October 1964

David Halberstam
The riveting story of how two very different baseball teams, reflective of the times in America, got to the 1964 World SeriesA powerful and entertaining examination of the forces transforming baseball, and the country, in a pivotal period in the history of America and its national pastime. -Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Happenings of 1964 in the United States

Lyndon B. Johnson was the President Cold War Space Race President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law abolishing racial segregation in the United States The total number of United States forces in Vietnam rises to 21,000 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed Philadelphia Race Riots of 1964 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for leading nonviolent resistance to end racial prejudice in the United States America was experiencing Beatlemania The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the visiting New York Yankees 7-5 to win the World Series in 7 games (4-3)

Baseball & Society: New York Yankees

The Yankees had won five World Series between 1949 and 1953 o No black players on the team during those wins Throughout this book, Halberstam tries to explain the decline and fall of the Yankee empire as a reflection of the social changes of the 1960s He highlights one Yankee problem as a universal one, aging "More and more," he writes, "the Yankees seemed patched together and carried by memories Halberstam narrows the real problem down to be the Yankees' racism. George Weiss who was the team's general manager from 1947 until 1960 preferred his wage slaves, and his paying customers, to be white This further narrowed the team's pool of available talent to chose from. Yankees were purchased by CBS in August 1964

Baseball & Society: St. Louis Cardinals

Halberstam depicts the Cardinals' owner, Gussie Busch, as a hard-drinking, quick-tempered, skirtchasing beer magnate who knew little about baseball, but he was no racist Halberstam quotes him as saying, Hell, we sell beer to everyone Capitalism provided Busch with his route to liberal politics By 1964 St. Louis had made a team around a core of black athletes like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Curt Flood, and Bill White These young players were supported by older white players Dick Groat, Curt Simmons, and Ken Boyer as well as by the addition of some new white players

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The New York Yankees who represented white power and prejudice were finally brought down by the St. Louis Cardinals who were led by a determined young black man New media society contributed to the Yankees downfall TV was creating the athlete into a star TV also brought large sums of money into the game, driving salaries up and eventually making players more independent of owners Throughout the book Halberstam relates the message that adversity, whether it be it poverty, racial discrimination, bodily injury, etc. can be overcome through determination, hard work and selfdiscipline