Gold on the Diamond: Sacramento’s Great Baseball Players from 1886 to 1976
Gold on the Diamond: Sacramento’s Great Baseball Players 1886 to 1976
By Alan O’Connor
ISBN: 978-0-9791233-0-6
Binding: Trade Paperback
Size: 6″ × 9″
Price: $24.95
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Sacramento had a great baseball history long before the Rivercats began playing ball in 2000. The Altas, Senators, Gilt Edge (named after a popular beer) and Solons teams all contributed great players and stories to Sacramento's baseball legacy.
In baseball historian Alan O’Connor’s new book, the great players of the past step up to take their place on the diamond. O’Connor shows off his stunning collection of Sacramento baseball memorabilia as well as his encyclopedic and entertaining knowledge of the players, their records and their lives. Also covered are a short history of Sacramento ballparks, highlights of each decade and bios of managers and associates important to Sacramento baseball.
O’Connor recounts which player could hold seven baseballs at once in his huge hand, how “Duster” Mails and “Demon” Doyle earned their nicknames, and which star outfielder and slugger for the Solons saw the Enola Gay take off from Tinian Island in the South Pacific. He knew more than a few of the old players and his personal reminiscences make the book sparkle.
Many of Sacramento’s great players went on the major leagues, and just as many of these “local boys” retired back to the Sacramento area becoming farmers, businessmen and lobbyists who left imprint on the region. Alta player Billy Newbert owned and operated Newbert’s Hardware on J Street for decades. Joe Marty had his bar and restaurant on Broadway for 30 years. Sam Kanelos bought into the well-known Old Ironsides pub in Midtown and is credited with helping Sacramento’s local music scene flourish.
O’Connor’s fantastic collection of photos, trading cards, and program covers and memories make this book a necessary volume for any baseball fan’s library.