Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team"

Did you know that in 1951 the St. Louis Browns' Ned Garver received a call from a reporter with the Washington Post to congratulate him on winning the MVP award? A day later it was announced that Yogi Berra won the award.

Did you know that in the 1944, in the movie "Going My Way," Bing Crosby wore a St. Louis Browns jacket and cap?

How about the fact Don Larsen of World Series no-hit fame was the last former Browns player to play in the majors? Me either.

Bill Borst, Bill Rodgers and Ed Wheatley, the authors of "The St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team," are members of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society, an organization still going strong. One of its members was good enough to send me this coffee table book published in 2017. I love it.

This is not a novel. The book is page after page of the history of the Browns, their owners, fans and players.

The book is filled with great pictures of those who make up that history: Goose Goslin and his longitudinal green stripes bat; George Sisler with his .407 batting title in 1920; and Rogers Hornsby, a "terrible manager" with the Browns for five years.

Throughout the pages are the "Brownie Bits," such as those listed above.

The Browns of course would become the Orioles in 1954, so for Oriole fans, this is about the franchise history. For baseball fans everywhere, this is just wonderful baseball history.

There is a complete roster of those who played for the Browns, Browns in the Hall of Fame, and those who played for both the Browns and Cardinals.

For any baseball fans, this is a book of joyful memories.

"When man is finished, we shall be able to read in books, and view pictures of what the world used to look like." ― Anthony T. Hincks

Gary Thorne is the play-by-play voice of the Orioles on MASN, and the 2018 season is his 12th with the club and 33nd covering Major League Baseball. His blog will appear regularly throughout the season. The Orioles and Sarasota County, for the 7th consecutive year, have partnered on the Big League Reader Program, which rewarded kids who read three books in February with tickets to a Grapefruit League game at Ed Smith Stadium in March. 180 children participated last year.

* Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne. © Copyright 2018 Gary F. Thorne. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Gary F. Thorne and MASNsports.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.