Baseball Books

I found this book in the middle of nowhere at Barnes & Noble and I am SO glad that I found it. This might be the best book I have ever read.

This is a wonderful book; staring with the beginning and going all they way through till the present day. The forward is written by Nolan Ryan; my favorite Player of all time; I have such vivid memories of Ryan on the Angels, from His 4th No Hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on June 1st 1975 angels 1 Baltimore 0), which I listened to on a bright and sunny Saturday on KMPC 710 AM in cali with Dick Enburg and Don Drysdale announcing; to his near no hitters, to all the strikeouts, to the 79 Playoff game; what great excitement. I was so sorry to see the Angels make a big mistake and let him go to Houston. I also enjoyed the introduction; where Goldman talks to Leroy Stanton. What memories this all brings back. I have been an Angels fan for a long long time and the first game that I got to go to was early in the 1975 season, It was against the White Sox and Leroy Stanton Hit a Walk off game Winning Home run in the 10th and the (California) Angel's won 4-3. I can still remember the starting line up that day some of whom were; Dave Chalk, Joe Lahoud, Jerry Remy (Rem-dog), John Balaz, Rudy Maeoli, Elli Rodriguez, Mickey Rivers, Morris Nettles, Dick Lange and Tommy Harper. What Winsome and Wonderful memories. The Book is centered around 10 interviews with 10 great Angles players; Rod Carew, Jim Fregosi, Don Baylor, Nolan Ryan, Dean Chance, Albie Pearson, Alex Johnson, Reggie Jackson, and Jim Abbott; and about there individual Angels teams the personality's on those teams on and off the filed. Goodman covers there whole History from the beginnings to today and he does it though the players, coaches, and fans eyes. He really centers on there character and what Characters some of them were and are. Some of this history I know, but I am leaning so much I did not know and am grateful for the education. Goodman, who was a bat boy for the Angels in the mid 70's, has done a great job hear, he covers the good, bad and the ugly and the championship (2002) and this is a MUST READ for every angels fan.

This book covers the history of the Angels from the earliest days at Wrigley Field in West Los Angeles to the world championship team of 2002 and beyond. Lots of memories, not just from the main interviews with Angel greats like Carew, Abbott and Fregosi, but with the lesser known players that make the history really come alive. If you like the Angels, this book is a definite must. Reading this brought back a lot of memories of sitting in the cheap seats ($2.00 general admission!) for the '79 division championship. Jimmie Reese will never die!!

This is like no other baseball book I've ever read in my life. Whether you're an Angels fans or just a baseball junky like me, you'll love reading this book. It's written from the point of view of some of the greatest players of the game and will give you unique insights about what it was really like to be a member of the Angels - from the club's expansion year until they became world champions in 2002. I read this book over a weekend and was really impressed by Mr. Goldman's excellent writing and the specific, never before told details about each player's special contributions to the game and to life. If you're a fan of baseball, how can you NOT be interested in knowing more than the usual 15 second soundbites on Sportscenter about Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson or Nolan Ryan? If you're looking at buying a baseball book stop your search right now and pick up a copy of Once They Were Angels. It's a must read for true fans of America's pastime. You'll love it, just like I did!

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Goldman at the annual PCL Reunion show last month and purchased this book for a friend who is a lifelong Angels fan. As I looked over the book that weekend, my only regret was not buying a signed copy for myself.

This is one outstanding book and a must-have if you're an Angels fan. The anecdotes and interviews from former Angels past and present are all here and include names such as Bo Belinsky, Dean Chance, Jim Fregosi, Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, etc. All in all, this is one helluva great read.

This is a terrific story, chockful of Big Money and colorful characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is an excellent book and one of those that you can devour in a single sitting. The author uses a nice style - switching back and forth from the good guys to the bad guys - and does a great job of character development (not that these characters needed much development!). You're left feeling a bit sorry for the bad guys and a little frustrated with the federales (for making so many mistakes and taking so long) - a nice balance. The interesting thing about this book is that it's not perfectly written from a technical sense - there are a number of obvious errors (names of famous people misspelled or wrong, facts that are off), but given the amateur nature of the whole operation, in the end, it actually ADDS to the experience. The criminals are VERY imperfect people doing a perfect con job, and the FBI and law enforcement types are "supposed to be perfect" but are far from it... so the somewhat crude nature of the writing absolutely fits. I collect sports memorabilia, mostly baseball cards, and I'll be taking extra caution after reading this. And I'll NEVER buy a third-party autograph, "certified" or not! Here's one reader hoping there's a "Bullpen 2" that tells us what happened to these people 5 years out or so...

Operation Bullpen is a great book for anyone who is interested in the collectables field. As a former card dealer I was even familiar with a few of the people involved.

The author understand the collecting world. He talks about cards and autographs as an expert which is refreshing. All too often people write about the hobby but make glaring errors showing they really dont understand what they are writing about. This book is right on! This guy knows the hobby and it's players.

It's a book that I so enjoyed reading that I rationed myself 25 pages here and 50 pages there. I stopped only because I wanted the experience to last and not be over too soon.

It's all about fake autograph conartists and how they were captured . It's a must read for anyone who has purchased autographed items or is planning to in the future. Know your seller and the "how" or "where" your item was aquired!

Operation Bullpen is the true story of the high-flying national crime ring that forged the autographs of sports stars and celebrities and ripped off American consumers for more than $100 million, before being busted by a dramatic three-year FBI undercover investigation. Nelson conducted exclusive interviews with forgers, counterfeit dealers, and the FBI to piece together both sides of the drama. This is an often unbelievable, sometimes funny, and always interesting book about autographs and forgery.

I was particularly fascinated by the story of Greg Marino, master forger. In order to get into the signing zone he'd smoke pot and often sit in front of the TV to work. Marino would consult real exemplar autographs that he and his cohorts had collected and carefully cataloged in a series of binders.

After many years and hundreds of thousands of autographs, I was amazed that Marino could forge any sig just by looking once at the exemplar. The stories of Marino sitting in a comfortable chair with his signing arm propped up on pillows, stoned to the bone, and polishing off 400 sigs while watching a Yankees game on TV made my draw drop.

The inside account of the three year undercover FBI sting operation brought the book together, making it feel like a thriller. We experience the ups and downs of individual agents assigned to the case, learn about wiretaps and hidden recording devices, and sit at the edge of our seat as the busts come down. Every serious autograph collector and dealer needs to read and understand the story of how the biggest forgery scam in American history.

Operation Bullpen illustrates in riveting detail just how a bunch of average schmoes stepped onto the slippery slope of crime, got hooked hard, and were never able to get out of it until the FBI managed to push them out. The portrayal of the FBI operation is facinating in its depiction of the agents as just regular working guys with the liabilities and weaknesses that most of us are prone to. One of the great episode sequences in the book is when the FBI agents begin to meet and interact with the forgery ring members. It's better than watching a nature show -- you get a perspective of human nature at work in the contest between good vs. bad, or at least in society's struggle between doing the right thing and doing the wrong thing, and it makes for an highly engrossing study.

Brian Meehl's OUT OF PATIENCE tells of pre-teen Jake's father's dream of opening the American Toilet Museum. The town they are in is cursed with obscurity and bad history and Jake's tired of waiting for it to dry up and blow away - he wants out. When his father brings home a relic to fulfill the town curse's last prophecy, trouble and mystery begins in this fun story of baseball and intrigue.

I loved this book when I read it over the summer. Lots of "LOL" places for me, and I don't often laugh out loud when I read. But when my 11 year old son started reading it this week, he was not only "LOL" but also reading passages out loud to me! Instead of playing basketball or a video game, he was reading this book non stop. He is now talking it up with his middle school buddies.

Teachers of YA Lit should note: "Out of Patience" is a wonderful selection for a reluctant reader, yet also appeals to adults and a more sophisticated YA reader. On the surface it may appear to be a guys story but it really appeals to both genders, thanks to the terrific female protagonist!

I disagree with the prior reviews that indicate a weak or unbelieveable ending; you are looking with too much of an adult eye, and need to consider the (main)audience. Does a book about toilets and manure really need a "believeable" ending?

I enjoyed every page of this novel and look forward to future works by Meehl.

By the way, "Out of Patience" would make a terrific summer movie. Are you listening, Disney?

Brian Meehl's book incorporates some of the srongest elements of the best contemporary young adult's authors such as J K Rowling and Roald Dahl, and plunks it all down in the middle of a small town out in the vast, grassy plains of the midwest, where Mr. Meehl grew up. Yet his writing style is distinctly Meelish from first paragrasph to the last, as he dispalys a daring, occasionally bordering on reckless willingness to follow his muse and resist making safe or homogenised artistic choices. The midwestern-ness is wonderfully authentic, and he writes from a point of view that's compassionate yet brimming with a witty thread of (sometimes dark) irony.
Jake, the twelve year old hero of the book, dreams of someday escaping what he considers a terminally dead beat town. His optimistic plumber dad is convinced that he can bring tourists (and life) back to the town of Patience by opening a toilet museum, so he's been collecting antique plungers, toilets, odd pairs of men's/lady's rooms signs and the like. The flashback subplot follows suit, delving into the tale of how Jake's frontier ancestor purchased one of the first flush toilets and brought it to Patience. This, in turn, leads to a humerous and intriguing exploration of the evolution of the mechanical technology, sociology and superstition that surrounded toilets and outhouses in frontier times, which like any aspect of human psychology is a lot weirder, funnier and more colourful than one might imagine.
Jake is plunged into anxiety (so to speak) when his father aquires the antique so-called "Plunger of Destiny" on E-Bay for the museum, fullfilling the crazy frontier preacher's prophesy from a hundred years ago that when the "Plunger of Destiny " comes back to town, a curse will be set in motion. It sounds a little hoaky on paper, and personally, I'm not too fond of "curse" plots, so I was mentally daring Mr. Meehl to make it work. So I was surprised and gratified he made it work so well and so organically, in part because one's never quite sure if the events that unfold actually are the curse, or just coincidence. This book is never preachy, but has plenty of between-the-lines insight into human relationships and the true nature and value of community.

With bookstores so depressingly full of kids' novels that are straining so hard to be hip it hurts, "Out of Patience" is a breath of pure oxygen, even with the knockout stink of the local fertilizer farm. First of all, it paints the most endearing portrait of Kansas since... well, okay, The Wizard of Oz. And Brian Meehl has so-called "prairie eyes" of his own when it comes to telling a terrific story: he keeps a sharp eye on the old-fashioned ground of great plot, humor, and vividly drawn characters, but he's just as likely to sucker-punch you with descriptive writing of unexpected gorgeousness that rolls in like a midwestern storm. Kids will think all the historical gems and toilet trivia are a total blast, but never intrusive. The young heroes are smart, funny, refreshingly unobnoxious kids who are a credit to 12-yr-olds everywhere (I LOVED Sira and her motel-owning Pakistani family). I loved the Nowheresville atmosphere where the line between adults and kids is blurred by the sweet necessity of respecting everybody's weirdnesses, and EVERYONE turns out for the baseball game. But most of all, I reeeeally want the experience of eating Thunderstone Ice Cream (you'll just have to read it to know what I'm talking about :)). The action and mystery will hold readers til the very last page, the homespun wit ("Howie held a secret about as long as a dog holds onto a slice of lemon") is a total treat, and some moments of real peril are extremely effective. All in all, this is a wonderfully unique and entertaining book that deserves an extra star for that ever-elusive quality of Boy Appeal... my son said it was his favorite summer reading choice ever. "Patience" pays off!

When I review a children's book, I have a highly sophisticated system of keeping track of a book's funny passages and interesting moments. I take tiny pieces of paper and stick them between the pages. By and large, this is a good system and one that, until now, worked for me. That is, until I came across Brian Meehl's, "Out of Patience". By the time I reached page 50, there were already 15 tiny pieces of paper sticking out of the book. As indications of quality go, I can't think of any better sign than a book that resembles nothing so much as host to a million tiny paper bookmarks. Meehl has a talent and a sense of humor that hoists him heads and tails above the competition. Unfortunately, while his book has a brilliant conceit, fabulous characters, and the zing of small-town credibility (i.e. he knows what it's like to live in one), he's better on set-up than on pay-off. Nevertheless, reading "Out of Patience" is a joy. I don't think I've enjoyed reading a book as much as I enjoyed this one in a long long time.

It's good for kids to have dreams, right? Well Jake has one but it's a secret. Jake dreams of someday leaving the town of Patience as soon as he is able to do so. He can't tell this to his dad, though. Mr. Waters, the town's plumber, is too involved in the idea of creating the ATM - American Toilet Museum. He's been collecting toilet memorabilia for years now and in his quest he's gone and done something that leaves his son speechless in horror. He purchased the Plunger of Destiny on eBay. According to the town curse, the final destruction of Patience, Kansas will occur when the Plunger of Destiny returns to the tiny dying town. Now that event has occurred and Jake is fully convinced that the curse is in full swing. He's going to have to become, "a detective on curse patrol", keeping a watchful and vigilant eye for anything that might indicate the final destruction's form. Unfortunately, it may be too late to do anything at all.

People have been comparing this book to Louis Sacher's, "Holes", and they've got their reasons for doing so. Both books involve family curses and buried treasure. Both authors know how to make something funny. I mean guffawing on the subway funny and not the tittering behind your hand in the salon variety. But while Sacher may lead in the storytelling department, Meehl wins in the One Liner and Bon Mots category. It's really Meehl's writing that makes the whole book worthy of reading aloud to anyone and everyone you know. For example, when Jake wants to know if his father's girlfriend is leaving them he knows that, "Asking her a direct question was like doing a search on Wanda.com and getting a dozen pop-ups". When something inexplicable occurs in nature it's, "for reasons only scientists who have yet to be born will someday understand". The phrase for someone who's a bit loopy? "A half-bubble off plumb". The term for reading a lot? "Butt travel". And someone who's lived in Kansas might acquire "prairie eyes". "Prairie eyes see two things at once. They see the ground at your feet, which delivers the fruits of labor. And they see the distant horizon, which delivers the destructive acts of God. Prairie eyes are quiet, neutral, ready for whatever the ground or the horizon delivers".

I would love to know where Meehl collected all his information. From prairie eyes (is this a true term or did he make it up?) to toilet facts (is the portion on the prince who wanted to be a plumber true?) to weird and wacky Kansas info (definitely all true), I was kind of hoping for a Bibliography at the end. Maybe it would have been a bathroom bibliography, but that's okay. It still could of been cool. At the same time, I think that Meehl should copyright his rules for playing baseball with just eight players. They make sense in an odd way, but they're also so beautifully convoluted that by the time to you get to, "5) Committing an error costs players 12 years old and older 1 point. Players under 12 are not penalized for an error", you'd do anything to view a game of this nature first-hand.

And I adored the characters! Jake's best female friend is Cricket, a daughter of Pakistani parents who run the local motel. She's been memorizing weird and wacky facts about Kansas or Patience corresponding with years between `00 and `99. Say a number near her like 8 and you might end up hearing something along the lines of, "In 1908, the Kansas legislature passed a law against eating snakes in public". And there's Jake's best male friend Howie. Howie's a good natured sort, but he's the kind of fellow who would hold onto, "a secret about as long as a dog holds on to a tossed slice of lemon". This turns out to be particularly problematic later on in the tale. Of course, it was kind of an odd choice making the book's villain an employee of the EPA. Meehl makes it somewhat clear that this villain has a personal vendetta and isn't representative of the Environmental Protection Agency proper (they even repave the town's streets), but it's tricky territory. Frankly, I think the book didn't need to bother with a contemporary villain when the fellow who cast the curse in the first place was fulfilled all the requisite bad guy duties.

Which sort of brings up my problems with the book. This hurts to do, cause I feel a great affection for "Out of Patience". Plucking any portion of it apart from the rest and criticizing it just makes me feel all kinds of crummy. That said, I think there may have just have been a smidgen too much... um... potty humor (for lack of a better phrase) in this story. When a story involves a town getting covered in biological muck (wink wink) then you've kinda pushed me too far. "Out of Patience" is certainly not for the squeamish. If you're not into poop in all its glorious wondrous forms then keep this book at arm's length. Then again, it certainly will teach a heckuva lot of kids about nitrates. The other problem with this title involves its ending. The first three fourths of "Out of Patience" is strong. It doesn't quite know what it wants, but it's a wonderful ride. Then the last fourth kind of falls apart. Not too terribly. I understood how (a) led to (b) led to (c). But the villain seemed forced and the climax came way too early. It's not a terribly objectionable series of events, but they seemed a little too convenient at times. That's just me, though. You might have an entirely different take.

In spite of how you view the book's success, I think we can all agree on one thing. It's hee-larious. Funniest darn thing I've read all year, no question. Kids will adore it and adults will turn up their noses at the bathroom jokes while secretly succumbing to its charms. I have great faith that Meehl will bring us even more brilliant fare in the future. In the meantime I will wait for that fare to surface.

I'm a coach. In another life, I think that I'd do that as a profession. In this life however, I've been coaching my 2 girls in a variety of sports and learning so many lessons. As they have gotten older, more and more issues have come up that have pushed me past those easy tee-ball days. Suddenly, drafts and organizational politics have come into play - neither of which I could care about all that much. I'm still more concerned with my singular goal for each season:

How many of these kids will have so much fun that they will come back and play another season?


There was a study done recently that showed that 75% of all kids who play sports stop completely by age 13. Athletics was such an important part of shaping who I am today and for my girls, I feel that it is extremely important for them to keep playing (something, anything) and having fun.

I picked up a copy of "Parenting Young Athletes The Ripken Way" from the library this weekend and blew through it's pages in one sitting. What I read reconfirmed:

* Cal Ripken is a class act
* Youth Sports today is very different than it was when I was a kid (not so long ago)
* Youth Sports are GAMES... and games are meant to be fun
* Parents and coaches may be hurting their kids inadvertently by pushing and not praising at all times

I jotted down a few notes as I read this book (I read with one eye on the Patriots playoff and their 17th victory this season - all those guys played youth sports I bet).

Cal talks a lot about praise and how to use praise to really build up a kids confidence. I do an OK job of this, but am realizing how important it is to not be critical - especially in the car on the way home from a game. My instinct is to keep coaching on the way home, giving my girls tips and pointers on what to work on. What I should be doing is going gaga over their performance and asking them about what they thought.

If my goal is to get my kids to keep playing a sport from season to season, I think a little less criticism and a ton more praise might just do the trick.

A lot of parents have asked me if I think travel teams and specialization is something they should be considering for their athletes - I get these questions more and more now that my older kid is approaching middle school. While I'm not an expert quite yet, Cal's book made some great points that are worth considering.

* By playing as many different sports as possible, your athlete develops cross-compatible skills that will help them in every sport they play. The quickness they get from playing aggressive defense in basketball will certainly help their footwork on a soccer field or on a baseball diamond.
* Cal also mentions that the college coaches he knows actually tend to favor well-rounded athletes - their thought being that a player who specialized at a young age is at risk for an injury (overuse of particular muscles) and burn out.
* The book also talks about travel teams and how for most kids, lack of playing time on a team focused only on winning can actually end up making no difference athletically for that child - and even worse can create other issues. The demands that travel teams make on families creates issues with school work, missing family time and meals and at it's worst, can create animosity or dislike for the game. At 7 or 8 years old, is this really necessary?

In the end, Cal makes a startingly simple and powerful statement that I 100% agree with:

It's not about your dreams, it's about your child's dreams.

I'd agree. Sports may not be your kid's dream - but giving them an opportunity to stay fit, learn a new game and make friends is worthy enough a goal!

What can one say, advice by Ripken is as good as it gets. If you want to keep athletics a positive experience for you and your kids, the Ripken Way is the way to do it. Great guide for parents, school athletic departments, and all those coaches who sometimes need to be reminded about what sports is all about...good experiences for kids! Extremely readable.

I have been honored to have coached youth sports for sixteen seasons. I've often struggled with what is best for the kids in the long run against a parent's internal drive for competition, and to win. This book should nearly be a mandate for every parent in this country who has kids playing sports. Cal, along with Rick Wolff, who is Chairman of the Center for Sports Parenting, have created an outstanding book that covers all the bases about child development, skill development, and long-term success. In a society where news is filled with overzealous, and even violent parents in kids sports, this book offers the cure. It even provides the secret to creating long-term athletic success (and it is not what most parents think it is).

The book is full of practical advice about how to broaden athletic skills and deal with the developmental and emotional challenges kids face when playing organized youth sports (how we wish for the sandlots of yesteryear). In fact, when my seven-year-old son got out at a play at second, and couldn't control his emotions, I found myself driving home frantically just to reread the chapter on "dealing with disappointment", so I could help him through it.

When I was a kid, I didn't have fun, wasn't given a chance, and I was one of the millions of kids in this country that stopped playing sports. Cal and Rick are right on target about what to do to keep kids playing. The messages in this can create happier kids, happier fields, less-stressed parents, and in the long run, more kids that choose to play sports for a lifetime (and do them well).

I thought this book was excellent. It made a lot of references to baseball but it can be applied to any sport. He does mention other sports and uses examples with them. This book is great for any parent that has a child in sports. It covers, the basics of sportsmanship and how an overemphasis on technique or winning can harm your child. It also covers how to develop a good relationship with your child's coach and why most kids burn out on team sports by middle school and how to avoid it. My 2 daughters swim on a swim team and one of them also plays soccer. I found myself thinking of myself in many of the examples and also of the other parents that I know on our team. I think it is a good down to earth book and it gives a lot of helpful advice on how to deal with various things that come up when your children play sports. I think it should be required for any parent that has a child in youth sports.

Great book for parents with kids involved with sports. Very sensible advice. Ripken shares experiences he had with his own children.

In this book, Phil Dixon painstakingly describes the entire 1905 season of the Philadelphia Giants, a segregation-era African-American baseball team. This complete, game-by-game survey is, as far as I know, unprecedented in the literature, and gives the most thorough account yet produced of a black baseball team during a single season. That it covers such an early and still only sketchily-known club makes the book all the more worthwhile. As with his previous work on the Kansas City Monarchs, Dixon has attempted to chronicle every game, including games against semi-pro opponents that formed the bulk of the Giants' schedule. He has found box scores for 130 of 149 known games (Sol White reported that altogether the team played 158), most of them against white independent professional or semi-pro teams, although the schedule also included top black opponents (notably the Brooklyn Royal Giants) and white minor league teams. (The semi-pro teams were often bolstered by current or former major leaguers.) Dixon's book is a treasure house of unexpected news, such as Grant "Home Run" Johnson's pitching (which was quite good), and humanizing details, such as Bill Monroe's "hilarious antics" on the field, which were often the feature of newspaper accounts.

Phil Dixon has hit another home run with his chronicle of the 1905 Philadelphia Giants. He eloquently describes the institutional racism and discrimination faced by the African-American baseball pioneers, describes in intricate detail the challenges (and reasons for hope) for researchers examining the history of black ball, then provides the reader with a wealth of information, fully documented, regarding one of the greatest ballclubs (black or white) to ever take the diamond. His book is entertaining, informative and scholarly: in short, this represents the future in Negro League research. The bar has been raised!

Phil Dixon does the hard, thankless grunt work, discovering history which others then rewrite. He scores again with this study of one of America's great teams. I, for one, was surprised to learn that the Philadelphia Giants won four straight games from Newark, a member of America's highest minor league, then swept their top black rival, the Brooklyn Royal Giants, nine straight.

Manager Sol White and outfielder Pete Hill have just been elected to Cooperstown, joining the great pitcher, Rube Foster. Dixon argues passionately that Grant "Home Run" Johnson should also join them. Other standouts include Charlie Grant -- "Chief Tokohama," whom John McGraw had tried to sign as an "Indian" to the Baltimore Orioles, who were then in the American League -- and infielder Bill Monroe, who used to tell batters, "Sit down," then throw them out.

Dixon has already made an invaluable contribution to baseball history with his study of the Kansas City Monarchs. More books are already in the works, and I am anxiously awaiting them as well.

John B Holway, author of "The Complete Book of the Negro Leagues"

Phil S. Dixon, longtime baseball historian and photo archivist, scores again with his latest effort chronicling the undeservedly hidden history of pre-integration black baseball. Dixon has previously done excellent work on the Negro Leagues in general (The Negro Baseball Leagues A Photographic History, 1867-1955) and one team and player over a period of time (The Monarchs 1920-1938 Featuring Wilber "Bullet" Rogan The Greatest Ballplayer in Cooperstown). Here he tries a different approach, documenting one team over the course of a single year. The depth of his research is staggering, as he recreates the entire championship season of this great ballclub, managed by new Hall of Famer Sol White and featuring another new Cooperstown enshrinee (Pete Hill), a finalist in this year's special election who should have joined Hill and White in the HOF class of 2006 (Home Run Johnson), and blackball pioneer and class of 1980 Hall of Famer Rube Foster. Other superstars in the amazing lineup included Charlie Grant, Chappy Johnson, Dan McClellan and Bill Monroe. Game stories and player profiles are complimented by additional material which gives us a full picture of the entire contemporary African American baseball scene. To summarize, an important contribution to baseball history, and a must read for anyone with an interest in black baseball before Rube Foster's 1920 founding of the Negro National League.

Phil Dixon has written the definitive book on the Philadelphia Giants baseball team of 1905. The author discusses all the games scheduled and played by the team. His format and coverage remind me of a diary that would have been kept by a player who not only wrote about the team he was playing on, but also mentioned other Negro League games being played almost daily, elsewhere. Dixon transforms one back the year 1905, but is careful enough to highlight the players who will someday hence, be considered or voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He points out that this team was exempt from the antiquated Blue Laws that forbad organized baseball from being played on Sunday. As a result of this exemption, the team derived much of its revenue from week end games. Many communities, large and small, anticipated and enjoyed the arrival of this Negro team to play against the local, mostly white teams.
Integration of baseball would be a long way off, but this team showed the county, what black players were capable of. I throughly enjoyed this book. It is a must have book for the baseball enthusiast.

I also was given this book when I was young. I'll never forget the story, I think of Hank Bauer or Billy Martin, I can't remember who, but they were at a cabin on a vacation I believe and someone was carrying an oil lamp and somehow it set on fire while they were carrying it, but they still kept it in their hand until safely disposing it, in the process burning themselves. They asked the guy why he didn't drop it and he said he knew the place would have gone up in flames if he did.

Baseball fans will remember that every time Mickey came to bat, whether at Yankee statium or on the road he always received a standing ovation. Too bad he died so young.

This book is such a great read with fantastic stories about courageous people.It can be used as a motivational,self-help book if you're looking for what it takes to have guts in today's wimpy society.This book hits a home run with all ages. It should be promoted more.

I really loved this book. My only complaint and trust me it's a small one is that I wish the chapters were a tad longer cause the stories are so great! I sure miss the Mick!

I got this book as a present when I was 7 years old (1968). It has been one of my favorite books ever since. Each vignette teaches a lesson in courage. From the story of the little boy who is courageous at his first haircut to Jackie Robinson's first year in the big leagues. I have been trying to locate this for my nephew and my son. It has been out of print since 1970. I was truly excited to see that it was being reprinted. Many more people will now have the opportunity to read about courageous individuals and how they can apply these principals to their lives

I read this book when I was ten years old. It was the most influential book I've ever read. I did not know it was re-issued. I would highly recommended it to children. I can't imagine a better book for children; it's useful for adults, too.

The book brings out examples of what Mickey Mantle said he respected more than any other thing: courage. In fact, just days before his death, brought on by alcohol abuse, he said to the nation: "If you want a role model here's one - don't be like me, play like me, but don't be like me." Sports and media personnel, including sports people who knew Mantle, expressed how surprised and amazed they were by the couragious example he showed when faced with death. It was no surprise to me, it was right out of this book. In fact, on the first page he quotes Shakespeare: "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."

Mantle gives examples of everyday acts of courage that you may never have thought of. It causes the reader to look at life in a more pro-active way. If you were to read only one book on courage, this should be it.

Unlike some boring secondary-source history books, Dom Dimaggio gives a riveting first-hand account of the 1941 baseball season. During the 1941 season, Joe Dimaggio recorded his 56 game hitting streak and Ted Williams hit .406. Dom Dimaggio has the great fortune of being the brother of Joltin' Joe and a close friend of Teddy Ballgame. Throughout the book, Mr. Dimaggio recalls his favorite moments and memories of his career playing for the Red Sox. Certainly, a must-read for any baseball fan that loves to learn about the history of the game!

After the heroics of this past baseball season, it was a pleasure to read about one year in another era of the sport that also included monumental feats by star players. Joe dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak and Ted William's .406 batting average are records still waiting to be broken. Dom Dimaggio has brought us a view of 1941 that is unforgettable. He certainly did his homework as he quotes statistics and plays on the field in certain games as if they happened yesterday. He tends to repeat himself a bit and spends too much time on American history, but all in all a wonderful reminiscence of a great era.

As the jacket cover states: "1941 was the last original baseball season." Although I wasn't around to see 1941, this book made me feel like I was. Dom DiMaggio's perspective on this historic year is fabulous. I've read lots of baseball books about all the great players of the past and this one outshines them all. It's written with passion and "insiders knowledge" that makes the season itself seem like an all-too-perfect script. It's warm, engrossing, and highly dramatic, without being overly sentimental.

One of the best Center Fielders of his era tells the story of his brother and good friend's chases of the record books. He tells Joltin' Joe's story of the 56 game hitting streak like it was yesterday. The more poignant part of the book comes in the retelling of the forgotten heroes of that long ago summer. Pete Reiser and Johnny Vander Meer come to life. Mickey Owen and Hugh Casey's shamed moment is also retold with a tear in the reader's eye. This book tells the story of a recovering America right before another nightmare would crash over the country.

The author of "Real Grass, Real Heroes", Dom "The Little Professor" DiMaggio (For those of you who don't know about him: He was a terrific outfielder with the Red Sox from 1940-41, 46-53), looks back at the "good old times" (sometimes a little bit nostalgically) and the historic baseball season of 1941 which most of us haven't experienced personally. In this time teams still used to travel by trains, there were only 10 Major League teams in 16 cities, no astroturf, no expansion, no Division or League Championship Series, and baseball wasn't played just because of money but because of dedication and love for the game! He describes not only the love for his brothers (especially the more famous Joe who played for the Red Sox' arch enemies, the Yankees) and the game of baseball but also the feelings of people living on the eve of WWII. He also tells us about such unique historical things like the first baseball night game, Johnny Vander Merr's two consecutive no-hitters, the first televised MLB-game, Lou "Iron Horse" Gehrig's farewell and death, Lefty Grove's 300th win, the dramatic ninth All-Star Game, Joe DiMaggio's Major League record consecutive hitting streak of 56 games, Ted Williams hitting .406, the World Series (and the Mickey Owen game). But he also criticizes some conditions which the players of that time had to endure: many of them were under-paid bond man, e.g. This book also contains lots of small details about life in that time when radios were just becoming common and cars were still considered a luxury, that's why I think even somebody who doesn't like baseball will like this book! "Real Grass, Real Heroes" also features lots of autobiographical notes about Dom, great anecdotes about such heroes as Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Enos Slaughter,... ,and 41 great photos (mostly from the 1941 season)! He doesn't even forget the umpires (of which there were only two in each game at that time, by the way!).

In my opinion this book is very well written, sometimes funny, sometimes sad (just like life itself!) and exciting! Although it's non-fiction it isn't dry at all. The only thing I miss in this terrific book is an index because it's really hard to find some detail again without it! I think this book is good for anyone who wants to find about more about life just after the great depression and before WWII. It's great for all baseball-fans, and it just is a must-have for all Red Sox-fans (and especially for Dom DiMaggio-fans, like me!!!)!

THE RISE AND FALL OF DODGERTOWN: 60 YEARS OF BASEBALL IN VERO BEACH is a specialty item for baseball collections and Vero Beach area residents who enjoy game history. It charts the history of the Dodgers, who have been coming to Vero Beach every spring since 1948, and it tells of an entire culture and community which sprang up around the rise of 'Dodgertown'. Baseball fans will find this an engrossing history.

This book really captures the spirit of Dodgertown and the special bond that grew and splintered between the community of Vero Beach and the Dodgers there. This book is packed with pictures and stories of Dodger greats, past and present. It's a shame they had to leave it, Spring Training will never be the same. But at least it's captured in prose!

This is a fascinating story, well researched by the author and laced with historic pictures. The book is full of anecdotes that vividly evoke the sixty years of Dodgertown and much more. Fay Vincent got it right: "It's a story that deserved telling. Rody has told it--and told it well."

Clearly a labor of love, this book tells not only Dodgertown's story, but baseball's and America's. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys forays into the cultural and economic evolution of the game. While baseball's players and facilities may have undergone dramatic changes through the years, Johnson's love of the sport clearly has not. A masterful work.

Tom

P.S. I also recommend "Spring Training Handbook" which goes to similar lengths to detail baseball's history in Florida.

At exactly the stroke of midnight last night, I read the last page of Dodgertown and laid the book aside. It was a wonderful read. I was sorry it ended.

The book is a winner in so many ways. Obviously, a tremendous amount of research went into it. But at the same time, it wears its research well, never becoming a tome. Knowing virtually nothing about Vero, the Dodgers, or the history of baseball, I kept learning on each page, while growing familiar with the place, the people, and the wonderful mystique of spring training. I really felt I was there.

And so, I was saddened, I mean really moved and at times angry, during those final chapters when everything seemed to fall apart. Your own last pages indicate that you, and probably others, have philosophically come to grips with the passing of the good old days, but for a reader like me, new to it all, it's terribly difficult to let go. I kept wanting to go back to the O'Malley days. I felt personal loss in that I'll probably never be able to experience the special nature of Dodgertown. Oh, sure - another team may come in. For a while it even looked as though it might be the Orioles. But even if the Os' had moved to Vero, the camp wouldn't have been the same.

I love basball. I purchased this as an easy read, something to do on a rainy day. After a few pages, I read a few more, and then a few more. I finished on a sunny afternoon. All in all, much better than I expected, and hope to read more from the author.

Not only is the State of Georgia's connection to formation of baseball told, but, how baseball formed us as Americans. Moreover, this book pinpoints how baseball exemplifies and validates our core beliefs as Americans, much more so than football; soccer being so distant from these beliefs centered on individual effort and achievement. It's recollections of a proud father and his son, a focused pitcher. It's a fun trip through the history of the game, its ebbs and flows. For Georgians, it is the story of the city of Norcross and its baseball renaissance. This book is a refreshing critique on the silly PC morays that have taken over our society and how baseball serves as check against these encroachments. Having played 7 years of baseball myself, divided equally between catcher, and third base; I identify and love the book. The author's history channel documentary-like approach to telling baseball's story, and significance, will capture readers who's fingers have not laid across the seems of a Rawlings baseball. I am a life long New York Yankees fan. One word of caution (meant in gest), this author hates the Yankees! The author's favorite team is the Washington Senators. The who? The Twins? Overall, this book is an excellent snap shot of baseball, from our prospective.....Americans.

Many happy memories were evoked by this book for me. Everybody growing up in the 50's and 60's enjoyed baseball and you feel like you are right back there while you read some of the beginning chapters of this story. There are so many layers to this book that you can read it again and again, finding new things to consider each time. Father-son relationships, family values,life in Northern Virginia, the origins of the game...and lots more, all centered around America's original past time.
The only drawback for me was the copious baseball stats peppered throughout the book. I suppose if you are a numbers person though it adds much to the story. Either way this book will get you thinking. Its unexpected ending will leave you smiling too.

This odyssey is as if Mark Twain, Pat Conroy, Thomas Paine, George Will, Helen Hooven Santmyer, PJ O'Rourke and Mike Royko combined forces to write the ultimate history, geography, baseball, child care, coming of age, political and philisophical commentary.It is beautifully descriptive and the conservative and commonsensical punditry dispersed throughout is humorous and thought provoking. The occasional anti-PC rants are not for the feint-hearted, but rather for those whose approach to life is based on love of God, country, family and baseball--but not necessarily in that order.

I thought The Road to the Big's would be an instruction book on how an individual can become part of the baseball life, but it's more of a book about how baseball is a part of everyone's life. Whether we like baseball or not, it's a game we all grew up with and one that is a part of everyone's history. On one level, the author makes hard hitting connections between the popularity of baseball and the philosophical, spiritiual and sociological roots of our country, while on another level soft pitches a delightful story of his own experiences with the game. There's some thing there to hit home with any reader.

I cannot remember enjoying a baseball book this much. It focuses on hundreds of historic baseball landmarks, and the breadth of places is fascinating. There are all of the classic former ballpark sites like the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, complete with a description and photos of what is there now. Dozens of baseball museums I never knew existed, historically placed markers identifying famous homeruns by Babe Ruth, the home of Connie Mack, sacred baseball burial grounds and much more. I cannot believe how much I learned from this book (and I have studied the game for a long time). Some fine detective work here--like where Lou Gehrig really played his last game, the birthsite of Jackie Robinson, and where Babe Ruth pitched a notable yet obscure game against Walter Johnson in California. Lots of historic Negro League sites, too--for we baseball fans who love the road and who love history, this is our ultimate guide and I've never seen anything like it.

I bought this book several mos. ago and it has lived up to its reputation as one of the best baseball books around. Great book to take "on the road" and fills a real niche for the baseball historian/enthusiast. I've actually taken this one on the road and it does the job and does it quite well. Kudos to the author on this one.

Nothing is more quintessentially symbolic of America than baseball and road trips, and Chris Epting has brought the two together in this delightfully quirky road guide to all things baseball throughout the land. The book is divided first into sections (East, South, Midwest, West, & Outside the Lines),and further divided into states, listed alphebetically, within each section to make it convienent to use as you travel. And even the most knowledgable and die-hard baseball fan is likely to discover events and places within its covers to surprise and delight them.
While 'Roadside Baseball' can direct you to well known present and former shrines of baseball (Wrigley Field; the Ebbets Field apartments with its cornerstone marker commemorating the Dodger's old home field on that site), it is the many lesser known and often quirky places it discovers that really gives it its charm. Epting has discovered roadside markers, plaques, statues, memorials, and museums all over the country dedicated to baseball players, stadiums, and history. Some are charmingly kitchy, like the bed and breakfast in New Hampshire once owned by Babe Ruth's daughter, in which room #2 where the Babe often stayed has been maintained with all of its original furnishings. Others tie baseball history to the history of America, like the marker in Postville, Illinois marking the location of a field where Abe Lincoln played townball, an early form of baseball. And some mark arcane baseball history, like DeVault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, Virginia, where minor leagure Ron Necciai (a pitcher once deemed by Branch Rickey to be of the same quality as Dizzy Dean) once threw a 27 strikeout game, before disappearing into obscurity.
It was seeing many of the references that I know from my own experience that proved to me how comprehensive this book truly is. As a Pittsburgher, I was pleased to see not only the outfield wall and preserved homeplate of Forbes Field listed, but the roadside plaque in nearby Homestead that commemorates the great Negro League team the Homestead Grays. I also found here the tiny church yard in rural Ohio where Cy Young lies buried directly behind the grave of my great grandfather, who was his neighbor; a surprise find I had made years earlier while working on my genealogy. Very little seems to have escaped Mr. Epting when he compiled this wonderful little book.
If you love baseball, road trips, and Americana at its best, you can't afford to miss this outstanding guide to all three.

Theo Logos

For many, baseball is almost akin to a religion in America. Many undertake the pilgrimage to all the Major League ballparks, but Epting has created the ultimate cultural tour of history that goes far beyond these parks. Sure, anyone can go to see where Babe Ruth hit his final home run, but would we know where to go to see where he hit his first (or as Epting makes the distinction, where he hit his first professional home run, and where he hit his first professional home run in a regular season game)? No event escapes Epting for potential inclusion in this journey into our heritage. Each site is identified with an address, often a photo and an explanation of why it is important to note. But also, Epting's book can serve as a warning to us. So many of the important sites from the early years of baseball have been lost; they have become the victims of "progress." He takes the time to try and show us where historic fields are, but too often they are fully tossed aside, with an apartment building, or a parking lot now occupying the spaces where the pioneers played and set our early records. For each ballpark that has been lovingly restored or kept in good condition, there are two that have become lost to the wrecking ball. This is one of the ways that Epting's book should open up our eyes to prevent further loss of our sports history in the name of progress. Someone like Epting helps make sure that we never forget, even if others have. Put this in your glove box, and find a bit of our national pastime history across the country.

I found this book very enjoyable. It is 288 pages of baseball monuments from all over the United States. Each historic baseball artifact and locale is given a brief and concise description. It was interesting to see which region was famous for who or for what. The book covers alot of ground and has introduced me to many new topics within baseball, and led me in search of other books covering the various players and places that i have read about here. I really enjoyed it.