Review by Library Journal Review
The Continental League was envisioned by prominent baseball power brokers in 1959 and 1960, but no league games were ever played. However, it did create major ripples in Major League Baseball. Buhite (history, emeritus, Missouri Univ. of Science & Technology) is well placed to write this book as he was actually contracted to play in this league. America was clamoring for more franchises in more cities; this new league-headed by the indomitable Branch Rickey-sought to address the demand. Ultimately, MLB, overseeing the two existing leagues, reacted to this threat by granting franchises to a number of cities in the early 1960s-a direct result, Buhite argues, of the threat posed by the Continental League. While Buhite makes a compelling argument that this league forever changed the game, in fact it remains ghost-like. Unlike the World Hockey Association in the 1970s, which lured superstar players and, upon its dissolution, had four of its teams merge with the National Hockey League, the Continental League remains only an idea of what could have been. VERDICT Of interest to any baseball fan who wants to know about the business side of the game's history.-BRen (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Library Journal Review
