Title/Author:
“Battle of
the Bay: Bashing A’s, Thrilling Giants and the Earthquake World Series” by Gary
Peterson
Tags:
Baseball, history,
Athletics, Giants
Publish date:
March 12,
2013
Rating:
4 of 5
stars (very good)
Review:
When fans
think of the 1989 World Series, there are two thoughts that immediately come to
mind. One, of course, was the
devastating earthquake that hit the area just before the start of game
three. The other is that the series was
dominated by the Oakland A’s, winning the series in a sweep when they never
trailed for even an inning in the four games.
However, there was much more to the 1989 season for both the A’s and
their opponents in the World Series, the San Francisco Giants. The seasons for
both teams and the memorable moments are captured in this book by Gary
Peterson.
I was
impressed with this book for two reasons. The first one was the balance in
covering both teams’ 1989 seasons without any apparent bias toward one club or
the other. Most fans in a region with two baseball teams will usually favor one
team or the other, and reporters will usually have greater knowledge of the
team for which they cover regularly. But
in the case of Peterson and this book, both teams have equal footing for both
the amount of space in the book, the tone of the passages for each team (overwhelmingly
positive for both clubs) and for the unusual stories.
From the
off-field exploits of Oakland’s Jose Canseco and his brushes with the law to
the inspirational comeback from cancer of Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky, both
teams are covered completely in the book.
Not only these types of stories, but the reader will be taken through
each team’s season, from important regular season series to the
division-clinching games and through their respective league championships,
both the Giants and A’s are well chronicled in the book.
That leads to the other reason I was impressed with this book. The baseball recaps were thorough and complete. Nearly every series played by both teams was described and where the teams were in the standings at that particular point in the season. The reader will learn about many players on both teams, not just the stars. From Carney Lansford of the A’s falling just short of winning the American League batting title to Kevin Mitchell of the Giants and his antics, the reader will be following both teams through the entire season.
The earthquake is also covered in a respectful and complete manner, with aspects from both Candlestick Park and the region as a whole. Thoughts from the players and the commissioner of baseball (who ultimately decided the World Series would not be cancelled) and a story of a man who was found alive in the rubble on a bridge make that chapter a compelling read.
Overall, this was a very good book that covers all aspects of the season for both teams. It does not go into great depth for either team or the World Series, but it is an entertaining book that all baseball fans should enjoy.
Did I skim?
No - the
book was an easy read, easy to follow, and was interesting along the way.
Pace of the book:
The book
moved along at a terrific pace, as the recaps of the seasons for both teams
were complete, but not too detailed as to drag the book down.
Do I recommend?
Fans of
both the Giants and A’s will enjoy this balanced account of the 1989 season and
World Series, while readers who like to read about baseball history will also
like this book.
Book Format Read:
E-book
(Kindle)
Buying links:
No comments:
Post a Comment