Jim Brosnan
Encyclopedia
James Patrick Brosnan was a Major League Baseball
player from 1954 and 1956 through 1963. He was a pitcher
for the Chicago Cubs
, St. Louis Cardinals
, Cincinnati Reds
and Chicago White Sox
. Coincidentally, he was born on Black Thursday
, the beginning stage of the Stock Market Crash
.
While known as a moderately effective pitcher, both as a starter and a reliever, he gained additional fame by becoming one of the first athletes to publish a candid personal diary. Generally speaking, up to that point such books were "sanitized" for the general public and used a ghost writer. Brosnan was known as an intellectual, relatively speaking, for keeping books in his locker to read; and the authorship of the books he wrote listed only himself as the writer. Wearing glasses also contributed to his "Professor" persona.
The first of his books was about his 1959 season, a season which found him being traded from St. Louis to Cincinnati around the halfway point, and was titled The Long Season. It garnered some degree of criticism by those who felt Brosnan had violated the "sanctity" of the clubhouse. In that way it anticipated, by ten years, the firestorm of opinion that would come in the wake of Jim Bouton
's book, Ball Four
. However, Brosnan's book focused more on feelings and less on the kind of salacious details that Bouton's book would contain. Regardless, its critics included Joe Garagiola, whose own autobiography, Baseball Is a Funny Game, was entertaining but was of the traditional variety. He characterized Brosnan as a "a loner; a rebel".
Two years later, Brosnan again kept a diary, a fortuitous circumstance as the Reds would win the National League championship in 1961, before falling to the New York Yankees
in the World Series
. Brosnan also had one of his best years statistically, with 10 wins, only 4 losses, and 16 saves in 53 games as a relief pitcher
. Brosnan's book was published under the appropriate title Pennant Race.
After his playing days, Brosnan continued writing and also became a sportscaster.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player from 1954 and 1956 through 1963. He was a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
and Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. Coincidentally, he was born on Black Thursday
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
, the beginning stage of the Stock Market Crash
Stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
.
While known as a moderately effective pitcher, both as a starter and a reliever, he gained additional fame by becoming one of the first athletes to publish a candid personal diary. Generally speaking, up to that point such books were "sanitized" for the general public and used a ghost writer. Brosnan was known as an intellectual, relatively speaking, for keeping books in his locker to read; and the authorship of the books he wrote listed only himself as the writer. Wearing glasses also contributed to his "Professor" persona.
The first of his books was about his 1959 season, a season which found him being traded from St. Louis to Cincinnati around the halfway point, and was titled The Long Season. It garnered some degree of criticism by those who felt Brosnan had violated the "sanctity" of the clubhouse. In that way it anticipated, by ten years, the firestorm of opinion that would come in the wake of Jim Bouton
Jim Bouton
James Alan "Jim" Bouton is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is also the author of the controversial baseball book Ball Four, which was a combination diary of his season and memoir of his years with the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, and Houston Astros.-Amateur and college...
's book, Ball Four
Ball Four
Ball Four is a book written by former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton in . The book is a diary of Bouton's 1969 season, spent with the Seattle Pilots and then the Houston Astros following a late-season trade. In it Bouton also recounts much of his baseball career, spent mainly with the...
. However, Brosnan's book focused more on feelings and less on the kind of salacious details that Bouton's book would contain. Regardless, its critics included Joe Garagiola, whose own autobiography, Baseball Is a Funny Game, was entertaining but was of the traditional variety. He characterized Brosnan as a "a loner; a rebel".
Two years later, Brosnan again kept a diary, a fortuitous circumstance as the Reds would win the National League championship in 1961, before falling to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the World Series
1961 World Series
The 1961 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds , with the Yankees winning in five games to earn their 19th championship in 39 seasons. This World Series was surrounded by Cold War political puns pitting the "Reds" against the "Yanks"...
. Brosnan also had one of his best years statistically, with 10 wins, only 4 losses, and 16 saves in 53 games as a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. Brosnan's book was published under the appropriate title Pennant Race.
After his playing days, Brosnan continued writing and also became a sportscaster.