Title/Author:
“Gotham Baseball: New
York’s All Time Team” by Mark C Healey
Tags:
Baseball,
professional, history, Yankees, Giants, Mets, Dodgers
Publish date:
April 6, 2020
Length:
208 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
One of the best aspects of sports is
that it leaves room for spirited debates, especially when trying to determine
who was the best at whatever position, sport, or topic being discussed. This book will certainly ignite one of those
debates, as sports journalist Mark Healey lists his all-time New York baseball
team from all four major league teams that have called the city their home.
It should be noted right away that
Healey is a Mets fan and wears that on his sleeve (or on the pages) throughout
the book. However, that doesn’t take
away his objectivity in selecting this team as all four teams are well
represented and he makes solid arguments for each one. This includes selections
that on the surface seem impossible to believe, such as Joan Payson as the best
owner over George Steinbrenner or Jacob Ruppert and Mike Piazza as the best
catcher over Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey or Roy Campanella.
These really are not bad choices
once he writes his explanation and he also includes praise for others who
deserve consideration for the honor.
This includes chapter on other positions where the choice was very easy,
such as Lou Gehrig at first base, Babe Ruth in right field and Derek Jeter at
shortstop. Each honoree on Healey’s team
is given the praise he or she rightfully deserves.
Healey’s experience covering New
York baseball is evident throughout the book as he weaves many personal
observations in the text. At first, this
reviewer thought it was going to be very self-serving, but while reading the
book, it is clear that is not the case – these observations are simply used as
evidence on why he chose the players he did for this team. It should also be noted that Healey does a
lot of “book-dropping” (like name dropping) for sources of information on the
chapter subject and that is proof of his extensive research for the book as
well. There are so many good baseball
books referenced in this one that any reader who loves to read on the sport
will have his or her to-be-read list grow while reading this one.
Any reader interested in New York
baseball, whether past or current, will enjoy reading about this all-New York
team and the debates that are sure to follow when discussing who were the best
players in New York baseball history.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
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