Title/Author:
“Clearing the Bases: A
Veteran Sportswriter on the National Pastime” by Jim Kaplan
Tags:
Baseball, professional,
history, essays, collection
Publish date:
October 6, 2016
Length:
211 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (Very Good)
Review:
In the introduction to this collection of essays on baseball, author Jim
Kaplan states even though his own baseball career was less than successful – he
writes that “In the 10th grade, I was a substitute for the
ninth-grade team. Not only that, I was
so slow that my teammates called me Snowshoes.” – he states that he still loves
the game in part because of its “unpredictability.”
That is an applicable description of this book as it isn’t a predictable
collection – the topics of the stories, the timelines and setting and the tone
of the stories all vary and cover a lot of ground. He has stories about major league players -
Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, All-Star catcher and esteemed broadcaster Tim McCarver
and a relief pitcher turned physician Ron Taylor, who pitched for two
championship teams, the 1964 Cardinals and 1969 Mets. There are stories about a season (1983),
about a league (The Futures Collegiate Baseball League [FCBL] and the team in
Martha’s Vineyard) and about the adventures in on position (right field).
The stories vary in mood as well, from upbeat and hopeful to slightly
melancholy as the 1983 season chapter seemed to be a call for “the good old
days.” It’s interesting to read something
like this many years later, when some may consider the year in question “the
good old days.” Another line in that
chapter cracked me up when Kaplan wrote about Ron Kittle, the slugger who at
the time was an all-star for the Chicago White Sox. He wrote at the time that “…Kittle is
already a bigger hero than Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, ever was. Banks says so himself.” Ask any Chicago baseball fan now who was the
bigger hero and you might get a different answer.
As a fan of a minor-league team in the lower level of the system, I particularly
enjoyed the chapter on the FCBL as the living and working conditions for these
young men are very similar to the players I watch at the local ballpark.
Hearing their enthusiasm and youthfulness through Kaplan’s words was very
inspiring.
The only knock I have on the book was the very long chapter on Ron
Taylor. Not so much because it was much
longer than the other chapters, as Taylor did live a somewhat interesting life,
but I would have liked to have read more about his time as the team physician
for the Toronto Blue Jays. It is rare to
find any material on what life is like working in baseball in an occupation
other than a player, manager or owner, so I would have been very interesting in
any stories he may have been able to share as a team physician.
Unlike most books of this format, there wasn’t a bad story in the entire collection. This book was an entertaining and enjoyable read, one that baseball fans of all ages and interests would enjoy.
I wish to thank Mr. Kaplan for providing a copy of the book in
exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
Buying links:
