Publisher's Synopsis
Alexander Cartwright is a humble 25 year-old bank clerk eeking out a living in 1845 New York City. After he accidentally burns his office to the ground, he goes to work for his brother, creates the rules for the game we now know as baseball, and then abandons family and lifestyle to join the forty-niners on a quest for gold in far-off San Francisco. Unbeknownst to all but his puppy, he has also found a simple way to travel through time. During his five month journey across the prairie on a wagon train, he teaches baseball to Indians and Pioneers. He meets up with colorful characters like Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain, but never really finds himself. His journey finally ends in the Sandwich Islands where his success in business is only eclipsed by his accomplishments in public service. A hefty price is paid for all that he has done. As he thrives in his tropical paradise, Alick continues to spread the game which he created. Soon, he finds that someone is following him through time, determined to convince him that his contributions are significant and will not be forgotten. However, profiteers like Albert Spalding, owner of the first sporting goods empire, have a different idea. They selfishly fabricate a legend based upon the ravings of a lunatic and a beat-up old baseball in an attempt to erase Cartwright from history. When a baseball museum in Cooperstown is proposed in 1936, Cartwright's descendants spring into action to revive their ancestor's legacy and ensure that he is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. CHIEF OF DIAMONDS is a work of historical fiction, based upon the life of Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr. (1820-1892, ) the "Father of Modern Baseball."
