Thomas Wolf Brings The Twenties Roaring Back To Life

The Twenties weren’t just speakeasies and jazz. It was also the golden age of American sports—and baseball was at the heart of it all. In his book, Baseball in the Roaring Twenties: The Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Captivating 1926 Season, author Thomas Wolf takes readers back into one of the most dramatic years in baseball history.

Readers will not only encounter Ruth, Hornsby, Lou Gehrig (taking over first base full-time), Tony Lazzeri, and the aging but still brilliant Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander, but also figures like Grace Coolidge (a genuine baseball fan in the White House), Al Capone, Mae West, Charles Lindbergh, Jack Dempsey, and evangelist Billy Sunday. It feels less like a narrow sports history and more like a vibrant snapshot of an era.

Baseball in the Roaring Twenties comes at a moment when fans are increasingly interested in the full story of the game, including the Negro Leagues and the social forces that shaped the sport. By treating Black baseball as a full partner in the narrative rather than a footnote, and by placing the gambling scandals and cultural upheaval of the mid-1920s front and center, Wolf offers a more complete and honest picture of the decade.

Come listen to the interview by Leroy with Thomas Wolf and check out his book, Baseball in the Roaring Twenties.