, as well as a few who should have made it. At first Ward worried that the game would h ave to include Babe Ruth, but the Bambino knew that this was a natural for him. The author almost loses his objectivity when writing about the 37 year old Mega Star. The managers were John McGraw, the fearsome and unlikeable manager of the New York Giants, and Connie Mack, manager of the Philadelphia Athletics.
The game itself was a nail biter, starting off as a pitcher’s dual, and ending with a hard won 4-2 American League victory. This was supposed to be a one of a kind event, but obviously the game was held in perpetuity. Meantime, Sullivan deals up a generous slice of US history in the thirties as Roosevelt struggles to get America back on its feet. A great find for history buffs and baseball fans.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The FIrst All Star Game
Randall Sullivan
Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley. Thanks, Atlantic Monthly
1933 - 40 years since the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair (1893) in Chicago. With another world’s fair set to take place in Chicago, what better time to host “The Game of the Century.” The best players in the National League and the best players in the American League would square off to determine the superior league in Major League Baseball!
This book centers around one game on one day, July 6, 1933. The behind the scenes work and preparation that was needed to pull off this game, which had never before occurred, was immense. Randall Sullivan does a remarkable job pulling all of this information together and giving extraordinary detail and treatment to everyone involved. From the newspapermen collecting the all star ballots, the owners and managers, the backdrop of the Roaring 20s shifting into the Great Depression, and the players that would make up the rosters, emerges a contest between the leagues that would continue each summer up until the present with only 2 interruptions (WWII and COVID).
The star of the game and, really, of the whole United States at this time, was Babe Ruth. No one before him and very few after him would captivate the country in the way that he did with his big swings and towering home runs. Larger than life, in nearly every way possible, the Great Bambino did not disappoint in the first all star game, hitting a two run homer that would be the difference in the game.
Sullivan embarks on a story that touches on all facets of early baseball in the 20th century, giving background on each player, manager, and major league franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a ton about, not only the first all star game, but also the world of baseball in the early 30s as the Great Depression raged in the United States. Sullivan crushed it with this book and I applaud the work that went into producing it!
Randall Sullivan
Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley. Thanks, Atlantic Monthly
1933 - 40 years since the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair (1893) in Chicago. With another world’s fair set to take place in Chicago, what better time to host “The Game of the Century.” The best players in the National League and the best players in the American League would square off to determine the superior league in Major League Baseball!
This book centers around one game on one day, July 6, 1933. The behind the scenes work and preparation that was needed to pull off this game, which had never before occurred, was immense. Randall Sullivan does a remarkable job pulling all of this information together and giving extraordinary detail and treatment to everyone involved. From the newspapermen collecting the all star ballots, the owners and managers, the backdrop of the Roaring 20s shifting into the Great Depression, and the players that would make up the rosters, emerges a contest between the leagues that would continue each summer up until the present with only 2 interruptions (WWII and COVID).
The star of the game and, really, of the whole United States at this time, was Babe Ruth. No one before him and very few after him would captivate the country in the way that he did with his big swings and towering home runs. Larger than life, in nearly every way possible, the Great Bambino did not disappoint in the first all star game, hitting a two run homer that would be the difference in the game.
Sullivan embarks on a story that touches on all facets of early baseball in the 20th century, giving background on each player, manager, and major league franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a ton about, not only the first all star game, but also the world of baseball in the early 30s as the Great Depression raged in the United States. Sullivan crushed it with this book and I applaud the work that went into producing it!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What a journey! Although framed around the first MLB All-Star game in 1933, Sullivan takes you through all the nooks and crannies of baseball history from the late 19th century through World War II. As someone who has read countless baseball histories, this one was surprisingly thorough and yet did not bog down too often. (If you are looking for micro-analyzed at-bat-by-at-bat recaps of the 1933 competition you will not find that here.) This even took, very relevant, detours into the Negro Leagues, the Great Depression and New Deal, and Chicago politics. Definitely recommend for the baseball fan or Chicago history lover!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
An excellent story behind the first All-Star game in 1933. You get a great look at how everything came together and the players involved. An excellent read from beginning to end.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews