The Diamond Revolution: The Prospects for Baseball After the Collapse of Its Ruling Class

The history of baseball is outwardly one of legend and myth. Some of players were almost godlike in how they have been portrayed. For years, baseball has been portrayed as the national pastime; considered so sacred it has been favored by an anti-trust exemption. However, there has been a dark underside to the business of baseball. For decades, the owners colluded to produce an inferior product by preventing blacks from playing in the major leagues. Even into the early 1970's, the reserve clause was a form of servitude, where players could be sold and traded like mere possessions. This book exposes much of that façade and even more importantly, the history as to why labor relations in baseball are so difficult. When there is a strike, the players stand united, even when it is possible for them to fail to achieve a record. For decades, the owners acted as if they were feudal lords with the divine right of control, free to do what they wanted. The reserve clause and the anti-trust exemption had a great deal to do with this. It was a most unusual situation, and may be unique in history. Some of the players were idolized to the point of being national icons, yet were treated so poorly by their owners. Sullivan also spends some time discussing the historical problems with drugs and alcohol in the major leagues. He is quite correct in pointing out that had Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle curbed their enormous alcohol consumption, their careers would have been more productive. Given that they were so valuable, it would have been cost effective for the Yankees to do more to help them. That should be a lesson to the modern owners and players regarding drug policies. Performance enhancing drugs tilt the plying field and are dangerous to the players. I find it amazing to see how the development of a sane and effective policy remains so difficult to achieve. If you follow baseball and are disgusted by the labor difficulties, confused by the astronomical salaries and the strong-arm tactics used by owners against cities, then this is a book you should read. It does not contain all of the answers, but it does inform you about the incredibly foolish way in which the ownership and management of major-league baseball have behaved over the years.