Baseball's Natural

The Story of Eddie Waitkus

By: John Theodore

Narrated by: Kevin Young

Baseball's Natural is John Theodore's true account of the slick-fielding first baseman who played for the Cubs and the Phillies in the 1940s and became immortalized in baseball lore as the inspiration for Bernard Malamud's The Natural.

Eddie Waitkus grew up in Boston and fought in the Pacific theater in World War II. Following the war, Waitkus became one of the most popular players of his era. In 1949, with his career on the rise, his life changed dramatically in a Chicago hotel when a 19-year-old shot him in the chest. Waitkus's dramatic recovery the next year inspired his teammates as the Phillies won the National League pennant. Although Waitkus survived the shooting, he could never outlive it.

Through interviews with Waitkus's family, fellow servicemen, former ballplayers, and childhood friends, Theodore chronicles Waitkus's remarkable comeback as well as the difficult years following his Major League career.

©2002 Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“For anyone who loves baseball, Theodore's Baseball's Natural: The Story of Eddie Waitkus is a must read. . . . It has all the elements of a great novel.” ( Chicago Sun-Times)

“Eddie Waitkus, whose ill fortune it was to be the inspiration for Roy Hobbs in Bernard Malamud's The Natural, was both an anomaly and an enigma. . . .Theodore tells his story well.” ( Library Journal)

“Wonderful. . . . Thanks to Theodore's meticulous research and passionate writing, perhaps Waitkus will rise above his footnote status, at least for a time.” ( Booklist)

The fascinating story of Eddie Waitkus

Eddie Waitkus received a note, while staying at a Chicago hotel in June 1949, from a deranged stalker asking to meet him regarding an important matter. Having no idea of the person in question, Waiktus, a major league baseball player, asked the front desk about who had checked into the room mentioned in the note. When he learned it was a lady, he made the decision to knock on her door. It would be a life changing event.

The first basemen from the Philadelphia Phillies, was invited into Ruth Ann Steinhagen's hotel room. After entering, the obsessed nineteen year old shot Waitkus with a rifle, and had planned to kill him and then take her own life. Steinhagen, who would be judged insane, had lost the nerve to end her own life, as a suicide note was found in the trash can. A shocked Waiktus would later remark that she was apparently not a Phillies fan.

It would be learned that Steinhagen had been infatuated with Waitkus for two years. She would leave a place for him at her dinner table, and collected news-clippings and photos of Waitkus. It wasn't just about meeting the ballplayer, Steinhagen fantasied about killing Waiktus. Waitkus was shot in the chest, and suffered a collapse lung. He spent a month in the hospital, requiring three operations.

Remarkably, not only did Waiktus make a full recovery, he returned as a baseball player. The former rookie of the year and all star player, was traded by the Cubs to Philadelphia. The popular left-hander had previously paused his career when he was drafted during World War II. Waitkus was awarded four Bronze Stars for his heroic battlefield experience. The Waiktus story is truly extraordinary, and Theodore's research is meticulous. I highly recommend this audiobook.