This was an extremely interesting segment and decade, maybe the best of this nine-tape (or DVD) series. It was so interesting that I, myself, have gone and read a lot of books about this decade (1900-1909). I still think it is the most fascinating in baseball history. It featured famous characters such as Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, John McCraw, Rube Wadell,Rube Foster and many other colorful players. Not only were the people fascinating, their stories were incredible, especially the ones dealing with Cobb and Wadell.
The passion of America's baseball fans became unbelievable, and nowhere more than in the Polo Grounds of New York where the Giants were the dominant team with pitcher Mathewson and manager McGraw. I remember the first time I watched this being stunned how they allowed fans on the field back in those days. It's really tough when all those fans are threatening your players in the outfield. In Baltimore, a fight on the field turned into a riot one day. That, in turn, led to a fire and the stadium plus 13 adjacent buildings, all burned down
There is one amazing story after another in this decade, which I why I enjoy this segment above all the rest. If you really want to get a feel for the times and the players, check out Lawrence Ritter's famous book, "The Glory Of Their Times."
The passion of America's baseball fans became unbelievable, and nowhere more than in the Polo Grounds of New York where the Giants were the dominant team with pitcher Mathewson and manager McGraw. I remember the first time I watched this being stunned how they allowed fans on the field back in those days. It's really tough when all those fans are threatening your players in the outfield. In Baltimore, a fight on the field turned into a riot one day. That, in turn, led to a fire and the stadium plus 13 adjacent buildings, all burned down
There is one amazing story after another in this decade, which I why I enjoy this segment above all the rest. If you really want to get a feel for the times and the players, check out Lawrence Ritter's famous book, "The Glory Of Their Times."