Eerily prescient of times to come, this expos examines drug use in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the mid-1980s and one of the biggest drug trials in baseball history. Through a series of exclusive interviews with FBI agents, U.S. attorneys, defense lawyers, journalists, former baseball executives, physicians, and the dealers themselves, the narrative provides a behind-the-scenes look into how the players managed their habits, the effect of the drugs on their athletic performance, and the ruses the players concocted to keep their drug consumption from becoming public knowledge. Among the all-stars implicated as cocaine users were Joaquin Andujar, Dusty Baker, Dale Berra, Keith Hernandez, Lee Mazzilli, John Milner, Dave Parker, and Lonnie Smith, while Willie Mays and Willie Stargell were fingered as amphetamine users. In addition to identifying the players involved, this account reveals how the hapless group of mostly diehard Pittsburgh Pirates fans got into cocaine and connected with the players as well as the often comic deals that eventually got them busted. Then MLB Commissioner Peter Ueberroths failure to implement a strict drug policy in the aftermath of the trial is also discussed, along with the role this inaction played in enabling the steroid era.

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Ein MLB-Klassiker. Diese Flatbrim Cap darf in keiner Sammlung eines gut ausgerüsteten Baseballfans fehlen. Als Kontrast setzen sich das LA-Logo der Dodgers auf verstärkter Front sowie die weiteren Markenstickereien auf der komplett geschlossenen Kappe ab. Original 59Fifty by New Era.

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In late 1901, a number of baseball owners decided to break away from the Western League and form a new league called the American Association. This ´´outlaw league´´ refused to recognize organized baseball´s reserve clause, but vowed to respect contracts. Unfortunately, organized baseball did not reciprocate. Over the next two years, the leagues battled each other for players, fans, and financial superiority. This narrative of that struggle details the business operations of the different clubs, the difficulties of securing property for ball parks, and the problem of players jumping contracts. It also chronicles the two playing seasons during the conflict and describes the rowdy behavior of both players and umpires that characterized baseball at the time. Although the American Association would go on to a longer and more successful life, this study shows that outcome was by no means certain in the early 20th century.

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