Frick*

Baseball's Third Commissioner

Ford Frick is best known as the baseball commissioner who put the “asterisk” next to Roger Maris’s record. But his tenure as commissioner carried the game through pivotal changes—television, continued integration, West Coast expansion and labor unrest. During those 14 years, and 17 more as National League president, he witnessed baseball history from the perspective of a man who began as a sportswriter. This biography of Frick, whose tenure sparked lively debate about the commissioner’s role, provides a detailed narrative of his career and the events and characters of mid–20th century baseball.