Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves

The unlikely story of one of baseball’s greatest comeback seasons

The Boston Braves (the present-day Atlanta Braves) were a bunch of losers and alcohol-soaked whiskey swiggers, buried in last place as late as mid-July of 1914. This rough gang was led by their bullying, superstitious manager George Stallings and assisted by Johnny Evers, a nasty, egotistical captain who was despised by opponents and umpires alike.

Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves chronicles the team’s misfortune, meteoric rise through the 1914 season, and audacious World Series run against the overwhelmingly dominant Philadelphia Athletics. Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem, a mainstay in the game for over 70 years, called the Braves “the most spirited team he ever saw”––but would their spirit be enough against one of the most powerful teams ever put together?

Making use of extensive archival and primary source research, Martin H. Bush places the Braves’ story within the larger controversies of dead ball–era baseball: greedy team owners, exaggerations of the “yellow” press, and blatant cheating tactics used to gain unfair advantage. Bush strips away the myths—but not the romance—that can obscure our understanding of how baseball evolved. Including anecdotes from heroes of the “dead ballers,” like Ty Cobb, Hans Wagner, and “Cy” Young,” Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves is an unforgettable story—at turns painful, exciting, shocking, and funny.