Title/Author:
“The Best
Seat in Baseball but You Have to Stand!” By Lee Gutkind
Tags:
Baseball, professional, umpires
Published:
March 11,
2014 (originally published 1975)
Length:
240 pages
Rating:
3 of 5
stars (okay)
Review:
This book of
the chronicles of a National League umpiring crew during the 1974 season was
originally published in 1975 and has been re-released in ebook formats
now. Lee Gutkind traveled with the crew
that was headed by Doug Harvey, who later was inducted into the Baseball Hall
of Fame, and gives the reader an inside look at the men who are not remembered
during a game unless they make a mistake – the umpires.
It was
billed as a tell-all book that would make fans realize exactly what umpires
must go through and how they endure life always on the road, since they do not
have home games like the players, how they interact with fans and other people in
each city and some of the shenanigans they do as well to bide their time. Some have called this the “Ball Four” of
umpires. There is some NC-17 language in
the book, but that is about all that this book has in common with the Jim
Bouton classic.
Some of
the stories are downright entertaining, such as the cab driver in Chicago who
will only give rides to and from the ball park to umpires. His take on what these men are like is funny,
touching and even a bit poignant. If for
no other reason, this story alone would be a good reason to pick up this book.
However, the same can’t be said of some of the other passages in the book. Gutkind touches on some sensitive issues, such as infidelity (although none of the four umpires in the book are guilty of that in any of the stories) and race issues. However, some of these and other stories tend to get a bit wordy and start to repeat themselves. The book could have had some shorter passages or not repeat some topics and still have been able to make the same points.
Overall,
this book is okay for baseball fans, and one that those who are interested in
learning more about the umpires would really enjoy. But as an interesting read, it struggled to
keep my interest and was only mildly impressed.
An okay read.
I wish to
thank NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Did I skim?
No.
Pace of the book:
It felt to
be dragging at times, especially when the talk was about Williams and the reason
he was in the major leagues was only for integration. After a while I got tired of hearing that and
to have it described for several pages made for tough reading.
Do I recommend?
If
you are a hard core fan of 1970s baseball or are interested in the life of an
umpire, then pick this one up. If not,
then I recommend passing.
Book Format Read:
E-Book
(Kindle)
Buying Links:
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