Baseball's radical for all seasons

by Stevens, David

Baseball's Radical for All Seasons is the first biography of one of the most adventurous, intriguing, and influential figures of early American baseball. John Montgomery Ward, an orphan, was expelled from Penn State University only to later refashion himself into a wealthy sports idol, businessman, and hated radical figure. During his baseball career, Ward starred in four world championships and set fifty major-league records before moving on to become an early baseball player advocate. He led a rebellion by players against the National League in 1890, only to eventually see his union and radical labor positions snubbed. Ward was an early golfing superstar and finished his life as the happy husband of a social worker and women's suffragist.