Slide, Kelly, Slide: The Wild Life and Times of Mike King Kelly: The Wild Life and Times of Mike King Kelly (American Sports History) (American Sports History Series)

by Marty Appel, Lawrence S. Ritter (Foreword by)

Mike "King" Kelly was the hard-living, hard-drinking son of a Civil War veteran whose skills at baseball and infectious charm turned him into the game's first hero, and a symbol of what it meant to be a celebrity in America in the 1880s and 1890s. Slide, Kelly, Slide reacquaints baseball fans and scholars with this little-known pioneer of the game. Marty Appel, the author of several baseball books, conducted a thorough search of local archives to bring the story of King Kelly to light and place him in his proper historical context. An innovator on the field, who was not above taking advantage of the only umpire running the game, Kelly touched many aspects of American culture while a ballplayer. He was the first player to sign autographs, and wrote the game's first autobiography. A Hall of Famer and a two-time batting champion, Kelly's greatest contribution was the popularity that he brought to the game. Slide, Kelly, Slide will truly delight.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Tom Buske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good anecdotes but not as many as you would think about the life of Mike "King" Kelly, ⚾'s first superstar. If you like reading about 19th century baseball, this is a good read.

[Aaron Sinner · Rating 2 out of 5]

1996 CASEY Award Winner
1997 Seymour Medal finalist

Briefly: Historically valuable

Marty Appel might not be the best storyteller, but he’s done his homework in this profile of Mike “King” Kelly, where he convincingly makes the case for Kelly as baseball’s first superstar. The book is well-researched, sometimes to its detriment, as it quotes newspapers and letters rather than taking the risk of narrating Kelly’s story as story. Nevertheless, even as a series of historically-documented events, Kelly’s life in baseball is compelling and carries with it a number of dramatic moments. Baseball fans would do well to familiarize themselves with Kelly’s life, though a more compelling telling of it would be appreciated.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 2 out of 5]

odd little story that ends up being more legend than substance; King Kelly is more endearing Irish drunk than era-defining ballplayer and the book falls similarly short, more short story typically found in a grammar school library than rich sports biography

[Mike Huey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with the book. It seems to be mainly a collection of portions of Kelly's autobiography. Also the regular references to 1990s Bulls and other current occurrences seem forced. I did enjoy learning more about many 19th century players but the book mostly left me wanting more.