Warm Summers and Cold Winters

Given the rich body of literature on professional baseball and America’s involvement in armed conflicts, both foreign and civil, it is surprising that scant attention has been paid to the game’s connections to the Korean conflict--that is, until now. Exhaustively researched and beautifully written, Steven Geitschier’s exploration of baseball in the context of the Korean War is a much-needed contribution not just to the history of the sport, but to the wider history of the Cold War. It is also a page turner. -- Roberta J. Newman, author of Here’s the Pitch: The Amazing, True, New, and Improved Story of Baseball and Advertising The Korean Conflict has been called the ‘Forgotten War.’ Similarly, the Korean War years in Major League Baseball have also been forgotten. But no more. Now, added to what we know about the impact of conflicts such as the two World Wars and Vietnam, Steve Gietschier provides a comprehensive portrait of professional baseball during the key years between 1950 and 1953. Facing both internal and external threats, Major League Baseball held on to launch a new ‘Golden Age’ for the sport. A story very well told. Highly recommended. -- Rob Elias, author of Major League Rebels, The Empire Strikes Out, and Dangerous Danny Gardella Baseball and the military go back, back, back—to the Civil War and maybe beyond, as Abner Doubleday fought in Mexico in the 1840s. However, little has been written about baseball and the Korean War, and I am glad that Steven Gietschier has written this fine book. He is a great historian of the game, and I learned a lot. -- John Thorn, official historian, Major League Baseball A book written by Steven Gietschier entertains and teaches on every page, and he delivers another riveting account in Warm Summers and Cold Winters. Packed with engaging stories, he brings to life the intersection of baseball and American history during this impactful era in a work that will delight and inform fans of both subjects. This is a tremendous volume authored by a historian who remains at the top of his game. -- Jason Cannon, author of A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams In Warm Summers and Cold Winters, Steven Gietschier, a foremost historian of America and baseball, blends his knowledge of both in a riveting story of life in the first half of the 1950s. Gietschier has written a superb book, full of remembrances for those of us who lived through this era and full of valuable insights and information for those who know little of this shamefully forgotten war. -- Lyle Spatz, co-author of 1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York Having emerged from World War II and plunged into the Korean War just a few years later, both major-league and minor-league baseball struggled to address business challenges ranging from the expansion of radio and advent of television to demographic changes in fan bases. Steve Gietschier’s book provides a new appreciation for that struggle with a big picture view and deeper understanding. -- Bill Nowlin, author of Ted Williams at War