When the Game Changed: An Oral History Of Baseball's True Golden Age: 1969-1979 - Softcover

Acclaimed baseball writer George Castle recreates the sport’s most revolutionary decade via the memories of those who played, managed, and covered baseball from 1969 to 1979. During these ten years, baseball arose from a sport perceived as slow and old-fashioned (playing second fiddle to the booming NFL) to become faster-paced, more inclusive, and progressive. In addition to a remarkable array of Hall of Famers and budding stars, the era saw rules tweaked to promote offense, free agency, arbitration, the first players’ strike, the designated hitter, the first African-American manager, the first all-black and Latin starting lineup, baseball’s first $1 million annual salary, the rise of the closer and bullpen specialization, Tommy John surgery—and much, much more.
 
Contributors include: A-list players and managers such as Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Gaylord Perry, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Bruce Sutter, Brooks Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Tom Seaver, Phil Niekro, Jim Rice, Jim Palmer, Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, Lou Piniella, Fred Lynn, Luis Tiant, Earl Weaver, and Sparky Anderson; as well as “everyday” players; coaches; front-office staff; announcers; and sportswriters.

George Castle has covered Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago White Sox for decades for various newspapers and magazines, including the Times of Northwest Indiana. The author of ten books, including Sweet Lou and the Cubs (Lyons Press).