“Ed Wheatley loves baseball. He also is a man on a mission; he wants some loving for the St. Louis Browns.
“I grew up with the Browns,” Wheatley said. “You know what? This is is a sad story nobody remembers. For 52 years here, there was a major league baseball team in St. Louis that everyone has forgotten.”
Wheatley, along with Bill Borst and Bill Rogers, have written a book titled “St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team.”
The coffee-table tome is designed to tell the team’s story, not only to the members of the nationwide Browns Fan Club but also to the fans who remember them and saw them play. And, hopefully, this book will introduce the history of this unique team to future generations, thus ensuring that the Browns will not be forgotten.
The three men are members of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. The group was founded in 1984 to promote and preserve the legacy and memorabilia of the St. Louis Browns American League baseball club.
The history book on the Browns, an American League team, covers the 52 seasons played in St. Louis.
The book, published by Reedy Press, leads off with a foreword from Bob Costas. It features hundreds of rare images and colorful stories about a beloved baseball franchise and we are getting great reviews from people who have such fond memories of the team and enjoy this trip back into the golden ages of baseball.
In the interesting book, one can find several what-ifs pointing out that, if things had changed, the Browns may have been the dominant team in St. Louis and not the Cardinals.
St. Louis has the reputation as the best baseball town in America.
However, the city’s major league history is not confined to the Cardinals. For several decades, until the middle of the 20th century, St. Louis fielded a second professional team.
While the Browns were mostly a losing team, it once featured a first baseman who hit .400, a legendary Negro League star, and a pitcher who would go on to throw a perfect game in the World Series.
They were the St. Louis Browns – the forerunners of the current Baltimore Orioles.
The Browns certainly are a part of St. Louis’ rich baseball history.
“When the Browns left in 1953 and went to Baltimore, Baltimore wanted nothing to do with the Browns,” Wheatley said. ‘They are buried in St. Louis. As a result, all the Browns’ history and players and one Hall of Famer don’t have a home.’”
Written by Warren Mayes, West Magazine – December 1, 2017