The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great

The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great
- Used Book in Good Condition
â€œGorgeous Georgeâ€ Sisler, a left-handed first baseman, began his major-league baseball career in 1915 with the St. Louis Browns. During his sixteen years in the majors, he played with such baseball luminaries as Ty Cobb (who once called Sisler â€œthe nearest thing to a perfect ballplayerâ€), Babe Ruth, and Rogers Hornsby. He was considered by these stars of the sport to be their equal, and Branch Rickey, one of baseballâ€™s foremost innovators and talent scouts, once said that in 1922 Sisler was â€œthe greatest player that ever lived.â€
During his illustrious career he was a .340 hitter, twice achieving the rare feat of hitting more than .400. His 257 hits in 1920 is still the record for the â€œmodernâ€ era. Considered by many to be one of the gameâ€™s most skillful first basemen, he was the first at his position to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Yet unlike many of his peers who became household names, Sisler has faded from baseballâ€™s collective consciousness.
Now in The Sizzler, this â€œlegendary player without a legendâ€ gets the treatment he deserves. Rick Huhn presents the story of one of baseballâ€™s least appreciated players and studies why his status became so diminished. Huhn argues that the answer lies somewhere amid the tenor of Sislerâ€™s times, his own character and demeanor, the kinds of individuals who are chosen as our sports heroes, and the complex definition of fame itself.
In a society obsessed with exposing the underbellies of its heroes, Sislerâ€™s lack of a dark side may explain why less has been written about him than others. Although Sisler was a shy, serious sort who often shunned publicity, his story is filled with its own share of controversy and drama, from a lengthy struggle among major-league moguls for his contractual rightsâ€”a battle that helped change the structure of organized baseball foreverâ€”to a job-threatening eye disorder he developed during the peak of his career and popularity.
By including excerpts from Sislerâ€™s unpublished memoir, as well as references to the national and international events that took place during his heyday, Huhn reveals the full picture of this family man who overcame great obstacles, stood on high principles, and left his mark on a game he affected in a positive way for fifty-eight years.
Country USA
Brand University of Missouri Press
Manufacturer University of Missouri
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 30 illustrations, index, bibliography, t
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780826215550
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	University of Missouri Press
Manufacturer	University of Missouri
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	30 illustrations, index, bibliography, t
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780826215550
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great

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