Sid Gordon

The Brooklyn Giant 

 

When the original edition of this volume went to the press, Sid Gordon was only twenty-nine years of age and just beginning to flex his big league muscles. "His big thrills,'' it was predicted, "are still ahead of him and in time he may rank with the top Jewish players of history."

That was one of the most solid predictions made, for before Sid Gordon reached the end of the big league line he had become one of baseball's great players and one of its most feared sluggers. He starred with the New York Giants and the Boston Braves (later the Milwaukee Braves). When he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was obvious that his advanced baseball years had placed him in the expendable veteran category; nonetheless, he was traded with reluctance. Soon after the trade, he left the game.

A Jewish kid from Brooklyn, where baseball fever ran high, Gordon always wanted to be a major leaguer. He had the power and hitting ability to give it a whirl. He began doing well in high school, and realized that sports was a way to fame and comfortable living. His father, Morris, came to this country from Russia, and met and married his wife Rose Meyerson in Brooklyn. The family moved from Brownsville to Flatbush - a step up the social ladder