Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season

Book Description

April 15, 1947, marked the most important opening day in baseball history. When Jackie Robinson stepped onto the diamond that afternoon at Ebbets Field, he became the first black man to break into major-league baseball in the twentieth century. World War II had just ended. Democracy had triumphed. Now Americans were beginning to press for justice on the home front -- and Robinson had a chance to lead the way.

He was an unlikely hero. He had little experience in organized baseball. His swing was far from graceful. And he was assigned to play first base, a position he had never tried before that season. But the biggest concern was his temper. Robinson was an angry man who played an aggressive style of ball. In order to succeed he would have to control himself in the face of what promised to be a brutal assault by opponents of integration.

In Opening Day, Jonathan Eig tells the true story behind the national pastime's most sacred myth. Along the way he offers new insights into events of sixty years ago and punctures some familiar legends. Was it true that the St. Louis Cardinals plotted to boycott their first home game against the Brooklyn Dodgers? Was Pee Wee Reese really Robinson's closest ally on the team? Was Dixie Walker his greatest foe? How did Robinson handle the extraordinary stress of being the only black man in baseball and still manage to perform so well on the field? Opening Day is also the story of a team of underdogs that came together against tremendous odds to capture the pennant. Facing the powerful New York Yankees, Robinson and the Dodgers battled to the seventh game in one of the most thrilling World Series competitions of all time.

Drawing on interviews with surviving players, sportswriters, and eyewitnesses, as well as newly discovered material from archives around the country, Jonathan Eig presents a fresh portrait of a ferocious competitor who embodied integration's promise and helped launch the modern civil-rights era. Full of new details and thrilling action, Opening Day brings to life baseball's ultimate story.

Customer Reviews:

An engaging and elegantly written account of Jackie Robinson's groundbreaking rookie season with the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers.......2007-09-08

By the time the middle of the 1940's rolled around Branch Rickey, President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was already widely acknowledged as one of the smartest, most innovative executives in all of baseball. After all, it had been Rickey who had conceived the notion of a system of minor league farm teams to supply talent to the major league club. In addition, Rickey knew how to evaluate talent like no one else. It got to the point that other general managers did not want to deal with him for fear of getting snookered again. It was sometime around 1944 that Branch Rickey made up his mind that he was going to be the one to integrate Major League Baseball. Always seeking an advantage, Rickey was the first to fully understand that there was a wealth of untapped talent playing in the Negro Leagues. And so it was that before the 1946 season Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was Rickey's plan to bring Robinson along slowing with the hope of Robinson contributing to the big league club in a year or two. After a magnificent season at AAA Montreal in 1946 it was apparent to most observers that Jackie Robinson would likely find himself suiting up for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. "Opening Day" is Jonathan Eig's splendid account of that historic and memorable season. It is a book that will grab your attention immediately and never let go.
I was quite surprised to learn that Jackie Robinson had really not played all that much baseball before signing with the Dodgers. While in college at UCLA Jackie Robinson had run track and been a star football player. He only dabbled in baseball. But Robinson was widely recognized as one of the best all-around athletes in the nation. It was this athleticism that intrigued Branch Rickey. On August 28, 1945 Robinson and Rickey would meet for the very first time. After taking careful measure of the man Rickey was convinced that Jackie Robinson had the proper temperment to endure the difficulties that were sure to arise as major league baseball attempted to integrate its game. After just one year in the minors Branch Rickey deemed Jackie Robinson ready to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In "Opening Day" Jonathan Eig introduces us to Burt Shotten, the unassuming manager of the 1947 Dodgers and to the men who would be Jackie's teammates. Make no mistake about it. There was a ton of pressure on these men as well. Players like Eddie Stanky, Dixie Walker and Pee Wee Reese really had no idea what to expect in 1947. You will come to understand how the players coped with the drama unfolding all around them. And you see how a team that little was expected of would come together over the course of the long season and make this the most memorable season in the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But of course it is important to understand that "Opening Day" is not just a book about baseball. For this is a story of courage and tenacity.
For one very special season Jackie Robinson took the whole world upon his shoulders. Rickey and Robinson were gambling that if this experiment was successful Major League Baseball would finally see the error of its ways and integrate the game. And it proved to be a risk worth taking. "Opening Day" managed to hold my interest from cover to cover. Jonathan Eig is a wonderful storyteller and I simply could not put this one down. One of the best sports books I have read in a very long time!
Highly recommended!

Walking in Jackie's shoes.......2007-08-04

Author Jonathan Eig does an excellent job of putting the reader in Jackie Robinson's shoes for the 1947 season. You get a good sense of what life was like for Robinson, on and off the field. He and his wife Rachael and young son, Jack Jr., shared a small bedroom in the Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment of a woman in a black neighborhood. The living conditions only added to the stress of Robinson's rookie season. Can you imagine any rookie living that way today?

Eig details how teammates and opponents treated Robinson. Many of his teammates were aloof, at best. Many were Southerns who didn't care for him. The role Dixie Walker played in supposedly circulating a petition protesting Robinson's addition to the Dodgers is covered.

Eig recounts each series of the 1947, detailing how opponents treated Robinson, how he performed on the field, and how he had to room with black families when he was on the road. It's interesting to see how some things changed as the season progressed.

This book is essential for any fan who wants to know more about Jackie Robinson and the 1947 season. It will increase whatever admiration you have for Robinson.

The opening day of my memories..........2007-07-18

indeed the book is about baseball, however it is about soooo much more.
From my perspective of someone who was four years old in 1947 Eig's work instantly turned the shadows on my wall of rememberances into a vivid dance of joy.

There was MacArthur, Rickey, Flatbush Ave, stars earning a few bucks more than Ralph Kramden, a guy named Moses who lead NYC to international prominence and forced "them Bums" out of Brooklyn. I can not tell you how much I signed bitter sweet tears of joy through out this Illid.

I had kept this Father's day gift ominously staring at me from my bedside night table for two weeks as I had declared it's purpose in life was to be my companion on a transatlantic trip w/my son to Spain and Italy.

It turned out to be the best traveling companion I ever had so I knew the era forgave me for letting it linger in the brink for those weeks.

I was reminded that in the late forties why my family, sterotypical Italianos, were die hard Yankee fans and why I had to be different. I flashed back to 1949 when I got a Leaf bubble card and opened to see a black face with a mesmerizing smile looking at me and how nonplused I was when I asked my dad who this "Negro" was since living in San Antonio at the time my exposure to there culture was next to nil.

My foggy view of the Korean "conflict" came to light as did all the references to Caro's _The Power Broker_ started to make sense. How social change evolved and the sturm un drang (sp)of the times accelerated the process. This and so much more kept me enchanted across the pond and I was only jarred back to 2007 when we touched down at Frankfurt and I had so kiss my friend farewell, blinked my eyes and uncremoniously place him in my overnight bag all the while thanking him for sixty years of memories brought to life.

a Must read.......2007-06-18

Jackie Robinson was a true Ambassador of the game of Baseball. it's well known about Branch Rickey signing Jackie to the Dodgers and the Historic Impact of Jackie Robinson being the first Black Baseball Player to break the Color Barrier in Major League baseball 60 years ago. Jackie Robinson was also a 4 letter Athlete at the University of UCLA. He was a Gifted Athlete and a Smart Man whose first Season hadn't been fully told until now. this is a Great Book and it answers so much about just how things went down 60 years ago. Jackie Robinson is a true Civil Rights Leader and a Ground-Breaker who paved the way for so many.

RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "I LOVE JACKIE ROBINSON!".......2007-06-12

I am a born and raised Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodger fan. In fact my family moved from New York to Los Angeles the same year as the Dodgers. Before my brothers and I were born, my parents went to Ebbets field every weekend. I still have a box full of Brooklyn scorecards from those days. I was too young to see Jackie in his prime, but my Dad took me to some games in 1956 and I got to see Jackie and all the "Boys Of Summer"! I was a Brooklyn Dodger fanatic even at that age. Besides watching the Dodgers, I read everything available on them, and still do, 50 years later. I can unabashedly say I love Jackie Robinson. One of my many fond memories of my Dad, was him talking to me in front of our tiny black and white TV watching the Dodgers. He said "I have gone to hundreds of baseball games, and have seen 1,000 players, and the most exciting player I ever saw was Jackie Robinson!" "What Jackie did, was not displayed only in the statistics. Over the history of baseball, many players stole more bases. (Such as Ricky Henderson stealing bases with a 7 run lead in the 8th inning.) But no one unnerved every player on the team just by leading off the base and dancing on his pigeon toes, like Jackie. This book points out little, subtle, beneficial affects, on the whole Dodger team, that the average fan wouldn't see. The pitcher and catcher would be so nervous with Jackie dancing around on the base paths, that they would be afraid to throw curve balls, so the batters got better pitches to hit. Jackie stole home more times, than just about anyone except Ty Cobb. When we moved to Los Angeles there was a program on called the "Million Dollar Theatre", in which they showed the same movie on TV every day for a week. When the "Jackie Robinson Story" was on, I watched it every night, and literally memorized the dialogue. People forget that the Brooklyn Dodgers were the "original America's team". And that was because of Jackie. When Jackie broke the color line, he wasn't only fighting for the blacks, but he also was fighting for the Jews, and every minority that has been suppressed. When I watch old sports shows, when they talk about Jackie, I actually get tears in my eyes, because I know what he went through. I've read just about every meaningful book on Jackie and the Brooklyn Dodgers. I would rate this book as the 2nd best Jackie book of them all. (My personal favorite is "Great Time Coming".)

This book was interesting to me as compared to many others, because it not
only zoomed in on his first year as a player, but also went deeper into
his personal life during that first year. All the way to the size of a little room he and Rachel rented, along with their infant son. If you were to ask me, what, with all my knowledge, I have on Jackie's playing, was the biggest thing I learned from this book, I would say his affect, and dominance, in every facet of the game, that didn't appear in his batting average, in a losing cause as a rookie in the 1947 World Series against the hated and despised Yankees. This is a great book and I recommend it to everyone. P.S. In my opinion Jackie was the greatest all around athlete since Jim Thorpe. A lot of people forget that Jackie was the first 4-sport letterman at UCLA. He was an All American football player, the top scorer on UCLA's basketball team, a record setter in the long jump, and of course baseball, which was actually his weakest sport at that time. Duke Snider tells a story about when Duke was in high school in Compton California, and Jackie was playing for Pasadena City College (A junior college). Duke went to see Jackie play a baseball game. One inning Jackie hit a homerun, and then in his full baseball uniform, with spikes on, ran over to the track field between innings, won the broad jump, and ran back to the baseball field in time to play the next inning!

Average customer rating:

Not the best read for a golenbock fan
Home Run!!!
Golenbock knows baseball
Excellent read, excellent audio too
One, Two, Three Strikes - He's Out!

7: The Mickey Mantle Novel
Peter Golenbock
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1599212706

Amazon.com

Book Description
In Peter Golenbock's shocking and revealing first novel, Mickey Mantle tells the hidden story of his life as a baseball hero, and asks for forgiveness from his friends and family. If the revelations in Jim Bouton's Ball Four were the first crack in the Mantle legend, then 7 smashes the myth to reveal the human being within.

Bestselling sportswriter Peter Golenbock knew Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, Jim Bouton, Joe Pepitone, and many of Mantle's friends, family, and teammates. While Mickey was a good person at heart, he had a dark side that went far beyond his well-known alcoholism and infidelities. In this fictional portrait, Mickey--now in heaven--realizes that he's carrying a huge weight on his shoulders, as he did throughout his life. He needs to unburden himself of all the horrible things he did and understand for himself why he did them. He wants to make amends to the people he hurt, especially those dear to him; the fans he ignored and alienated; and the public who made him into a hero. Mickey never felt he deserved the adulation, could never live up to it, and tried his damnedest to prove it to everyone. The fact that he was human made the public love him that much more.

This Mickey Mantle is revealed as a man who lived in fear--fear of failure, of success, of life beyond baseball, and of commitment. His was a life filled with sex, yet devoid of deeper satisfactions. From the alcohol-fueled good times and bad, to the emptiness when the party was finally over, 7 has it all.

Through the recounting of his exploits on and off the field, some of them side-splittingly hilarious, some disturbing, and others that will make your head shake in sympathy, Mickey comes clean in this novel in the way he never could in real life. 7: The Mickey Mantle Novel puts you inside the locker room and bedroom with an American Icon every bit as flawed and human as we are.

How Mickey Mantle Wound Up in Heaven
An Exclusive Essay by Peter Golenbock

I met Mickey Mantle for the first time in 1974 when I was writing my first book, Dynasty. He had asked me to meet him at his home in Dallas, but when I arrived, I was informed he had flown to New York and I could meet him in the clubhouse of Yankee Stadium the next day. Back on the plane I went.

During an hour-long interview which I conducted in the Yankee clubhouse, Mickey talked about his career, his love of the game, and the nightmares that woke him up almost every night. During the middle of the interview New York Times reporter John Drebinger entered the clubhouse, and Mickey then told me that Drebby had a hearing aid and that Mickey would move his mouth, pretending to talk so Drebby would turn the hearing aid up, and when he got it up all the way, he'd scream at the top of his lungs. Mickey, myself, and everyone standing around listening roared with laughter.

That was Mickey, irreverent, complex, funny and sad.

Continue reading the essay

7 Second Interview: At Bat with Peter Golenbock

Q: You've been writing bestsellers for years, you saw the response to your friend Jim Bouton's Ball Four, and you even wrote a book (with Graig Nettles) called Balls. And you've already been through this once, with a controversial book being dropped by a major publisher and picked up by a smaller press, with Personal Fouls, your book on Jim Valvano. Were you surprised at what's happened so far with 7?

A: When I saw the outrage over the O.J. Simpson book, my immediate reaction was, Uh oh. Judith Regan became the focal point of the controversy, and since she was also my publisher, I was fully aware of what seemed sure to follow. I was hoping against hope, but unfortunately my instincts were correct.

Q: Mickey Mantle was your childhood hero. In the opening to the book, you recount the last conversation you had with him, when you try to explain to him what he meant to you. Do you still think of him as a hero?

A: He is more of a hero to me that ever. What most people refuse to accept is that alcoholism is a disease, and too often a deadly one. Mickey suffered with all the ills--both physical and social--of alcoholism for most of his life. In the end, he faced up to his problem. For a macho guy like Mickey, that took a lot of guts. To us, he was a hero. To himself he was a failure. How he must have suffered. That's what this book is all about.

Q: You've written books with and about Billy Martin, and he's a big figure in this book too. What was Mantle's relationship with him like?

A: They were best friends, drinking buddies, soul mates. They loved each other like brothers. They were also enablers. Both were alcoholics, but neither would admit it.

Q: You've talked to hundreds of old ballplayers for your books over the years. Was Mantle typical in the way he handled the time after he was done as a player, or the exception?

A: Mantle was an extreme example of an athlete who died inside the day he retired. Some athletes can smoothly make the transformation into the real world, but not most. In the days before the mega-salaries (when the athlete had to find a job after baseball) plenty of the players I interviewed felt lost and abandoned. Selling insurance or cars just didn't excite them. But they had to do if they wanted to feed their families. Mickey was one of the few athletes who could sell his autograph and make his living that way. And he felt bad about having to do that.

Q: Mickey has a line in the book: "I'm only sorry camcorders didn't exist way back then. We'd-a made a fortune." Do you think things were different "way back then," or was the difference just that everybody didn't have camcorders?

A: Things were different back then. There wasn't the constant scrutiny of the athletes' actions like there is now. There was no SportsCenter or talk radio, no Internet blogging or YouTube. The sportswriters rarely wrote about what happened off the field. The players had a lot more privacy.

Book Description

Through the recounting of his exploits on and off the field, some of them sidespittingly hilarious, some disturbing, and others that will make your head shake in sympathy, Mickey comes clean in this novel in the way he never could in real life. 7: The Mickey Mantle Novel puts you inside the locker room and bedreoom with an American Icon every bit as flawed and human as we are.

Customer Reviews:

Not the best read for a golenbock fan.......2007-10-14

Just not the type of book that I can relate to..more porn then story . Hurtful for too many folks.

Home Run!!!.......2007-07-21

Peter, it was a pleasure to read the book. I must admit there was nothing in there that should suprise anyone. It was your typical well written book. A couple of typos. Also, a contradiction or two on the year and age at death. Mick also batted .356 in 1956, not .352. All in all it is a great book and full of good stories. Your having known Mickey and interviewing each of his teammates for Dynasty is enviable. I am sure you heard a lot of stories you could not use in Dynasty. I am now seeing that people are talking about the book without having read it, as you told me to do. I will not make that mistake again. I would have missed a lot of fun by being hardheaded. Sincerely, Mike

Golenbock knows baseball.......2007-07-17

Peter Golenbock has interviewed personally the players in this book. It is true and unexpurgated baseball at its best. True fans will love it and guys like Swearington should remember that "what goes around comes around." This book is a great read, not watered down to keep the puritans happy.

Excellent read, excellent audio too.......2007-07-17

If you are a baseball fan you will love this book. The audio version sounds just like the Mick!!!

One, Two, Three Strikes - He's Out!.......2007-07-08

There is a major contradiction in this book before the first chapter begins. The copyright page contains a disclaimer that states that references to real people, places, etc. are used fictitiously, come from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Then, the second page of the Introduction states that Mickey's friends swear the incidents in the book are true. I personally know many of Mickey's teammates and I have not found one yet who claims any of the stories are real. STRIKE ONE.

The author claims to know Mickey well enough to psychoanalyze him yet he incorrectly states several important facts about Mickey's life and career such as his age at death, the number of world championship teams he was on and the name of Mickey's first son. STRIKE TWO.

Golenbock is a gifted writer who has authored many non-fiction baseball books. It is unfortunate, that at this stage in his successful career, he elected to write a trashy and degrading novel, from his own imagination, about one of American's greatest baseball icons. STRIKE THREE - HE'S OUT!

Pouring Six Beers at a Time: And Other Stories from a Lifetime in Baseball

Average customer rating:

Commits the worst sins of a memoir
a must for any phillies fan
GREAT BOOK BUY A GREAT PERSON!
Wonderful Days in a BallPark
Not Just for Phillies Fans

Pouring Six Beers at a Time: And Other Stories from a Lifetime in Baseball
Bill Giles , and Doug Myers
Manufacturer: Triumph Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1572439319

Book Description

Bill Giles is a baseball lifer who grew up in ballparks while his father oversaw the Cincinnati Reds and later the entire National League. Young Giles learned that the game was meant to be fun, and he's done more to make it that way over the past five decades than just about anyone else. From the forgotten minor league towns to the big-league clubs in Houston and Philadelphia, Bill Giles spent all of his waking hours dreaming up ways to make the game more enjoyable. Pouring Six Beers at a Time is his humorous and poignant recollection of how he did just that.

Customer Reviews:

Commits the worst sins of a memoir.......2007-08-22

As a lifelong baseball man, Bill Giles had the chance to write something profound, something with the depth and insight of 70+ years living and breathing the game. To open it and discover instead a book that barely glances off the surface of history is a disappointment.

Reading Giles' account of his life is a lot like listening to your grandfather - sure, there are interesting anecdotes occasionally, but they're atolls in an ocean of cliche and vagueness.

At its best, it's readable, like when Giles talks about his scoreboard antics with the Astros. At its worst, it's a sloppy, directionless mess, punctuated by boring, PR-release-style photos, random lists of things like his Top 10 Baseball Moments, all of which we could've guessed from how he'd already talked about them, and narrative-destroying paragraphs of statistics.

And insight? Well, if you were looking for interesting moments from his time with the Colt .45s/Houston Astros and his efforts to do wacky stuff as promotions guy with the Phillies, there's a bit of all that. But controversy? A capsule of how things felt sweating out the '80 World Series win and the '93 World Series loss? Forget about it. For the most part, Giles writes as though baseball is all good times, and avoids delving into the real difficulties - the down times between '80 and '93 and after, the disastrous moves the team made under GM Ed Wade - and even manages to write off the '94 strike in just a few sentences.

Throw in a random dissertation on baseball economics that completely derails what narrative there was, whole chapters devoted to passing looks at his favorite team owners and baseball commissioners, and the book just collapses under its own weight, lifeless, dull and nearly unreadable.

a must for any phillies fan.......2007-07-07

A wonderful book, filled with stories of Bill Giles' lifetime in baseball. Baseball fans in general will enjoy it, Phillies fans in particular will love it.

I had the opportunity to recently hear Bill Giles talk about his book, and here's an interesting tidbit (or errata): he writes in the book that George W. Bush could be the next commissioner of baseball. He said that he wrote those words over a year ago, and he's not of the same opinion now with the sharp decline of the President's approval rating.

In any case, if you like baseball stories, I think you'll like this book.

GREAT BOOK BUY A GREAT PERSON!.......2007-05-29

This book is like a history book for sports fans.Giles wrote this book in a great way.

Wonderful Days in a BallPark.......2007-04-24

Wonderful days relived from the past were beautifully and tenderly recreated by the words and pictures of Mr.Giles in his book. Bill was an fearless innovator and pioneer for much of the ballpark entertainment that fans take for granted in today's ballparks; and the fans in Houston and Philadelphia were the benficiaries. Bill's legacy will live for many years thanks to honesty, pathos and humor so beautifully portrayed in the prose this book. And most of all, he was a joy to work with and for.

Not Just for Phillies Fans.......2007-04-18

FANTASTIC book for ANY baseball fan! Having grown up in Cincinnati during the 75-76 era of "the Big Red Machine" and living now in Red Sox Nation, I have a deep appreciation for anyone who can bring enthusiasm to the sport and share a good 'yarn'. Mr. Giles' personal anecdotes allow the reader an insider perspective on what it means to 'grow up in baseball'.

May I also suggest this book with "Wait til Next Year: A Memoir" by Doris Kearns Goodwin? Together, they are a perfect summer pairing for anyone looking beyond baseball's scoreboard statistics.

Average customer rating:

A little disappointing -- consider Jorge Posada's "Play Ball!" instead
Great for kids
Out of the Ballpark
Great book for children!!!!
Out of the ball park

Out of the Ballpark
Alex Rodriguez
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061151947
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

Before he hit 400 home runs...
Before he was named
American League MVP...
Before he was AROD to
millions of fans...
He was Alex.

Just a kid who wanted to play baseball more than anything else in the world.

Baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez has drawn on his own childhood experiences to create this exciting picture book. It's the story of a boy named Alex who knows what it's like to swing at a wild pitch or have a ball bounce right between his legs. Alex is determined not to let his mistakes set him back—even if it means getting up at the crack of dawn to work on his hitting and fielding before school each day!

Full of the spirit of determination and joy in the game that put AROD in a league of his own, Out of the Ballpark is a gift from a great sports hero to every young player who dreams of becoming a star.

Customer Reviews:

A little disappointing -- consider Jorge Posada's "Play Ball!" instead.......2007-06-08

After reading Jorge Posada's excellent children's book, "Play Ball!" at least a dozen times at my four-year-old son's request, I was excited to see "Out of the Ballpark" by Alex Rodriguez, one of the great players of our time.

Although other reviewers seem to love the book, my son can barely tolerate it and will pick any other baseball book before this one. He doesn't light up like he does with Posada's book, or any of his baseball books, for that matter.

His favorites are the amazing Casey At the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (Caldecott Honor Book), the entertaining Casey Back at Bat, the beautifully illustrated Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth and a book that features his favorite player, Dear Ichiro.

The story felt like it was trying too hard to me and never really developed the great rhythm good children's book authors seem to find. Take note: this is a fictional story loosely based on events in A-Rod's life...a fact that isn't revealed until you've completed the story. I probably wouldn't have purchased the book had I known it was fiction.

When it comes to children's books, Posada hit a homerun. A-Rod, well, I'll give him a bloop single...and I'm giving him that for picking a decent illustrator!

Great for kids.......2007-03-15

I find this a great book with some wonderful surpises inside for young boys and girls who are just getting into baseball. They can learn what it means to be part of team and it shows respect to one another. My grandson had a great time with it.

Out of the Ballpark.......2007-03-10

Nicely written; very simply presented with good illustrations.

Children need to know the importance of long term goals and "practice makes perfect"...This story presents those values.

Great book for children!!!!.......2007-03-10

I bought this book for my grandson and he loved reading it. Any book that can hold his attention is well written. Thank you so much for writing it.

Out of the ball park.......2007-03-09

I bought this book for my godson Gage he is 6 and he loves this book because it is about baseball.

The Glory of Their Times : The Story of Baseball Told By the Men Who Played It

Average customer rating:

Baseball's Old Testament
glory of their times
Superb Baseball History
Amazingly Fun.
The Glory of Their Times

The Glory of Their Times : The Story of Baseball Told By the Men Who Played It
Lawrence S. Ritter
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0688112730
Release Date: 1992-03-19

Amazon.com

The voices of the game's distant past continue to reverberate with a distinct freshness in Lawrence S. Ritter's The Glory of Their Times. An oral history of the game in the first two decades of the century, Glory sends out its impressive roster of players to tell their own stories, and what stories they tell--the story of their times as well as of their game; the scorecard includes Rube Marquard, Babe Herman, Stan Coveleski, Smoky Joe Wood, and Wahoo Sam Crawford. A delight from cover to cover, Glory is the next best thing to having been there in the days when the ball may have been dead, but the personalities were anything but.

Book Description

The Story of the
Early Days of Baseball
Told by the Men Who
Played It

Customer Reviews:

Baseball's Old Testament.......2007-05-27

Statistically, baseball back then couldn't be more at variance with the game now. Cy Young threw 511 career victories, and 750 complete games. In 1909, Ty Cobb led the majors both in batting average (.377) and home runs (9). Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford hit over 300 triples in his career.

What to make of such numbers? Lawrence S. Ritter's "The Glory Of Their Times" strips away the statistical confusion by getting to the heart of Major League Baseball's early days, the players themselves. An economics professor, Ritter invested his downtime from 1962-66 in interviewing elderly men, baseball players all who knew what it was like to face a Walter Johnson fastball, or have Ty Cobb slide into the base they were covering.

"People were more unique then, more unusual, more different from each other," says Davy Jones, who played on the Tigers with Cobb and Crawford. "Now people are all more or less alike, company men, security minded, conformity - that sort of stuff. In everything, not just baseball."

Transcriptions of Ritter's interviews with Jones and 21 other former players, including Crawford and two others then in the Hall of Fame, makes up the whole of "The Glory Of Their Times," published in 1966 and later extended with four more interviews in 1984. Nearly all the interviews offer both testimony and color for the game as it was then.

Bill Wambsganss tells us about his unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series, and how Ring Lardner once used his last name to rhyme with "clam's chance" and "Ray Chapman's pants". Fred Snodgrass tells us about his famous muffed fly in the 1911 World Series, and how his New York Giants tried to psyche out the Philadelphia Athletics by sitting on the dugout bench, ostentatiously sharpening their spikes.

You hear so much about another famous World Series moment, the Merkle "boner" of 1908, that you feel like you were there on the field, too. There's a Rashomon-like quality to hearing various interviewees give their different takes on such things as the character of John McGraw and whether "Giant Killer" Harry Coveleski was run out of the league when he was caught chewing on bologna. (Snodgrass says so, while Harry's brother Stanley, a major-league pitcher himself, calls it "a lot of bull".

Not all the interviews are riveting. One wishes Ritter could have pushed some of the old players more, like the rumors that swirled around Smoky Joe Wood involving fixes. But allowing the subjects the reins probably drew more color out of them than a Grand Jury could have. I love how Crawford keeps telling Ritter he hasn't much time to talk, while giving Ritter one of the longest and most entertaining interviews in the book, describing how players would allow themselves to be rubbed down with "Go Fast," a noxious combination of Vaseline and Tabasco sauce that made them sweat like a sauna.

"I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't," Crawford says at the end. "There are a lot of the old-timers still left,you know, and they're liable to say, 'That fathead, who the hell does he think he is, anyway, popping off like that!'"

If you like baseball even a little, you will enjoy "The Glory Of Their Times" quite a lot.

glory of their times.......2007-05-19

If you love the game of baseball as it once was and still should be this is a "must read"...some of the players interviewed by Ritter were unknown to me and I was fascinated to learn of their exploits...I ordered an additional three books and sent them to long time fans of the game...If I was a GM today in MLB I would have every member of the team read this book so that they might appreciate the game as it was in its infancy...the modern player (in most cases)doesn't realize how fortunate he is to wear a major league uniform and earn the money today for playing a "game"

Superb Baseball History.......2007-05-05

This superb oral history of baseball circa 1900-1920's contains many priceless tales. After Ty Cobb died in 1961 author Lawrence Ritter (1922-2004) took his tape recorder and traveled the USA to interview 22 surviving players from that remarkable era. We hear from top stars and established players, including Ed Roush, Sam Crawford, Smokey Joe Wood, Chief Meyers, Sam Jones, Bill Wambsganss, etc. Each player reminisces in his own way, recounting games, teammates, owners, managers, crowds, ballparks, etc. Some talk at length while others are briefer, but each is articulate and illuminating. I particularly liked Rube Marquard's memory of visiting the Chicago firehouse where he'd once slept as a transient, Stan Coveleski's view that baseball kept him from the coal mines, and the remembrances of Davy Jones and Jimmy Austin. It was also interesting to see how these players viewed superstars Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth. This book provides readers with a superb sense of baseball before night games, air travel, TV, radio (except after 1922), farm systems, and in some cities, Sunday baseball.

Ritter set a standard with this superb oral history. The players interviewed here have all departed (the last in 1988), but their memories live on in this superb book. Fans might also enjoy BASEBALL WHEN THE GRASS WAS REAL, a similar effort about a later era by Donald Honig.

Amazingly Fun........2007-05-03

This book was a lot of fun to read, it showed a different side of the sport of baseball other than statistic. Told by the people themselves who played the game and in their own words. The author just let them go on for as long as they pleased with any stories they might have to tell. If you enjoy baseball history this is a must read.

The Glory of Their Times.......2007-03-09

Mr Ritter's time was well spent for all to enjoy! His efforts have made an unbelievable event for many to think upon. The times past thru the voices of the men who kicked up the dirt of the old ball fields live on thru his work! Here's to Mr. Ritter, "You won't be denied any of the past, only the fulfilment of it's Diamond Warriors"...Denny Walsh San Antonio, Tx.

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Baseball in april,and other stories
Baseball in april and other stories
Great storytelling
good
Hannah's review

Baseball in April and Other Stories
Gary Soto
Manufacturer: Harcourt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152025677

Book Description

In this unique collection of short stories, the small events of daily life reveal big themes--love and friendship, youth and growing up, success and failure. Calling on his own experiences of growing up in California's Central Valley, poet Gary Soto brings to life the joys and pains of young people everywhere. The smart, tough, vulnerable kids in these stories are Latino, but their dreams and desires belong to all of us.

Customer Reviews:

Baseball in april,and other stories.......2007-01-09

Wow! Thats a lot of stories!Baseball in april has 11 differant stories. This book is about everyday things. It featuressports, love, school, and age. This book by Gary Soto is great in detail and strong emotion. Are you looking for a good book? Try this one!

Baseball in april and other stories.......2006-03-14

The book Baseball in april and other stories is a book based on different stories in it. I think that it's a fun book to read for us teens because if you find the first story boring or you not interested in the story, you can go to the next story. I think books like that have different stories that relate to each other(I guess. There were only about three (3) stories that I didnt like or it was just boring to me.

My favorite story was a story called "broken chain". I liked it because it relates to me in different ways. I think this book was written by different young kids that experienced something new and wanted to write about it. but I also think that a young kid wrote about different days and letting the readers know how well or bad was his day.

The part when he explains that he has a date with aq girl and he goes and tells his brother about it. That part reminded me of my brother and my cousin because they always have a habit that if they meet agirl, they tell each other about it how she looks etc.

In the story "broken Chain" the main character of the book states " please! I'll do anything for you" iI love that quote because when I want something from my brother I always use that line sometimes it works, but there be times that he doesn't fault for it (lol)

Many of the stories that are in this book relate to me every time i read i think of a time that the line had related to me. So read the book to see if it also realated to you, I hope you like it!

Great storytelling.......2005-09-17

I discovered Gary Soto's poetry in a public library in Nebraska. Then I read his short stories, my favorite being "Baseball in April." Like his poetry, these stories are beautiful in that they reveal a child's inner thought life; they also show the challenges that teenagers go through.

Soto takes us back to his childhood in California. The stories occur in sunny Fresno, which is in the Central Valley. The characters, dilemmas, and emotions that he evokes are so real that I often read them over saying, "Yes, I remember feeling like that."

I mostly read adult literature but have been reading a lot in young adult literature, because I often forget what it was like to be a young boy. Soto has a gift for recalling these events and making them come alive again. I've read this collection three times and have read all of Soto's poetry. I hightly recommend "Baseball in April," as well as the poetry collection "Black Hair."

Also recommended: The Gospel of Arnie

good.......2005-05-17

The reason that I think this book is very good is because,of various reasons. One reason i think this book is very good is cause in the book the kids sound like they are having fun and its very realistic

Hannah's review.......2005-01-08

This book has a ton of stories with mostly latino characters. The characters are all different but all seem nice. Gary Soto uses discriptive writing like "Alfonso sat on the porch trying to push his crooked teeth to where he thought they belonged. He hated the way they looked." I think Latinos would like this book because they use alot of Latino words. This book is interesting because it has suspence and you dont know whats going to happen next so you want to keep reading on. I will look for more of Gary Soto's books because I like the way he writes.

Average customer rating:

Other Books
No Hollywood ending here
A dark classic
Supterstud
Literary Classic

The Natural
Bernard Malamud , and Kevin Baker
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0374502005

Amazon.com

Roy Hobbs, the protagonist of The Natural, makes the mistake of pronouncing aloud his dream: to be the best there ever was. Such hubris, of course, invites divine intervention, but the brilliance of Bernard Malamud's novel is the second chance it offers its hero, elevating him--and his story--into the realm of myth.

Book Description

The classical novel (and basis for the acclaimed film) now in a new edition

Introduction by Kevin Baker

The Natural, Bernard Malamud’s first novel, published in 1952, is also the first—and some would say still the best—novel ever written about baseball. In it Malamud, usually appreciated for his unerring portrayals of postwar Jewish life, took on very different material—the story of a superbly gifted “natural” at play in the fields of the old daylight baseball era—and invested it with the hardscrabble poetry, at once grand and altogether believable, that runs through all his best work. Four decades later, Alfred Kazin’s comment still holds true: “Malamud has done something which—now that he has done it!—looks as if we have been waiting for it all our lives. He has really raised the whole passion and craziness and fanaticism of baseball as a popular spectacle to its ordained place in mythology.”

Customer Reviews:

Other Books.......2007-09-03

A supremely outstanding baseball player is not supremely outstanding off the field, and ends up having a lot of problems because of his stardom and inability to cope with that in general.

This book is ok, but as far as sport books go you can certainly get better and more interesting things to read than this.

No Hollywood ending here.......2007-08-26

On the surface, Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" is a book about baseball and the exploits of mythic ballplayer Roy Hobbs. Delving deeper Malamud chronicles the relentless peaks and valleys of human existence as Hobbs goes through cycles of decimation and resurrection. "The Natural", Malamud's first published novel has been compared to Homer's "The Odyssey" as we follow Hobb's meandering trek through life.

We are introduced to Hobbs as a 19 year old pitching phenom aboard a train headed for a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, shepherded by an ex-major league catcher Sam. In a cruel reversal of fortune Hobbs hooks up with a crazed gal he met on the train in Chicago and gets gut shot for his trouble.

Fast forwarding ahead we next see a mid thirtyish Hobbs reporting to the dreadful New York Knights major league baseball team after having been signed to a contract. Hobbs originally scorned and benched by manager Pop Fisher eventually turns into a baseball icon hitting and fielding his way into legendary status. His exploits have the doleful Knights skyrocketing in the standings threatening to finally win a pennant. Hobbs however goes through his slumps as the cycles of his life continue to wax and wane even after momentarily attaining his dream of being the best in the game.

Hobbs a hero who totes around some heavy excess baggage cannot divorce himself from his attraction to loose women and pursues Pop Fisher's niece, a floozy named Memo who comports with gamblers. Despite meeting a fine woman, Iris, who stood by him during the depths of his most desperate slump, he cannot smell the coffee and give up Memo.

The story continues with the fortunes of Hobbs bouncing up and down like the stock market, concluding in a much more realistic ending in a style Malamud used in other books, than seen in the movie version. Malamud used real life events in the history of baseball lore to craft the plot and characters in this novel.

A dark classic.......2007-07-29

Those who have seen the movie but have not read the book will be surprised. Bernard Malamud paints a much darker picture of the odyssey of Roy Hobbs. The book takes the arc of one person's career--Roy Hobbs--and weds it to a couple grim episodes in baseball's history: Eddie Waitkus and the Black Sox.

The Hobbs of the novel is wonderfully talented--but very human. In the movie, there is a prolonged slump after Hobbs links up with Paris Memo. In the novel, he sometimes simply has a slump. In the novel, he appears to have supernatural powers; in the novel, he is very talented but very human.

The movie's uplifting ending works. The novel's darker ending also works. Each version of "The Natural" works well in its own right; the momentum in each moves toward the closing.

Malamud writes well and creates characters that seem to have life to them. He also captures the very human--and vulnerable--traits of the characters.

Even if you liked the movie and its view of Roy Hobbs, you will find the book gripping in its own, very different way.

Supterstud.......2007-07-29

This is a great book, but it is not the same story as the movie. In fact, it is much darker and more pessimistic. If you loved the movie, and now want to read the book, please remember that the story is quite different. This was author Bernard Malamud's first great literary success. It is classic and timeless. If you buy it expecting FIELD OF DREAMS or MAJOR LEAGUE you will be very disappointed in how it ends. This is not a romance or a feel good type of book. It should be read as a myth not as a baseball adventure. The ending will surprise the hell out of you after watching the watered down Robert Redford movie.

Literary Classic.......2007-05-12

This is truly a classic. Malamud develops deep themes in a seemingly simple world of baseball worship. A must read for anyone wanting to delve into America's favorite pastime with a an intellectual lens.

Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black PGA Golfer

Average customer rating:

So so.
A great book!!!
Any hacker worth his putter should read this one !

Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black PGA Golfer
Charlie Sifford
Manufacturer: British American Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 094516744X

Customer Reviews:

So so........2004-06-29

The story of Sifford is a very inspiring one. The book was just written in a horrible way. Every other sentance starts with the word "hell". It gets boring afterwards. The first half of the book moves very slowly, but the second half picks up a little more speed. This book will let people know that before Tiger Woods, there was Charlie, Lee Elder, and a lot of other guys too. It is a very good book. What Sifford went through was just horrid, but that's the reality of the world we live in. I could never blame him for being so bitter after all these years of obstacles and not being praised for what he has done. Never mind praise - just for not being allowed to play the game of golf. My limited grasp on golf parlance probably made it a little boring to read this book. But it's a good book, although it may make you a little sleepy.

A great book!!!.......2001-04-28

I read this book a few years back before it was offered through normal distribution channels. Mr. Sifford was actually distributing this book from his home. Being from Greensboro and a golfer, I was extremely impressed by Mr. Sifford's commitment to the game and his determination to play as a PGA professional. You truly wonder what the golfing world has already missed by not allowing Mr. Sifford and other African American golfers to pursue their dreams. When Mr. Sifford was attempting to break the "color barrier" there were more black professional golfers than there is today! His story is heartbreaking and encouraing, what he and other black golfers experienced (to include in my hometown of Greensboro NC) is almost beyond belief! I would strongly recommend reading this book.

Any hacker worth his putter should read this one !.......1998-08-04

This book took me to a time when all african -americans could look to their heritage with pride. Jackie Robinson was a great man and I place the accomplishments of Charlie Sifford right along side of his. He showed us what real intestinal fortitude is all about. This should be required reading for all youngsters interested in participating in sports. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story of courage under enormous pressure. This book teaches us about the strength and character we all posess inside.

Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits

Average customer rating:

big papi
Entertaining
Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits
Interesting Insight into David Ortiz
GREAT BOOK,EVEN GREATER PERSON

Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits
David Ortiz , and Tony Massarotti
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312366337
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Book Description

Raised in the Dominican Republic, signed by the Seattle Mariners, and released by the Minnesota Twins, David Ortiz landed in baseball-crazy Boston, of all places. Generally regarded as an underachiever to that point in his career, Ortiz blossomed into one of the most feared and adored sluggers in baseball while altering the course of the game's history, helping Boston win its first World Series in eighty-six years and thereby breaking the infamous "Curse of the Bambino."

Along the way, Ortiz established his place as a truly Ruthian figure in the annals of our national pastime: an imposing figure in the batter's box, yet an endearing man to the young, particularly in his native Dominican Republic, where he has focused his charitable efforts on improving the health of children. The son of two caring parents, and a loving father of three, Ortiz is a hero to many.

Now, in his memoir, the man affectionately known as "Big Papi" recounts his life from growing up in an impoverished area of the Dominican Republic (where baseball is king) to his ascension in Boston (where he became one). Ortiz discusses, in detail, his historic and record-setting performances as a member of the Red Sox, his exploding popularity, the challenges of playing in Boston, and life in the Red Sox clubhouse.

BIG PAPI is a unique memoir by a charismatic man who appeals to young and old, on the baseball field or off.

Customer Reviews:

big papi.......2007-08-02

im a kid from dallas,tx and im a huge red sox fan. i read this book at camp and i loved it. it talks about the red sox, big papi, and other teams he has played for. it talks about red sox history and shows how good of a guy david ortiz is. this is the best book ive ever read.

Entertaining.......2007-08-02

An entertaining book about a good ball-player. (Probably much better reading if you are a Red Sox fan). David Ortiz is another example of what one can do if they put their mind to it. A quick read, but only entertaining.

Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits.......2007-06-08

I have been a Red Sox and die-hard Boston sport fan since the mid 50's and have read many sports books especially on the local teams and personalities. Big Papi was a very fast reading and insightful story on major league and minor league baseball, the business and individual personal side, as well as the plight of the many foreign players bonding together in a strange land and the brotherhood that remains among them.
A completely different caring side of Pedro Martinez for his fellow countrymen was a interesting sidebar. Tony Massarotti from the Boston Herald does a excellent job in telling David Ortiz's story, a real gentle caring giant with much more than the "extraordinary ability to perform under pressure" and the leader that ended fifty years of misery for me. I wish my father and grandfathers were still alive to have enjoyed it. Thank you Papi.

Interesting Insight into David Ortiz.......2007-06-01

Co-written with Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald, "Big Papi" is the autobiography of David Ortiz, all-star slugger for the Boston Red Sox. Written as if Ortiz was talking directly to the reader, the book covers Ortiz's childhood in the Dominican Republic, his career in the minor leagues, his time with the Minnesota Twins, and of course his career with the Boston Red Sox. The book covers some of his achievements such as leading the all-star balloting, breaking Jimmie Foxx's home run record, and of course the 2004 playoffs - beating the Yankees and going on to win the World Series. While most of the book is in Ortiz's voice, there are a few chapters written by others that discuss the role Pedro Martinez had in bringing Ortiz to Boston; his friendship with Torii Hunter; and how Theo Epstein was able to bring Ortiz to play for Boston.

"Big Papi" is an interesting look at a talented baseball player. Having the book read as if Ortiz is talking directly to the reader is a nice touch (although the constant use of the word "bro" got to me after a while). The book has many fascinating aspects starting with Ortiz's childhood in the Dominican Republic when he and his friends would use anything they could as baseballs (like the heads off their sisters' dolls). One of the most fascinating aspects of Ortiz's career is that Minnesota released him after they tried to trade him and no other team wanted him. Boston came off looking good by claiming him but it's interesting to read that even they had no idea how good he could be. Other interesting bits in the book include the fact that he likes to wear a bigger uniform because he likes it to be loose and how he trains in the off-season. To his credit Ortiz is honest about admitting his mistakes, including his five game suspension during the 2004 season for throwing bats from the dugout onto the field in protest over an umpire's call. Interestingly enough, while he says he doesn't hate the Yankees he writes far more about beating them in the 2004 playoffs than he does about winning the World Series (which barely gets a full page mention). Although he talks little about his family life for privacy reasons, the brief glimpses into his personal life are interesting. Readers will be moved as he talks about the death of his mother in a car accident. And a story of how he ended up with a line of children and parents at his house on Halloween looking for candy and pictures with him is a fascinating insight into the drawbacks of being famous.

David Ortiz fans will love "Big Papi".

GREAT BOOK,EVEN GREATER PERSON.......2007-05-29

This was a GREAT book.I couldn't put it down.Very easy read.It truely shows what a GREAT human being and how "down to earth" Papi really is.I recommend it to every baseball fan,a MUST for EVERY Sox fan.

Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul: Inspirational Stories of Baseball, Big-League Dreams and the Game of Life (Chicken Soup for the Soul (Paperback Health Communications))

Average customer rating:

Wrong Year
very inspiring
A great read!
A great book about baseball and life lessons

Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul: Inspirational Stories of Baseball, Big-League Dreams and the Game of Life (Chicken Soup for the Soul (Paperback Health Communications))
Jack Canfield , Mark Victor Hansen , Mark Donnelly , Chrissy Donnelly , and Tommy Lasorda
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1558749659

Book Description

"Play Ball!" These words resonate with special meaning in the minds of anyone who has ever enjoyed a game of baseball. Every fan will be amused and touched by stories of sportsmanship and victory gathered from the clay diamonds of America. A tribute to America's favorite past time, Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul is written by people at every level of competition, from World Series champions to tee-ball moms. Their inspiring stories highlight the best of baseball, the importance of sportsmanship and a love of the game. Whether these stories take place on the field of a local YMCA or under the bright lights of a major league ballpark, the focus is the same: The Love of the Game.

Customer Reviews:

Wrong Year.......2007-03-05

I love this book, but someone ought to tell Bill Goldberg (The Whistle Story)that the Bucky Dent playoff game was 1978 not 1977. What true NYY fan - from the Bronx, no less - not only doesn't know that, but let's it get to print??????????? Pretty shameful if you ask me.

very inspiring.......2004-05-18

this book was very inspiring. The stories are all well written and ammussing. I haven't read any of the other books in the series and I don't plan on reading them either but I really enjoyed this one though and I recomend this book to all baseball fans

A great read!.......2002-12-27

As a baseball fan, I thought it was wonderful to read about the many sides of baseball. There are stories from both fans and people actually involved in the baseball world. With baseball having such a depressing last couple of years, and not having the results as we have come to expect, it was wonderful to know that there are people in the world that still love this sport! I am one of them. :o)
(I would have said still the American sport, but since I am Canadian I don't think that always applies...)

A great book about baseball and life lessons.......2002-04-25

Chicken Soup For The Baseball Fan's Soul is one great book. The stories are about personal experiences, humor, sportsmanship, life lessons, and the fun that baseball provides.

Some of the stories are actually written by the athletes themselves with others by journalists who have covered the games with their views on the game and the players, and other stories by the everyday sports fan just like you and me. Some of the stories are very humorous while others touching. Before each chapter are very inspiring quotations. Added between some of the stories are baseball comics that will make you laugh.

Every story in this book is well worth-reading from the humorous to the serious stories. This book made tears swell in my eyes and laugh out loud in some stories as a baseball player. This book will inspire the true baseball player or fan. This book is easy to get into it and want to keep reading for a long time, but is also a great book to read one story at a time.

This book really shows how hard you have to work to get better at baseball or any sport and how it can pay off. This is a must-read book for any baseball fan who wants to enjoy a great book about a great sport.

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