Rowdy Richard
A Firsthand Account of the National League Baseball Wars of the 1930s and the Men Who Fought Them
This is a definitive, analytical look at the style of the game, the characters of the ear, the managers, the owners, told by "the most exuberant rowdy of them all." Bartell covers the period from 1927 to 1954, baseball’s golden age: the Gashouse Gang; McGraw; the 1927 Yankees; the Giants-Dodgers feud; the first All-Star game; suggestions for changes in the game; and observations of modern players by old-timers. Bartell was an inspirational sparkplug whose career began with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1927. He later played for the Phillies, Cubs, and Tigers, as well as the Giants twice, and finished with a lifetime batting average of .284 for almost 8,000 at-bats. Earthy, witty, and remarkably astute, Bartell tells a tale of baseball intrigue that is hard to put down and which brings back a forgotten era. He gives special insight into such players as Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Larry French, Babe Ruth, Ernie Lombardi, Bob Feller, Carl Hubbell, Van Lingle Mungo, Hal Newhouser, Hank Greenberg, Honus Wagneer, the Waner Brothers, Dizzy Dean and many others.
"If rowdy baseball is to be the fashion, the Giants will be very much present indeed, with Bartell, the most exuberant rowdy of them all."
—Stanley Frank, New York Post, 1935
"He makes every ball game a world war. Not since McGraw and the days of Devlin, Stengel and Herzog has there been such a player here."
—Joe Williams, New York World-Telegram, 1935
"He had more of the spirit of Ty Cobb than any player of his day."
—Henry Robert, Philadelphia Bulletin, 1941
"If I had to pick eight players to play behind me, I would like to have eight Dick Bartells, and I guarantee you we'll give you a run for your money."
—Bucky Walters