SmedIndy
07-12-2002, 12:44 AM
"Old Hoss" is an attempt to write a biography of a man who left little to write about.
In this book by James W. Bennett and Donald Raycraft, they create a "fictional" biography. Basically, connecting the dots in the life of Old Hoss.
To do this, they create a sportswriter character covering an event honoring Old Hoss in Bloomington, Illinois in 1941 that Clark Griffith attended (this was an actual event). The reporter uncovers facts about Old Hoss from Griffith and research.
The story isn't pleasant. Old Hoss is a drinking man, a womanizer. He's rude, crude, and unpleasant. But he can pitch, and win. Along the way he contracts VD, which basically leads to the end of his career and his death at an early age. Some of the stories may offend some readers, however, it probably was quite an accurate portrayal of many things that happened in baseball in the 1880's and 1890's.
Old Hoss is an intriguing character, and he'd fill 500 pages if he lived now. Back then, no one thought to chronicle it all, and this is the best we can do.
In this book by James W. Bennett and Donald Raycraft, they create a "fictional" biography. Basically, connecting the dots in the life of Old Hoss.
To do this, they create a sportswriter character covering an event honoring Old Hoss in Bloomington, Illinois in 1941 that Clark Griffith attended (this was an actual event). The reporter uncovers facts about Old Hoss from Griffith and research.
The story isn't pleasant. Old Hoss is a drinking man, a womanizer. He's rude, crude, and unpleasant. But he can pitch, and win. Along the way he contracts VD, which basically leads to the end of his career and his death at an early age. Some of the stories may offend some readers, however, it probably was quite an accurate portrayal of many things that happened in baseball in the 1880's and 1890's.
Old Hoss is an intriguing character, and he'd fill 500 pages if he lived now. Back then, no one thought to chronicle it all, and this is the best we can do.