When the Red Sox Ruled

Associate Professor of Social Science Thomas Whalen’s latest book, When the Red Sox Ruled: Baseball’s First Dynasty 1912–1918, arrived in bookstores this spring, just in time for opening day of the 2011 season at Fenway Park.

The book—which highlights such iconic Red Sox players as Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, “Smokey” Joe Wood, and Bill Carrigan—tells the story of baseball’s coming-out party as a major professional sport and how Red Sox team members put aside their cultural and political differences to achieve greatness on the field.

Watch the video below to hear Whalen discuss the book, Babe Ruth, and the tumultuous early years of Boston’s beloved Sox.

Video by Kira Jastive, Boston University Public Relations