Baseball's New Frontier: A History of Expansion, 1961-1998

by Fran Zimniuch, Branch Rickey (Foreword)

When Major League Baseball first expanded in 1961 with the addition of the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, it started a trend that saw the number of franchises almost double, from sixteen to thirty, while baseball attendance grew by 44 percent. The story behind this staggering growth, told for the first time in Baseball’s New Frontier , is full of twists and unexpected turns, intrigue, and, in some instances, treachery. From the desertion of New York by the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants to the ever-present threat of antitrust legislation, from the backroom deals and the political posturing to the impact of the upstart Continental League, the book takes readers behind the scenes and into baseball’s decision-making process. Fran Zimniuch gives a lively team-by-team chronicle of how the franchises were awarded, how existing teams protected their players, and what the new teams’ winning (or losing) strategies were. With its account of great players, notable characters, and the changing fortunes of teams over the years, the book supplies a vital chapter in the history of Major League Baseball. 

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

A dusty box discovered in the wreckage of a once prosperous plantation on Agate Hill in North Carolina contains the remnants of an extraordinary life: diaries, letters, poems, songs, newspaper clippings, court records, marbles, rocks, dolls, and bones. It's through these treasured mementos that we meet Molly Petree.

Raised in those ruins and orphaned by the Civil War, Molly is a refugee who has no interest in self-pity. When a mysterious benefactor appears out her father's past to rescue her, she never looks back.

Spanning half a century, On Agate Hill follows Mollys passionate, picaresque journey through love, betrayal, motherhood, a murder trialand back home to Agate Hill under circumstances she never could have imagined."

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing (or perhaps it's more the editing) here definitely leaves something to be desired, but in terms of research and information offered, this is a fascinating treasure trove.

[Shaun Ko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many typos

[Ted Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book providing background and thinking around major league baseball's expansion over the years. Provided information that I have not found elsewhere in my baseball readings.