Baseball's Greatest Comeback

In 1914 the Boston Braves experienced the greatest come-from-behind season in baseball history. A perennially woeful team, the Braves rose from the ashes of last place-fifteen games behind on July 4th-to battle in the World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics, one of the most dominant teams of all time.Baseball fans witnessed one of sport's most spectacular comebacks, and Boston's National League team earned a new designation: "The Miracle Braves."
Baseball's Greatest Comeback: The Miracle Braves of 1914 follows the Boston Braves through this rollercoaster year, from their miserable start to their inspiring finish. A collection of likeable, determined, and highly unconventional ballplayers, the Braves endeared themselves to fans who rooted enthusiastically for the team. Sitting in last place midway through the season, the youthful group of castoffs and misfits, many of whom had been rejected by other major league teams, followed the lead of Walter "Rabbit" Maranville, Johnny "The Crab" Evers, and George "Big Daddy" Stallingsto turn things around. The Braves battled their way up the standings, finishing the second half of the season with a miraculous 52 and 14 record. They went on to defeat John McGraw's powerful New York Giants for the pennant and found themselves face-to-face with the talented Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series.
On the 100th anniversary of this memorable season, the 1914 Boston Braves are still remembered as one of the greatest comeback teams in baseball history. Full of timeless images and memorable characters-including a fanatically superstitious manager, a cheerfully madcap star, and an obsessively driven, yet highly sensitive captain-this book will inform and entertain baseball fans and sports historians alike.

J. Brian Ross teaches history at Collegiate School in Richmond, VA. A baseball historian, he has served as History Department Chair at Collegiate and at Hathaway Brown School in Ohio, where he organized and directed a history conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier of the major leagues. Ross is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Pains, Aches, and Hopefulness
Chapter 2: Losing with the "Crab"
Chapter 3: The Rabbit springs forward
Chapter 4: The Arms of August
Chapter 5: "The World Upside Down."
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author