Chris Von Der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns

Fans who think the game is wild now will appreciate Hetrick's account of Von der Ahe, who throughout the 1880s was embroiled in legal battles and baseball disputes that culminated in his own kidnapping and his stadium being burned to the ground. Direct ancestor today's Cardinals, the Browns won the pennant four years in a row under his wild leadership. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)