The New Boys of Summer: Baseball's Radical Transformation in the Late Sixties

(Hardback)

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The 1960s were among the most compelling years in the history of the United States, from the intensifying clamor for civil rights to the tragic incidents of assassination and war. Caught up in this sea of restlessness was major league baseball, and the manner in which baseball addressed the challenges of this decade would have a lasting impact on the game. In The New Boys of Summer: Baseball's Radical Transformation in the Late Sixties, Paul Hensler looks at the key issues confronting baseball during this tumultuous time. Hensler carefully examines how domestic racial issues, the war in Vietnam, assassinations of prominent public figures, youthful rebellion, and drug use each placed their imprint on the game just as baseball was about to celebrate its centennial season. The expansion of both the American and National leagues is also covered in depth, as are the new divisional alignments and major rule changes that were implemented in 1969. Other factors impacting the national pastime include the appointment of Bowie Kuhn as commissioner, the rising influence of Marvin Miller as the director of the players association, the construction of modern stadiums, and the rapid developments in information technology. An earlier generation of players was venerated as the Boys of Summer, and indeed, they continue to hold their rightful place in baseballs legend and lore; but in the late 1960s, a fresh cast of characters made their own mark as transformations in the game brought baseball into the new modern era. Baseball historians and fans alike will be entertained and informed by this fresh look at the national pastime in the decade of discontent.

Reviews

Paul Henslers The New Boys of Summer: Baseballs Radial Transformation in the Late Sixties is a fascinating book that builds on the authors previous work on the changes Major League Baseball faced at the end of the 1960s. . . . Henslers book is well conceived, thoroughly researched and easy to read. This is a welcome contribution to the field of baseball history that covers the period that almost significantly laid the ground work for todays game. * Journal of Sport History *
In this engaging text, Hensleran independent scholar of baseball historyoffers a comprehensive analysis of the major shifts that swept through Major League Baseball in the 1968 and 1969 seasons. They included new commissioners, new rules governing pitchers, newer and larger ballparks, the rise of multipurpose stadiums, and baseball's expansion into new cities like San Diego and Seattle. The increase in franchises led to the creation of a new division and a new playoff round, the National and American League Champion Series. Hensler covers other changes that weakened the grip of owners over players and altered the deeper culture of the league. He devotes a chapter to Marvin Miller and to Curt Flood, whose actions presaged the end of the reserve clause and the beginning of free agency. Hensler further chronicles the ways some players immersed themselves in the decades profound cultural shifts and openly expressed their views about political issues, such as the war in Vietnam. Overall, Henslers engrossing narrative provides insight into the factors that shaped modern-day Major League Baseball. Scholars and baseball fans alike will appreciate Henslers research and coverage of one of baseballs pivotal eras. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. * CHOICE *
The decade that ended in 1969 was one of the most compelling in American history, from an ongoing battle for civil rights to an unpopular war to a string of political assassinations. Baseball was affected by all of those events, and there were changes to the game itself. Hensler, a baseball historian, explores in detail the transformation of the game in a revolutionary decade. The league expanded by 50 percent, from two eight-team leagues to two six-team divisions in each league. The players union, under Marvin Miller, was coming of age, and there was a boom in new stadiums. Late in the decade, pitchers dominated the game, prompting rule changes designed to give the hitters a chance (lowering the pitching mound and narrowing the strike zone). Hensler takes readers through it all with an easy narrative style and a real feel for recreating the frenetic atmosphere of the times. An excellent baseball history that will appeal to old and new fans. * Booklist *
Baseball historian Hensler delivers an excellent examination of the ways that Americas national pastime was challenged by the cultural changes affecting the country in 1968 and 1969. Each chapter explores individual topics that delineate how baseball ended its mid-twentieth-century stodginess and moved into a modern era punctuated by other changes that were radical in nature. Among these topics are the expansion of the American and National Leagues to new cities such as Kansas City, intended to compete with the growing popularity of football; the influence Marvin Miller had as director of the Major League Baseball Players Association in leading baseballs labor force into a new era of financial gains; the rise of computer technology (such as the IBM System/360) to enhance and change the use of statistics; and the ways that advocates for racial equality pushed management to increase the presence of minority players on MLB teams. Henslers book is an enlightening look at the many ways baseball became the game we know today. * Publishers Weekly *
Fans of baseball history will enjoy the percolating issues that Hensler brings to the surface as Major League Baseball approached its centennial in 1969. Henslers research is extensive and varied. Happily, he dips deeply into Jim Boutons classic baseball diary of the 1969 season, Ball Four, and many other books. He also utilizes documents, periodicals, articles, baseball team publications, special collections and websites. His bibliography is a diverse cross-section of sports, politics, culture, social awareness and history. Hensler provides plenty of background as he introduces each topic, giving the reader a firm basis to understand the events of 1968 and 1969. It is important to take all the elements Hensler writes about as one tapestry, rather than distinct pieces of cloth. Hensler does a marvelous job of blending all the issues together in a coherent, entertaining narrative. * The Sports Bookie: A sports blog by Bob DAngelo *
The New Boys of Summer is an important contribution to our understanding of the history of baseball as it explores a series of turning points that produced the game as we know it today. Paul Hensler writes about baseball and Americas in the late 1960s with clarity and authority. A must-read. -- Paul Dickson, author of Leo Durocher: Baseball's Prodigal Son and other baseball books
Anyone who doubted that baseball was a business received stunning lessons in reality in the transformative 1960s. Paul Hensler reminds us just how revolutionary the 60s were, on and off the diamond. He reexamines expansion, baseballs love affair with multi-purpose ballparks and Astroturf, the division play that would lead to playoff expansion, and, most tellingly, the impact of an increasingly powerful players union. Its a must-read for anyone who seeks to understand baseball, then and now. -- Claire Smith, 2017 Baseball Writers Association of America J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner

Author Bio

Paul Hensler is a baseball historian and member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He has written for NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture and the Baseball Research Journal. Hensler is the author of The American League in Transition, 1965-1975: How Competition Thrived When the Yankees Didnt (2013).