When the Dodgers Were Bridegrooms: Gunner McGunnigle and Brooklyn's Back-to-Back Pennants of 1889 and 1890 - Paperback

by Ronald G. Shafer (Author)

Urbane real estate investor Charles Byrne and hustling news editor George J. Taylor joined forces in 1883 to create the club that would become the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nicknamed the "Bridegrooms" by sportswriters after several players got married, they won their first major league pennants in 1889 and 1890 under pioneering manager Bill "Gunner" McGunnigle. This first history of the birth of the Dodgers franchise chronicles the owners' efforts to build the team, woo fans, and oversee the antics of the colorful cast of athletes--with nicknames like "Adonis," "Needles," and "Oyster"--who filled the Bridegrooms' roster.

Author Biography

A reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal for nearly 40 years, Ronald G. Shafer is a freelance writer in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he lives with his wife, Mary Rogers, the great-granddaughter of Gunner McGunnigle. Visit his website at brooklyndodgershistory.com