Description: ""One of the greatest pitchers of his era, William Arthur "Candy" Cummings was born in 1848, when baseball was in its infancy. As the game evolved through the 1870s, Candy's invention, the curveball, played a transformative role. His stamp on baseball earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. Drawing on extensive research, this first full-length biography traces Candy's New England heritage and chronicles his rise to the top, from pitching for amateur teams in mid-1860s Brooklyn to playing in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players-the first major league-and then the newly-formed National League. A critical examination of the evidence and competing claims reveals that Cummings was, indeed, the originator of the curveball.""--
Brief description: Stephen Robert Katz is an attorney who taught and practiced law, then served for twenty-six years in the legal office of the United Nations. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he lives in New York City.
Review Quotes: "Excellent story of a very unique baseball pitcher"-Marty Lurie, historian and KNBR 680 radio host