Books

The Victory Season

The End of World War II and the Birth of Baseball's Golden Age
By Robert Weintraub (Electronic Book, 2013)
The triumphant story of baseball and America after World War II

In 1945 Major League Baseball had become a ghost of itself. Parks were half empty, the balls were made with fake rubber, and mediocre replacements roamed the fields, as hundreds of players, including the game's biggest stars, were serving abroad, devoted to unconditional Allied victory in World War II.

But by the spring of 1946, the country was ready to heal. The war was finally over, and as America's fathers and brothers were coming home, so too were the sport's greats. Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Joe DiMaggio returned with bats blazing, making the season a true classic that ended in a thrilling seven-game World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. America also witnessed the beginning of a new era in baseball-it was a year of attendance records, the first year Yankee Stadium held night games, the last year the Green Monster wasn't green, and, most significant, Jackie Robinson's first year playing in the Brooklyn Dodgers' system.

The Victory Season brings to vivid life these years of baseball and war, including the littleknown "World Series" that servicemen played in a captured Hitler Youth stadium in the fall of 1945. Robert Weintraub's extensive research and vibrant storytelling enliven the legendary season that embodies what we now think of as the game's golden era.

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  • Little, Brown and Company

    • Format: Electronic Book

    • Price: $14.99 US/$14.99 CAN

    • ISBN-13: 9780316205900

    • On Sale Date: 04/02/2013

    • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

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    Formats Available: Hardcover Book, Electronic Book

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The triumphant story of baseball and America after World War II

In 1945 Major League Baseball had become a ghost of itself. Parks were half empty, the balls were made with fake rubber, and mediocre replacements roamed the fields, as hundreds of players, including the game's biggest stars, were serving abroad, devoted to unconditional Allied victory in World War II.

But by the spring of 1946, the country was ready to heal. The war was finally over, and as America's fathers and brothers were coming home, so too were the sport's greats. Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Joe DiMaggio returned with bats blazing, making the season a true classic that ended in a thrilling seven-game World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. America also witnessed the beginning of a new era in baseball-it was a year of attendance records, the first year Yankee Stadium held night games, the last year the Green Monster wasn't green, and, most significant, Jackie Robinson's first year playing in the Brooklyn Dodgers' system.

The Victory Season brings to vivid life these years of baseball and war, including the littleknown "World Series" that servicemen played in a captured Hitler Youth stadium in the fall of 1945. Robert Weintraub's extensive research and vibrant storytelling enliven the legendary season that embodies what we now think of as the game's golden era.

Robert Weintraub is a writer living in Decatur, Georgia. The author of The House that Ruth Built, he is a sports columnist for Slate.


  • THE VICTORY SEASON by Robert Weintraub

  • Praise for The House that Ruth Built:

    A fascinating tale of one of baseball's greatest moments. The research is meticulous and the writing is delightful. You're in for a rollicking good ride. (Johnathan Eig, author Luckiest Man and Opening Day).

  • The whole baseball year of 1923 is the frame for Weintraub's elegantly constructed narrative...There is no nickname ever used for a player that Weintraub overlooks nor any colorful phrase now common in baseball that he doesn't cite...a treasure for the fan who cannot get enough.

  • Weintraub enlivens his book with a cast of remarkable characters, starting with the Babe himself...a book about New York baseball in the 1920s, a sporting scene ripe with fascinating possibilities that Mr. Weintraub mines thoroughly for his spirited book. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

  • Just when you thought there were no great seasons left uncovered -- or anything new left to say about Babe Ruth -- here comes The House that Ruth Built.  Robert Weintraub has resurrected the 1923 season and showed us how it changed baseball that season and every season that has followed it.  A perfect match of the team, the year, and the writer. (author of Yogi Berra and The Last Coach).

  • Robert Weintrub beautifully details the building of the iconic park and the World Series in which Ruth became a legend. (Denver Post).

  • Compelling and entertaining history of the 1923 season (Austin American-Statesman).

  • Weintraub is a very lively writer: he makes it all fresh and newly intriguing, adding in a whiff of Damon Runyon's saltiness and introducing readers to some of the idioms of the era. Bracing and fun for all baseball buffs, whether or not fans of today's Bombers.

  • Robert Weintraub [is] a leading American sports columnist (The Economist).

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Product Details

The Victory Season
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
  • Price: $14.99 US/$14.99 CAN
  • Pages: 464
  • ISBN-13: 9780316205900
  • On Sale Date: 04/02/2013
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The Victory Season
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