Breaking the Slump

by Charles C. Alexander

In the 1930s, despite the ravages of the Great Depression, professional baseball remained the king of American sports in terms of both spectators and participants. In Breaking the Slump, the first history of baseball during the Great Depression, Alexander captures the flavor of baseball and American life during a time when America remained at peace but was mired in the worst economic circumstances in its history. Rich in narrative appeal, this story conveys baseball's persistence as the truly "National Pastime" and what it meant to millions of Americans who could no longer afford to attend games on a regular basis.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2002

Reviews

[Miguel E. Tersy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

Charles Alexander did a wonderful job in how baseball survived during the Great Depression. The A's, once a World Series champion, had to sell their star ballplayers to survive which it never recovered while the Yankees dominated the 1930's. What I found most interesting was Bonus Wagner's view on the current pitching of that era. He said managers are relying too much on relief pitching. He predicted starters will be pitching fewer innings and other will be fewer complete games. If this continues he predicted the game will take longer to complete and the fans will be bored. That prediction sadly has come true. This is a wonderful book for sports history fans.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times, the narrative reads like a recreation broadcast pulled from the boxscore. Breaking the Slump would have gone for extra bases if “Organized Baseball” had been better framed within the cultural experience of America during the Depression, and less like a forced march through every season using the same thematic structure. After a couple of times, it was clear that the loser of the World Series received a smaller players’ share and the “Negro Leagues” were poor tabulators of team standings. We get it. Even when Alexander balks, strikes out or throws at our head, how can you not like a day at the “Old Ball Game?”

[Lyndon Langston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book I found it very interesting because this book talks about the history of baseball and how it has risen in today's life and the difference of baseball from back in the day to today's every day baseball life.