Victory on Two Fronts: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball through the World War II Era by Scott H. Longert (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Victory on Two Fronts: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball through the World War II Era by Scott H. Longert Jack Patrick Victory on Two Fronts: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball through the World War II Era. Scott H. Longert. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-0-8214-2472-8. 296 pp., paper, $24.95. Scott Longert has written extensively about the early history of the Cleveland Indians. His latest work, Victory on Two Fronts: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball Through the World War II Era extends the saga from the difficult seasons of wartime baseball through 1948, the year Cleveland won its second— and last—world title. As Longert dutifully traces the events of each season, three central figures emerge in his narrative: young player-manager Lou Boudreau, fabled pitcher Bob Feller, and new owner Bill Veeck, who gained control of the Indians in 1946. A talented shortstop, the 24-year-old Boudreau assumed additional duties as manager for the 1942 season. He encountered problems that would have overwhelmed much more experienced field bosses. While working to gain the respect of his veteran players, Boudreau continually coped with difficulties caused by the war, including the loss of key players to military service, spartan indoor spring training camps, and complicated travel and game schedules. Although the Indians were not contenders in the seasons between 1942 and 1945, Longert suggests that Boudreau emerged as a well-respected and capable leader who was greatly admired in the community. The best pitcher in the Major Leagues, Bob Feller enlisted in the navy immediately after Pearl Harbor. He sacrificed nearly four full seasons in the prime years of his career. Longert documents Feller’s substantial wartime contributions. The navy used Feller’s patriotism as a symbol in their recruitment drives. Even while he was training at the Great Lakes Center outside Chicago, Feller organized exhibition games that benefited the families of injured and deceased soldiers and sailors. Later, he saw combat aboard ship in the Pacific. Feller returned to the Indians after his discharge from the service late in the 1945 season. In 1946, as some doubted that he would ever recapture his elite prewar form, Feller established a new single-season record by striking out 348 batters. His return to the Indians coincided with a change in ownership that would completely alter the direction of the franchise. In June 1946, Bill Veeck bought out enough stockholders to assume control of the Indians. In the four seasons that he owned the franchise, Veeck gained fame as the promoter who enticed fans into the stadium in such large numbers that Cleveland set attendance records that lasted for decades. Longert suggests [End Page 115] that Veeck was much more than the master showman. He served as his own general manager and made shrewd trades that would make the Indians a legitimate contender by 1948. Veeck was also the second major league executive to tap into the wealth of talent in the Negro Leagues. In 1947, he purchased the contract of Larry Doby, a young star on the Newark Eagles. As the pioneer Black player in the American League, Doby endured trials and tribulations just like the more celebrated Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers. During the next season, Veeck added the legendary Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige. Longert concludes his work with a lengthy description of the 1948 season. Veeck had blended the veteran talents of Boudreau, Feller, and third baseman Ken Keltner with emerging stars like centerfielder Doby, catcher Jim Hegan, and young pitchers Bob Lemon and Gene Bearden. The Indians clinched the pennant by winning a dramatic one-game playoff over the Red Sox and then defeated the Boston Braves in six games to capture the World Series title. Victory on Two Fronts lacks notes, which would be expected for a work that is designed for the general reader. Longert’s research is solid and draws heavily upon newspapers, some archival material, and less reliable but essential ghost-written autobiographies. Longert also includes brief biographical sketches interspersed within the narrative. These accounts add useful information without disrupting the flow of the story. Scott Longert has presented a wonderful gift to Cleveland baseball...