Outside the Lines of Gilded Age Baseball: Alcohol, Fitness, and Cheating in 1880s Baseball

by Rob Bauer

Beer played a decisive role in baseball in the 1880s. When teams signed new players they asked two questions. Can he play? Is he sober? You love baseball and take pride in your knowledge of the game. But if you’re like many fans, you know almost nothing about baseball in the 1800s. The Outside the Lines of Gilded Age Baseball series illuminates all aspects of baseball’s most colorful decade. Rob Bauer will show you how beer, methods of keeping fit, and cheating played a critical role in baseball in the 1880s. He is a member of the Society of American Baseball Research’s 19th Century Baseball Research Committee. Bauer has also presented research at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Whether it’s bringing a keg of beer to the ballpark, treating sore arms with a branding iron, or fighting on the field, this book has the stories of 1880s baseball. Some are funny, others tragic, but they reveal what baseball was like in its early years.

Genres: Baseball

190 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2018

About the author

I’m Rob Bauer, author of historical fiction and nonfiction books and owner of Rob Bauer Books. I hold a PhD in American History and was a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the University of Arkansas.

I love writing historical fiction. To me, it’s a continuation of what I used to do as a college professor—educate people about interesting historical events—except now I get to do so through fun stories. With historical fiction I hope I can reach a larger audience, too. My first novel is free to everyone on my website! You can find it at - http://robbauerbooks.com/a-free-ebook...

I also write nonfiction about baseball history because I’ve always loved the game, its history, and its lore. I sometimes joke that baseball may be the one thing in life I truly understand. Although I love the statistical side of the game, if you don’t, never fear because my histories go light on the statistics and heavy on what baseball was like in the past. They’re stories about baseball, but stories with a point.

The history blog on my website offers posts on a variety of interesting historical figures and events. I’d love to have you follow along at - http://robbauerbooks.com/blog/

When I’m not working on my next story or writing project, I enjoy spending time at the beach. And, oh yeah, I still read a history book or two. When I’m not watching baseball.

Reviews

[Steve]

Good book for baseball historians. I consider myself pretty well versed in 19th Century base ball, but this book showed me that alcohol abuse was much more rampant than I had thought (although not surprising). Well researched and a good, short read.

[Bruno Bianchi]

Fascinating Read

This concise, well written book is a little gem. Rob Bauer did some serious digging and shows here, that in the Gilded Age, like today, sport was a reflection of contemporary society. This is an informative and entertaining read. The book is deeply researched and sourced. If you’re a fan of baseball history, simply late 19th Century American history, you will enjoy this book.

Plus, knowing that a ball player once went off to Spring training and returned with malaria is a great start for a random conversation with a stranger while watching a game in a sports bar.

[Jarred Goodall]

The book started off slow, but picked up steam as it went on. I would recommend it for baseball fans and historians, but not for laypersons.

[RSGillispieJr]

Very interesting

It is great to go back in time and read about baseball from a time it was just beginning. Enjoyed this book a lot.