"You talk about destiny, well, you can't rule that out. We were hard-nosed and that showed up in 1957." -- Braves catcher Del Crandall to editor Gregory H. Wolf

Few teams in baseball history have captured the hearts of their fans like the Milwaukee Braves of the 1950. During the Braves' 13-year tenure in Milwaukee (1953-1965), they had a winning record every season, won two consecutive NL pennants (1957 and 1958), lost two more in the final week of the season (1956 and 1959), and set big-league attendance records along the way.

This book celebrates the Milwaukee Braves' historic 1957 World Series championship season. Led by the bats of National League Most Valuable Player Henry Aaron and slugging third baseman Eddie Mathews and the "Big Three" pitching trio (Cy Young Award winner Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, and Bob Buhl) the Braves won 95 games. The team enjoyed standout seasons by shortstop Johnny Logan, outfielder Wes Covington, and catcher Del Crandall And GM John Quinn pulled off the biggest trade of the summer, acquiring All-Star second baseman Red Schoendienst from the New York Giants. The Braves cemented their place in history by defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series. In one of the greatest performances in the history of the fall classic, crafty Lew Burdette tossed his second consecutive shutout (and third complete game) to defeat the Bronx Bombers in Game Seven, in Yankee Stadium.

A collaborative effort of 32 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Thar's Joy in Braveland! The 1957 Milwaukee Braves portrays that memorable team with life stories of all of the roster players, the manager and coaching staff, the owner, the general manager, and sportswriters and radio announcers. Summaries of the regular season and World Series re-create the magic of that unforgettable season.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Milwaukee Braves Make History by Gregory H Wolf
From Yawkey to Milwaukee: Lou Perini Makes his Move by Saul Wisnia

THE BRAVES
Henry "Hank" Aaron by William Johnson
Joe Adcock by Gregory H Wolf
Bill Bruton by John Harry Stahl
Bob Buhl by Gregory H Wolf
Lew Burdette by Alex Kupfer
Dick Cole by Doug Engleman
Gene Conley by John R Husman
Wes Covington by Andy Sturgill
Del Crandall by Gregory H Wolf
Ray Crone by Gregory H Wolf
John DeMerit by Steven Schmitt
Harry Hanebrink by Andy Sturgill
Bob Hazle by Nancy Snell Griffith
Joey Jay by Joe Wancho
Ernie Johnson by Dana Sprague
Dave Jolly by Chip Greene
Nippy Jones by Dan Fields
Johnny Logan by Bob Buege
Bobby Malkmus by Gregory H Wolf
Felix Mantilla by Rick Schabowski
Eddie Mathews by David Fleitz
Don McMahon by John Vorperian
Red Murff by Michael J Bielawa
Danny O'Connell by Mel Marmer
Andy Pafko by Dale Voiss
Phil Paine by Chip Greene
Taylor Phillips by Rick Schabowski
Juan Pizarro by Rory Costello
Del Rice by Norm King
Mel Roach by David Fleitz
Carl Sawatski by Gregory H Wolf
Red Schoendienst by Kristen Lokemoen
Ray Shearer by William Johnson
Warren Spahn by Jim Kaplan
Chuck Tanner by Dan Fields
Hawk Taylor by Steven Schmitt
Bobby Thomson by Jeff Findley
Frank Torre by Norm King
Bob Trowbridge by Nancy Snell Griffith

THE MANAGER
Fred Haney by Jim Gordon

THE COACHES
Bob Keely by Gregory H Wolf
Johnny Riddle by Nancy Snell Griffith
Charlie Root by Gregory H Wolf
Connie Ryan by John McMurray

GENERAL MANAGER
John Quinn by Rory Costello

County Stadium by Gregg Hoffmann
Jane Jarvis by Rory Costello

THE SPORTSWRITERS
Headlines and Deadlines: Wordsmiths of the Braves by Bob Buege

Thar's Joy in Braveland: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves