Al Simmons, at top form in the Roaring Twenties, sparked one of baseball’s greatest dynasties, the Philadelphia Athletics, to multiple championships–before becoming just another ballplayer. Why? While his achievements demonstrated greatness, he was not an easy man to like–for those competing against him, or even with him–and he seemed to play to the level of team expectation.

Today, contemporary accounts and other recollections give us a sense of Al Simmons the person and the ballplayer, his connections to people, his teams and his ability to capture the fans’ imagination in his halcyon days. This work gives us an understanding who Simmons was and what he means to the national pastime.