"Slide, Kelly, Slide recounts the rough-and-tumble life of Mike "King" Kelly. Kelly was baseball's first superstar whose soaring popularity and infectious charm helped make the infant sport a touchstone of American culture. His exploits on and off the field paved the way for his illustrious successors: Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Ripken, and others. A hard-drinking, hard-living two-time batting champion and daring base runner, Kelly took full advantage of the one working umpire to skip bases on his way to the plate, feats that only increased his reputation for craftiness. However, the life and career of this baseball legend have largely been forgotten by even the most dedicated baseball fans and scholars. Slide, Kelly, Slide recounts this Hall of Famer's life from his humble origins in Troy, New York, and Patterson, New Jersey, to the National League in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Boston. It also creates a vivid picture of baseball's infancy; the many colorful players, owners, and individuals involved; and American culture in the late 1800s."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved