When the Dodgers were Bridegrooms: Review

For years, the Dodgers for me were from Los Angeles. Only when I started to read books about the boys of summer I got to know the heroes from the club that dazzled the late 40’s and the 50’s.

Like decending a ladder, I read about the Robins, Dazzy Vance and now finally thought the time was here to read ‘When the Dodgers were Bridegrooms : Gunner McGunnigle and the Brooklyn’s Back-to-Back Pennants of 1889 and 1890’ by Ronald G. Shafer. It’s quite a title for the 200 page book, published in 2011. It takes you on a time travel trip to the beginning of our Dodgers.

The Brooklyn Base Ball Association played it’s first season in a ‘major league’ in 1884 after one year in a minor league. The club would not be known as ‘Dodgers’ for quite some years, but in 1884 the Brooklyn Eagle did call the players ‘the boys in blue’. A term we still use today.

An interesting book for anyone who wants to know more about the beginnings of the Dodgers. How the game was played, how big names like Bob Caruthers were traded and how much money they made. The beginning of the wearing of gloves. How there was no love lost between the St. Louis Ball Club and Brooklyn from the early start. The 1890 season during which five teams played in New York and Brooklyn combined. During the season the 'Baseball war' raged. The most interesting part is the chapter about the only ever New York Giants vs. Brooklyn ‘pre-subway’ world series at the Polo Grounds and Washington Park.

Now and then a name gets mentioned of an employee who one day would own the ball club: Charles Ebbets. But that's a story for another time...