When Boston Won the World Series; A Chronicle of Boston's Remarkable Victory in the First Modern World Series of 1903

Philadelphia: Running Press, 2003. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. 192 pages. Illustrations. 1903 Rosters. League Standings, World Series Box Scores. Sources. This was published on the centennial of that victory. Robert P. Ryan (born February 21, 1946) is an American sportswriter formerly for The Boston Globe. He has been described as "the quintessential American sportswriter" and a guru and is well known for his coverage of sports. After graduating from Boston College, Ryan started as a sports intern for the Globe on the same day as Peter Gammons, and later worked with other Globe sports writing legends Will McDonough and Leigh Montville. Ryan announced in early 2012 his retirement from sports writing after 44 years once the 2012 Olympic Games concluded. His final column in The Boston Globe was published August 12, 2012. Ryan would cover 20 NBA finals, 20 Final Fours, nine World Series, five Super Bowls, the last seven Olympics and many other events. The year 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the first World Series, in which the upstart Boston squad of the fledgling American League triumphed over the Pittsburgh Pirates of the time-honored National League. Starring such legendary players as Boston's Cy Young and Bill Dinneen, and Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner and Deacon Phillippe, "When Boston Won the World Series" chronicles with stirring detail the events that led up to baseball's first Fall Classic: the 1901 creation of the American League, its roster "raids" against National League teams, the sea change of public interest that caused the American League to outsell the National by 500,000 tickets, and the subsequent concession of the Nationals. The resulting handshake deal established a season-ending series which would determine the best baseball team in the world.