Electric October: Seven World Series Games, Six Lives, Five Minutes of Fame That Lasted Forever

by Kevin Cook Narrated by Joe Barrett

Overview

The 1947 World Series was "the most exciting ever" in the words of Joe DiMaggio, with a decade's worth of drama packed into seven games between the mighty New York Yankees and underdog Brooklyn Dodgers. It was Jackie Robinson's first Series, a postwar spectacle featuring Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway, and President Harry Truman in supporting roles. It was also the first televised World Series-sportswriters called it "Electric October."



But for all the star power on display, the outcome hinged on role players: Bill Bevens, a journeyman who knocked on the door of pitching immortality; Al Gionfriddo and Cookie Lavagetto, bench players at the center of the Series' iconic moments; Snuffy Stirnweiss, a wartime batting champion who never got any respect; and managers Bucky Harris and Burt Shotton, each an unlikely choice to run his team.



Kevin Cook brings the '47 Series to life, introducing us to men whose past offered no hint they were destined for extraordinary things. For some, the Series was a memory to hold onto. For others, it would haunt them to the end of their days. And for us, Cook offers new insights-at once heartbreaking and uplifting-into what fame and glory truly mean.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/12/2017
The 1947 World Series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers was notable even if all the people involved weren’t at the time, writes Cook (Titanic Thompson), who profiles six people in this entertaining, well-researched history. It was the first televised World Series, making the games viewable to millions of baseball fans, leading sports writers at the time to refer to the month of the series as “electric October.” Yankee Bill Bevens, pitching in his fourth and final big-league season, was one out away from a no-hitter in game four before a little-used pinch hitter named Cookie Lavagetto came up to bat. Brooklyn’s speedy Al Gionfriddo showed up Joe DiMaggio with a spectacular game-saving catch. One of the Yankees’ best players was second baseman George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss, a man known for his steadiness and nerves. Managers Burt Shotton and Bucky Harris led their clubs to the World Series even though they hadn’t been their team owners’ first choices. In profiling the lives of these six overlooked men, Cook reveals the complicated reality of baseball’s golden era. For example, many players returned to day jobs when their baseball careers were over. Bevens went back to his family farm and took jobs driving trucks and selling home appliances at Sears after his career ended. Stirnweiss became a banker and died a decade after the series in a New Jersey train crash. 16-page b&w insert. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

Winner of the Ron Gabriel Award of the Society for American Baseball Research

"Heartfelt and entertaining. . . . Cook's narrative is splendid, but the subtext of his book is even better." — The Wall Street Journal

“A wonderful book by someone who clearly loves the game and the seemingly small moments that cement that love. Bravo!”—Ken Burns

"A poignant study that goes beyond baseball."—The New York Times

“The 1947 World Series had everything: Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson, Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field. It went a full and fully dramatic seven games, with enduring legends in both dugouts. And yet, as so often happens in baseball, bit players jumped from the agate type into the headlines as well. Kevin Cook offers a fine appreciation of the games, the subplots, and the personalities that made ’47 a true Fall Classic.”—Bob Costas

"A magnificent, Hall of Fame caliber addition to baseball literature."—George F. Will

"[An] essential summer read... a fascinating deep dive into the unlikely characters that made the 1947 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers a classic"—New York Post

"Entertaining, well-researched history.... In profiling the lives of these six overlooked men, Cook reveals the complicated reality of baseball’s golden era."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An impressively reported, smoothly written book"—Kirkus Reviews

"[An] entertaining slice of baseball history."—Booklist

"An outstanding collection of stories about men, about life and about one glorious World Series, it is one that all baseball readers should add to their libraries."—SportsBookGuy.com

“Electric October is a great baseball story and a classic American tale, as the six hard-working men at the heart of the narrative seized the moment when fate called. Kevin Cook has crafted one of the best books you’ll read this year.”—James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and The China Mirage

“The pleasures of Electric October are many: from the spectacle of a Babe Ruth popup to the insights of the boy-manager Bucky Harris; from the origin of the relief specialist to the inception of a signature radio call; from a famous running catch to a terrifying prank among teammates. You’ll also learn how it feels to be fired – because Kevin Cook reveals that disappointment, and what skilled men do with it, has defined baseball across its many years.”—Nicholas Dawidoff, author of The Catcher Was a Spy and The Crowd Sounds Happy

“The lives on the margins always have been far more interesting to me than the ones at the top of the sports page. That's what makes Electric October such a wonder. Six character actors named Snuffy and Cookie, Burt and Al, and Bill and Bucky have their leading-man moments during the implausible events of the 1947 World Series. There is magic here and we all get to share in it. Terrific.” —Leigh Montville, author of The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth and Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. the United States of America, 1966-1971

New York Post

“[An] essential summer read . . . a fascinating deep dive into the unlikely characters that made the 1947 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers a classic.”—New York Post

James Bradley

“Electric October is a great baseball story and a classic American tale, as the six hard-working men at the heart of the narrative seized the moment when fate called. Kevin Cook has crafted one of the best books you’ll read this year.”—James Bradley

 
 

Leigh Montville

“The lives on the margins always have been far more interesting to me than the ones at the top of the sports page. That's what makes Electric October such a wonder. Six character actors named Snuffy and Cookie, Burt and Al, and Bill and Bucky have their leading-man moments during the implausible events of the 1947 World Series. There is magic here, and we all get to share in it. Terrific.”—Leigh Montville

George F. Will

“A magnificent, Hall of Fame caliber addition to baseball literature.”—George F. Will
 

Nicholas Dawidoff

“The pleasures of Electric October are many: from the spectacle of a Babe Ruth pop-up to the insights of the boy-manager Bucky Harris; from the origin of the relief specialist to the inception of a signature radio call; from a famous running catch to a terrifying prank among teammates. You’ll also learn how it feels to be fired—because Kevin Cook reveals that disappointment, and what skilled men do with it, has defined baseball across its many years.”—Nicholas Dawidoff
 

SportsBookGuy.com

"An outstanding collection of stories about men, about life and about one glorious World Series, it is one that all baseball readers should add to their libraries."

Wall Street Journal

“Heartfelt and entertaining. . . . Cook’s narrative is splendid, but the subtext of his book is even better.”—Wall Street Journal
 

Booklist

“[An] entertaining slice of baseball history.”—Booklist

New York Times

“A poignant study that goes beyond baseball.”—New York Times
 

Bob Costas

“The 1947 World Series had everything: Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson, Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field. . . . Kevin Cook offers a fine appreciation of the games, the subplots, and the personalities that made ’47 a true Fall Classic.”—Bob Costas

 

Ken Burns

“A wonderful book by someone who clearly loves the game and the seemingly small moments that cement that love. Bravo!”—Ken Burns
 
 

Booklist

[An] entertaining slice of baseball history.”—Booklist

New York Post

[An] essential summer read . . . a fascinating deep dive into the unlikely characters that made the 1947 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers a classic.”—New York Post

Wall Street Journal

Heartfelt and entertaining. . . . Cook’s narrative is splendid, but the subtext of his book is even better.”—Wall Street Journal
 

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Narrator Joe Barrett's voice is perfectly suited to recount the Golden Age of Baseball." —AudioFile

Library Journal

08/01/2017
Cook (Tommy's Honor) revisits the 1947 matchup between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, telling stories of lesser-known players and managers. Most baseball fans know Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, or Branch Rickey, Hall of Famers who left indelible marks on the game. However, not many are familiar with Bucky Harris, Al Gionfriddo, or Cookie Lavagetto. Their names may have faded in time, but their impact on the 1947 World Series is as permanent as their Hall of Fame colleagues. This book is a reminder that many quality players are lost to history, and their stories are often as intriguing as the legends they played with. Cook does an excellent job of weaving articles and interviews from that time with modern sabermetrics and perspectives to make athletes and moments more relatable to fans of the current game. VERDICT Focusing on lesser-known players is one of the endearing qualities of this book; as a result, it may appeal more to die-hard fans than casual dabblers. Appropriate for both adult and young adult readers.—Matt Schirano, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., CT

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

This delightful slice of baseball history follows the lives of six lesser-known players and managers before, during, and after the 1947 World Series. Narrator Joe Barrett’s voice is perfectly suited to recount the Golden Age of Baseball. His nimble delivery features a raspy timbre and a fast pace as he captures the spirits of the scrappy ballplayers—Bill Bevens, Al Gionfriddo, Bucky Harris, Cookie Lavagetto, Burt Shotton, and Snuffy Stirnweiss—who played key roles in the series. ELECTRIC OCTOBER is an absorbing story, but even if that weren’t the case, listening to Barrett rattle off those vintage baseball names, plus others like Kiki Cuyler and Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish (really!), would alone be worth the price of admission. A.T.N. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-06-06
Cook (The Dad Report: Fathers, Sons, and Baseball Families, 2017 etc.) chronicles the 1947 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, approaching this narrow slice of sports history from an unusual angle.That year's Series resonates with the author for a few reasons: the quality of play in the two New York City ballparks, the historic nature of Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first African-American to participate in the event, and the fact that it was the first televised Series. The overriding narrative line, however, involves the unexpectedly significant roles of four under-the-radar baseball players—Al Gionfriddo and Cookie Lavagetto for the Dodgers and Bill Bevens and Snuffy Stirnweiss for the Yankees—as well as the controversial managers for each team, Burt Shotton for the Dodgers (filling in for the suspended, better-known Leo Durocher) and Bucky Harris for the Yankees. Cook traces the lives of all six men before 1947 and then illuminates their roles during the Series. "The six of them played key roles in a World Series that Joe DiMaggio called ‘the most exciting ever.' " In the third portion of the book, the author explains how his brief interval in the spotlight affected each man until his death. To be sure, all of his subjects led interesting lives in one way or another, but how they reached the Major Leagues and what happened to each after 1947 may only appeal to die-hard fans of baseball history. As a result, Cook's unusual approach might limit the audience. The narrative works best when the author narrates the drama of the seven-game series, which the Yankees won. For readers unfamiliar with the Robinson saga, the compact account might provide a gateway to further reading. An impressively reported, smoothly written book that nonetheless feels airy in its content.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170631681
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/15/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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