Roger Abrams discusses the vices of baseball and how they reflect who we are as Americans. Telling stories of baseball history that are often overlooked, The Dark Side of the Diamond presents evidence of game-fixing and gambling going back to the mid-19th century. Ty Cobb's sharpened spikes and nasty temperament were as much a part of his game as his steady bat.
Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Pete Rose, and Barry Bonds are American idols, but flawed human beings. While baseball can teach young people about resourcefulness, fortitude, teamwork and pride, it is just as likely to instruct them in violence, disparagement, cheating, and human frailty.
Roger I. Abrams, of Boston Massachusetts, is the Richardson Professor of Law at Northeastern University and a Major League Baseball salary arbitrator since 1986. His commentaries on baseball have appeared in the nation's leading publications, and on television and radio. His previous books on the history of the National Game have won universal acclaim.