"Swish" Nicholson: A Biography of Wartime Baseball's Leading Slugger

by Robert A. Greenberg

Overview

This is the first biography of Bill “Swish” Nicholson, a Cubs favorite and baseball’s top slugger during the World War II era. Only days out of college in 1936, Nicholson went straight to the majors, putting in a brief appearance for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s before he was optioned to the minors. His contract eventually purchased by the Cubs, Nicholson spent 10 years on the North Side of Chicago, where he would claim National League home run and RBI titles twice, earn spots on five National League All-Star teams, and play a pivotal role on the pennant-winning club of 1945. After Nicholson was traded to the Phillies, amid the dissenting cries of Cubs fans, he helped the 1950 Whiz Kids to the National League title with two dramatic pinch-hit home runs. This balanced, carefully researched biography covers Nicholson’s life early and late, thoroughly describes his legendary feats of slugging, and gauges his accomplishments in light of the era in which played.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786483600
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/24/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Robert A. Greenberg is a 1974 graduate of Washington College, Nicholson’s alma mater, and a member of SABR. A Circuit Court judge in Montgomery County, Maryland, he is married and has three children.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v
Introduction 1

1. On Fancy Farm 5
2. Three Sport Man 17
3. Return from Annapolis 35
4. Mr. Mack and the A’s 44
5. Life in the Bushes 55
6. Back to the Big Leagues 72
7. Catalina to Chicago 78
8. The Last Prewar Season 92
9. Baseball, As Usual 102
10. Coming Into His Own 115
11. “Swish” and His Fans 124
12. The Supreme Compliment 132
13. The Year of the Billy Goat Curse 145
14. Benched 162
15. The Cubs in Decline 172
16. Farewell to the Windy City 181
17. The City of Brotherly Love 189
18. The Whiz Kids 200
19. The Giants Win the Pennant 208
20. Shakeup on the Phillies 213
21. Is There Life After Baseball? 218

Epilogue 233
Appendix—Bill Nicholson’s Regular Season Career Statistics and World Series Record 237
Chapter Notes 239
Bibliography 251
Index 255

Editorial Reviews

thorough

Sports Collectors Digest

thorough”—Sports Collectors Digest.

From the Publisher