Baseball at the Abyss

The Scandals of 1926, Babe Ruth, and the Unlikely Savior Who Rescued a Tarnished Game

Dan Taylor

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN:
  9781538174012
• Edition: 1

The untold story behind one of baseball's biggest scandals and the men who saved a tarnished game.

In the winter of 1926, Major League Baseball became enveloped in scandal. Two of baseball's biggest stars, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, were accused of fixing and betting on games. Sportswriters called the scandal worse than that of the infamous "Black Sox." The reputation of baseball was in tatters.

In Baseball at the Abyss, Dan Taylor reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how baseball was saved after the banishment of Cobb and Speaker. It was all set in motion by one unlikely individual-Christy Walsh, the business manager for Babe Ruth and baseball's first player agent. Taylor follows Walsh and Ruth as the agent arranges for the Babe to star in a motion picture and presses for Ruth to hire a fitness guru, change his habits, and train while in Hollywood. The results were astonishing. The scandal was soon forgotten as a reinvigorated Babe Ruth enjoyed his greatest season in 1927, slugging 60 home runs and powering his New York Yankees to heights never seen before.

Baseball at the Abyss features fascinating details of the 1926 scandal and the incredible resurgence of the national pastime when it seemed the game was permanently tarnished. It's the story of a remarkable year in baseball history and the men who restored glory to a troubled game.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Sour Grape Grower
• 2 Landing the Big One
• 3 Tarnished Stars
• 4 The Very Important Hero
• 5 Ty Swings Away
• 6 Baseball at the Abyss
• 7 Decision Day
• 8 The Red-Faced Cardinal
• 9 Stealing the Show
• 10 Reinvigorating Babe Ruth
• 11 Digesting a Cobb Salary
• 12 That’s a Wrap
• 13 The Plan Goes Awry
• 14 A Different Babe
• 15 Dawn of a New Day
• 16 Move Over, Babe
• 17 Reviews Are In
• 18 Rewrite the Record Book
• 19 The Greatest Season
• 20 From Disdain to Acclaim
• Notes
• Bibliography
• About the Author