The American Association Playoffs, 1947 to 1952
The American Association Almanac presents....
This 35,000-word volume is the third in a series dedicated to the American Association playoffs, a postseason series which began in 1933 and continued through the 1962 season. Based on newspaper accounts and original research conducted by the author, this issue focuses on detailed game descriptions which help bring to life the spirit of each contest, using newspaper accounts and the data expunged from box scores to enhance the narrative.
In all, there are 110 game descriptions which are concerned primarily with how the scoring took place, with special emphasis on who was accountable for each game's deciding run. As in past issues of the Almanac, a smattering of anecdotal information is included as a way of adding a more human element to the otherwise repetitive descriptive elements. In this way the Almanac as a whole can be viewed as a continuous narrative or sampled in parts, depending upon the reader's interests.
Specific stylistic traits give the content uniformity. For example, in each game account, the starting pitcher for each team is fully named in boldface for each game, and includes his regular season record; other players are given their full name once per section (a section being defined as a playoff series, usually consisting of five to seven games at a stretch) which is boldfaced only once per section and listed by both first name and surname only once. Another example is the listing of each position player's field position, which is done once per section.
In addition, the author maintains a "present tense" writing style throughout the descriptions, allowing the reader to become more immersed in the action taking place on the field, as though they are listening to the game being called by a play-by-play announcer. A strict adherence to standard grammatical rules, as well as a particularly well-attuned sense of proofreading make this document an invaluable contribution to the annals of baseball history.
Because of the number of game included in this 60 page volume, subscribers to the Almanac may miss the statistical profiles which have accompanied each season series in past issues. Those profiles have been assembled into comprehensive, single-season leaderboards which have been published on this blog and are found immediately following this entry.
Photographs of key players mark the end of the volume.
Finally, any reader wishing to obtain an online copy of the author's various data files (in spreadsheet format) may wish to contact the author to obtain an electronic copy.
The following provides a sample game account from a 1952 playoff series as it appears on paper:
Note how the entry is headed with the game number, the day, and the date, followed by the contestants and location. The score of each contest is included in bold face, as well as the number of innings for all extra-inning contests. Also, names such as Art Shallock and Dick Libby are not in bold because they were previously mentioned in an earlier game account for that series when their names were listed in boldface. This sample gives the reader a sense of the author's style which is maintained throughout the document consistently.
The cover for Volume 15, Number 2 as it appears on paper:
_______________________________________________
The American Association Playoffs, 1947-1952
This 35,000-word volume is the third in a series dedicated to the American Association playoffs, a postseason series which began in 1933 and continued through the 1962 season. Based on newspaper accounts and original research conducted by the author, this issue focuses on detailed game descriptions which help bring to life the spirit of each contest, using newspaper accounts and the data expunged from box scores to enhance the narrative.
In all, there are 110 game descriptions which are concerned primarily with how the scoring took place, with special emphasis on who was accountable for each game's deciding run. As in past issues of the Almanac, a smattering of anecdotal information is included as a way of adding a more human element to the otherwise repetitive descriptive elements. In this way the Almanac as a whole can be viewed as a continuous narrative or sampled in parts, depending upon the reader's interests.
Specific stylistic traits give the content uniformity. For example, in each game account, the starting pitcher for each team is fully named in boldface for each game, and includes his regular season record; other players are given their full name once per section (a section being defined as a playoff series, usually consisting of five to seven games at a stretch) which is boldfaced only once per section and listed by both first name and surname only once. Another example is the listing of each position player's field position, which is done once per section.
In addition, the author maintains a "present tense" writing style throughout the descriptions, allowing the reader to become more immersed in the action taking place on the field, as though they are listening to the game being called by a play-by-play announcer. A strict adherence to standard grammatical rules, as well as a particularly well-attuned sense of proofreading make this document an invaluable contribution to the annals of baseball history.
Because of the number of game included in this 60 page volume, subscribers to the Almanac may miss the statistical profiles which have accompanied each season series in past issues. Those profiles have been assembled into comprehensive, single-season leaderboards which have been published on this blog and are found immediately following this entry.
Photographs of key players mark the end of the volume.
Finally, any reader wishing to obtain an online copy of the author's various data files (in spreadsheet format) may wish to contact the author to obtain an electronic copy.
The following provides a sample game account from a 1952 playoff series as it appears on paper:
Note how the entry is headed with the game number, the day, and the date, followed by the contestants and location. The score of each contest is included in bold face, as well as the number of innings for all extra-inning contests. Also, names such as Art Shallock and Dick Libby are not in bold because they were previously mentioned in an earlier game account for that series when their names were listed in boldface. This sample gives the reader a sense of the author's style which is maintained throughout the document consistently.
The cover for Volume 15, Number 2 as it appears on paper:
_______________________________________________
The Almanac is currently conducting its Fall subscription drive.
All orders between now and Oct. 10 are eligible for a nearly 20% discount. Subscription cost for a two-year subscription is typically $42, but for those mentioning this posting, the cost has been slashed to $38. One-year subscriptions are marked down from $24 to $20.
If you have an interest in baseball history, esp. at the regional level, this may be just what you are looking for. Makes a great gift as well, especially for those with memories of the baseball scene as it unfolded in the late 1940s or early 1950s.
Email the author at pureout@msn.com and order your subscription today!
All orders between now and Oct. 10 are eligible for a nearly 20% discount. Subscription cost for a two-year subscription is typically $42, but for those mentioning this posting, the cost has been slashed to $38. One-year subscriptions are marked down from $24 to $20.
If you have an interest in baseball history, esp. at the regional level, this may be just what you are looking for. Makes a great gift as well, especially for those with memories of the baseball scene as it unfolded in the late 1940s or early 1950s.
Email the author at pureout@msn.com and order your subscription today!
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