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The Cleveland Indians of 1928 were a far cry from the championship team of 1920. They had begun the decade as the best team in all of baseball, but over the following eight years, their owner died, the great Tris Speaker retired in the face of a looming scandal, and the franchise was in terrible shape. Seeing opportunity in the upheaval, Cleveland real estate mogul Alva Bradley purchased the ball club in 1927, infused it with cash, and filled its roster with star players such as Bob Feller, Earl Averill, and Hal Trosky. He aligned himself with civic leaders to push for a gigantic new stadium that - along with the team that played in it - would be the talk of the baseball world. Then came the stock market crash of 1929. Municipal Stadium was built, despite the collapse of the industrial economy in Rust Belt cities, but the crowds did not follow.



About the Author

Scott Longert

Scott Longert was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. At age five he learned to read by deciphering the baseball box scores in the morning newspaper. Scott has been a devoted fan of the Cleveland Indians for most of his life.He has seen hundreds of games at Municipal Stadium and continues to frequent Progressive Field every summer.Scott has an M.A. degree in American History from Cleveland State University. His graduate research paper was on the life and times of Tris Speaker. He has written articles for various publications on baseball history, including the old Sunday Magazine published by the Clevleand Plain Dealer. In 1999 Scott completed his first full length biography, "King of the Pitchers," the story of Addie Joss. In 2013 he published, "The Best They Could Be," a chronicle of the Cleveland Indians first pennant and World Series victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. In September 2016 "No Money, No Beer, No Pennants" was published by Ohio University Press. It is the story of the Cleveland Indians during the years of the Great Depression. There are biographical sketches of Earl Averill, Mel Harder, Hal Trosky and a teenage Bob Feller. The building of Municipal Stadium is presented as well. The stadium was the site of the 1935 All-Star game that featured Mel Harder and local product Joe Vosmik. Scott's "Bad Boys, Bad Times" was released in February 2019 again by Ohio University Press. This book covers the Cleveland Indians from 1937 through 1941, including the famous "Cry Baby" incident where the players tried to have manager Oscar Vitt fired.Scott's latest work is Cy Young: "An American Baseball Hero" published by Ohio University Press. This is Scott's first book for children, ages eight to twelve. Cy Young was one of baseball's greatest stars and led an exemplary life on and off the field. The book includes a timeline, glossary and text boxes. Children can learn all about the early days of baseball and what America was like in the 19th and first part of the 20th century.



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