Rating:
4 of 5 stars
Review:
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Review of "Nolan Ryan" - guest post by The Sports Book Lady
I belong to a few online book clubs on the social media site Goodreads, and one of them is a baseball book club. Some of us decided to read this book as a group read, and while I enjoyed it, rated it four stars and wrote a review; another member of the group, the Sports Book Lady (who co-moderates the baseball book club with me) wrote an even better review. Therefore, instead of following my usual format for posting a review of a book I have read, I am going to post her review here of "Nolan Ryan: The Making of a Pitcher."
Rating:
4 of 5 stars
Review:
Rating:
4 of 5 stars
Review:
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Review of "Here and Gone"
This book's main topic was one in which I have always been fascinated: sports teams that folded or otherwise ceased operations. When author John Rust sent me an email to ask if I was interested in reviewing this book, I certainly wasted no time in responding and his book was everything I could hope for, even if a couple teams that I remember seeing didn't make it into the book (thinking of the Danbury Trashers hockey team and the Minnesota Kicks soccer team), but he still did a nice job of sharing stories about failed teams and leagues. Here is my review of "Here and Gone"
Title/Author:
“Here and Gone: Short-Lived
Sports Teams and Leagues” by John Rust
Tags:
Baseball, basketball,
football (American), soccer, ice hockey, history, short stories
Publish date:
September 24, 2018
Length:
171 pages
Rating: to
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
Sports fans are familiar with the
scenario: a brand new team or league is formed with expectations that people
will come out and support a sports team in a new venue or a new team that
replaces one that folded or moved away.
Then problems arise, from lack of funds to lack of fans to poor
management and the team is gone, with not many people even noticing or caring. However, author John Rust did care enough to
write a book of essays about teams and leagues that did not last for long.
What is most impressive about the
book is that Rust covers five different sports over a long time frame and was
able to find information about some of the more obscure teams and leagues. How many fans realize that there have been
professional volleyball leagues? Or that
lacrosse has tried to start several leagues?
Well, Rust talks about these sports and some of the least known teams in
those short start-ups. These are mixed in with writings about teams in some of
the more well-known leagues that had short lives. Leagues in this category include the World
Football League, the United States Football League, the World Hockey
Association and the American Basketball Association. The latter name was used multiple times for
basketball leagues and Rust covers all of them.
The teams also cover a wide range of
geography and unusual names, such as the Minnesota Fighting Pike, This team’s name, even though it lasted only
one season in 1996, is still considered to one of the top ten names in the
history of Arena Football. Interesting trivia like this make the book
entertaining – at least more so on top of the stories of why the various teams
failed. As mentioned, it usually was due
to poor management, a lack of fans or a lack of money. That isn’t always the case as Rust also
includes some incidents of criminal behavior and the sad story of a college
basketball team that was popular on campus and played very well but was not
well-received by the town because of the presence of black players so they ceased
operations after only two years.
Because this is a collection of stories
about these teams, the book can be read in as short or long a session as a
reader wished. The usual characteristic
of a book structured like this also is true – namely, that not every story will
be a terrific one for every reader. Also,
as Rust notes in the epilogue, he doesn’t write about all the failed teams and
leagues because there are just so many.
So he had to use his judgement while doing his research on which ones to
include. Overall, this is a very good book for readers who, like me, are fascinated
with stories about teams that had a very short life in the world of professional
sports.
I wish to thank Mr. Rust for
providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
Buying Links:
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Review of "Babe Ruth: A Superstar's Legacy"
No matter how much I like a book, it is very rare that I finish one in one sitting. But that was the case with this book that talks about a different aspect of Babe Ruth, one about his legacy and what it means to people and business. It was a fascinating account of how the man continues to inspire many today, 70 years after his passing. Here is my review of "Babe Ruth: A Superstar's Legacy."
Title/Author:
“Babe Ruth: A
Superstar’s Legacy” by Jerry Amernic
Tags:
Baseball, Professional, business
Publish date:
March 9, 2018
Length:
296 pages
Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
With so many books written about one
of the most influential athletes in American sports history, it is hard to find
new material about Babe Ruth. However, this
book by Jerry Amernic which covers the legacy and marketing of Babe Ruth,
which is still going strong more than 70 years after his death, is one for
reader who are craving new information on the Bambino.
This book certainly cannot be considered
a biography as there is very little coverage of Ruth’s entire life. Of course, that information needs to be at
least mentioned at times to convey the message that Amernic is telling
throughout the book, but Ruth’s personal life and his baseball career take a
back seat to the fascinating world of how his legend grew and stays strong
today. How strong? The students in a current college course all know who Babe
Ruth is and what he accomplished save for one student – and he is an exchange
student from Nigeria. This story is used to illustrate just how large the man’s
legacy still is today.
That legacy grew because of two aspects
of Ruth’s personality that are discussed several times in the book by so many
people who knew him. They are his genuine compassion for others and his special
fondness for children. Stories are shared by so many, from former teammates and
business associates to his daughter Julia Ruth Stevens. Even though Julia was technically Babe’s
stepdaughter, as she was the daughter of wife Claire from a previous marriage,
she held Babe close to her heart and still does at 98. She plays a prominent role in this book, popping
up several times to make appearances at special events such as awarding the
Babe Ruth Home Run award at Yankee Stadium in 2008.
One other aspect of Ruth’s trait
noted in the book that should be mentioned is his progressive views on racial
integration in baseball. While it is known he did barnstorming tours with black
players and one in Japan, what is interesting to learn here is a baseball historian’s
perspective is that Ruth never got to be a manager in the major leagues because
of this position. With the color barrier still in force when he retired as a
player in 1935, it was well-known that he wanted to manage a team, but was
never given the chance. The supporting documentation for this historian’s belief
was very interesting reading.
Even with all of this positive information
on Ruth, what really makes this book stand out is the sheer amount of money and
reverence his name brings whenever it is mentioned in the marketing world, especially
sports memorabilia. A very interesting fact
from the book a reader will learn is that of the 15 most expensive sports
memorabilia items ever sold, seven of them are related to Ruth. That includes a
Yankees jersey worn by Ruth in 1920 that sold for $4.4 million in 2012. Charlie
Sheen is mentioned as he made a nice profit selling Ruth items. It is noted
that his signature is one of the most sought after not only in terms of
dollars, but also because it is very recognizable and legible. Also noteworthy is the questionable reason
that the Curtiss Candy Company denied that Ruth was the genesis of it’s naming
of the Baby Ruth candy bar as Amernic puts doubt in the claim that the name
came from President Grover Cleveland’s daughter.
Publishing a book on Babe Ruth that
contains a lot of original material that hasn’t already been published in other
books on him takes a lot of work, research and some excellent writing and Amernic
pulls it off with this one. It is a fascinating
look at the legend and business of Babe Ruth and anyone with any interest in
him, whether a baseball fan or not, should read this book.
I wish to thank Mr. Amernic for
providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
Buying Links:
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Review of "John Cangelosi"
Memoirs are written by people of all levels of fame, and this one was written by a baseball player who had a great start to his baseball career, but in the end wound up becoming a valuable utility player instead of a star. That didn't discourage him from writing his memoir. Here is my review of "John Cangelosi"
Title/Author:
“John Cangelosi: The
Improbably Journey of the Undersized Kid from Nowhere to World Series Champion”
by John Cangelosi with K.P. Wee
Tags:
Baseball, memoir, professional,
White Sox, Marlins, Astros, Pirates
Publish date:
July 9, 2019
Length:
296 pages
Rating: to
3 of 5 stars (okay)
Review:
John Cangelosi had an up and down
baseball career. After being bypassed by many teams and scouts because of his
diminutive size, he was able to sign a contract with the Chicago White
Sox. After appearing in a few games for
the White Sox late in the 1985 season, he made the team in 1986 and started his
career by threatening to break several records. How his career and life faired
from there is captured in this memoir written with K.P. Wee.
The best way to describe reading
this book is that it was much like Cangelosi’s major league career. Both started out like gangbusters – for baseball,
Cangelosi’s start to the 1986 season was filled with promise as he was stealing
bases at a good clip and was threatening to break the American League record
for bases stolen by a rookie, which was 49 at that time. The book started the same way, as it was fun
to read about his early life and how he overcame the stigma that baseball scouts
usually have for shorter players (he was “generously” listed as 5’ 8” in
official records) and showed enough talent and heart that minor league coaches,
John Boles in particular, often campaigned for Cangelosi to have a spot waiting
for him on the major league roster.
Then, just when Cangelosi’s rookie
season was about to fully bloom, the White Sox suddenly decided to go in a
different direction with their outfielders and Cangelosi was relegated to duties
such as pinch hitting, pinch running and entering the game as a defensive
replacement. That made his quest to break
the AL rookie record for stolen bases tough, but he was able to accomplish that
late in the 1986 season. That year also
marked the only time he was a starting outfielder, as he was in 1987 not only
relegated back to a utility role, he spent time in the minor leagues as well. That
became his career pattern as he spent time with the Pirates, Mets, Astros and
Marlins organizations. Each time
Cangelosi credited a manager for giving him a chance with those organizations –
Jim Leyland in Pittsburgh and Florida, Bobby Valentine with the Mets, and Terry
Collins in Houston. While he was a member of the 1997 Marlins team that won the
World Series, he played sparingly in the Fall Classic, with most of the text in
the book about that series being about his strikeout in game 7.
If that sounds like his baseball
career had a lot of ups and downs after his rookie year, then that is the best
way to describe reading this book felt as well. When reading about his baseball career up to
the point where the White Sox decided to reduce his role, it felt exciting, like
the reader is going to go on a wonderful adventure with Cangelosi. After that,
however, reading the passages range from entertaining to being a chore. The latter mainly comes about because of two
characteristics.
One, there is a lot of skipping
around or missing chunks of information.
The best example of that is something already mentioned – when Cangelosi
reminisces about the 1997 World Series. While the reader will get a feeling
about how he and the team felt hosting the first World Series games held in the
Sunshine State (and how the media wasn’t too kind about the lack of a “fall”
feel) there is barely anything mentioned about the three games in Cleveland and
even little about the last two games in Miami, save for his at bat.
Two, there is a lot of repetition in
the book about various topics, most notably about thankful he was to coaches
and managers who gave him a chance in the minor or major leagues. While that was certainly a nice gesture to
thank these men, it seemed like nearly every chapter the reader would be reminded
how much Boles, Leyland and others meant to Cangelosi. I was actually talking to the book near the
end, saying “Okay, I get it – those guys were very supportive.”
As for the better aspects of the
last 2/3 of the book, I found some of the passages quite humorous and one that
even shows a side of umpire Angel Hernandez that current baseball fans would be
surprised to learn. Cangelosi has been
friends with Hernandez for a long time as Hernandez’s father started the league
where he played organized baseball as a youngster. Later, when Cangelosi started his baseball
school in Florida, Hernandez always comes to support the school and they
socialize together. As for the humor –
whether it comes from Cangelosi himself or he got it from another source, it is
sprinkled liberally throughout the book.
I will quote my favorite line, which came from Michael Farber in Sports Illustrated. When the Marlins signed Cangelosi as one of
the many free agents they acquired for a championship run, Farber noted that “they
paid $4.07 million for two outfielders, Jim Eisenreich and John Cangelosi, who
make a lovely pair of bench ornaments.”
While this book wasn’t quite what I
expected, it was a good illustration of the ups and downs of Cangelosi’s career
in his own words. Readers who remember
him, especially that rookie season in Chicago, would like this reflection on
his baseball career.
I wish to thank Riverdale Avenue
Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest
review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
Monday, July 22, 2019
Review of "Pastime Lost"
While much of the baseball world's attention was focused yesterday on Cooperstown, the mythical place of the birth of baseball, I was reading about the game on the other side of the Atlantic and the origins of another similar game, English baseball. This author spent several years researching that game, and his results are discussed in this book that turned out to be a much better book than I anticipated. Here is my review of "Pastime Lost"
Title/Author:
“Pastime Lost: The
Humble, Original and Now Completely Forgotten Game of English Baseball” by David
Block
Tags:
Baseball, history,
scholar
Publish date:
April 1, 2019
Length:
328 pages
Rating: to
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review:
While there has been much research
and writing dedicated to the origins of American baseball and disproof of the
myths surrounding that origin, there has been little written about the game of
English baseball, which as the author makes known throughout the book is NOT
the same as the game of rounders. David Block has written a very interesting book
on the game, combing through various publications and archives to research his
material and come to some conclusions about the game.
What is most noteworthy about the
book is that the majority of it discusses the literary and journalistic sources
that mention the game of English baseball.
The first reference that Block notes is from John Newbury’s children’s book
A Pretty Little Pocketbook. Published in 1744, there is a passage that
reads “The Ball once struck off,/Away flies the Boy/To the next Destin’d
Post/And then Home with Joy.” A drawing that illustrates this accompanies the
prose, illustrating a boy with a ball in his hand ready to toss it. Many researchers believe this is the first
reference to baseball in any form, including those who research the origins of
the American game.
From there, the reader will be taken along Block’s journey through the archives of many English sources as he scoured them for more references to the game. Many people know of the famous passage in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abby. This is just one of the numerous passages that Block mentions and/or quotes on his journey. Block covers the entire period that the game has references and was played, which was from the 18th century to the early 20th century. He also includes a chapter in which he explains the game as much as possible from the information he has gleaned from these sources.
From there, the reader will be taken along Block’s journey through the archives of many English sources as he scoured them for more references to the game. Many people know of the famous passage in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abby. This is just one of the numerous passages that Block mentions and/or quotes on his journey. Block covers the entire period that the game has references and was played, which was from the 18th century to the early 20th century. He also includes a chapter in which he explains the game as much as possible from the information he has gleaned from these sources.
Even though this is excellent
information for readers who are interested in baseball or literary history,
what makes this book an enjoyable read is the writing style of Block. He takes
the reader on his journey to find out about English baseball with some self-deprecating
humor and other wit along the way. This makes for an excellent combination of
information and entertainment that is sure to please any reader interested in
the aforementioned topics.
I wish to thank University of
Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying Links:
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Review of "They Called Me God"
This isn't a new book, nor was it one that I was requested to review, nor was it one I was dying to read. However I did want to finally read a book on baseball umpires. Since this was selected as a book of the month in a baseball book group to which I belong, why not? Here is my review of "They Called Me God"
These are all short stories, rarely taking up more than two or three pages in the hardcover edition. With a long career, one can imagine that he shared stored about many of the players and managers that he had to eject from games. While not every story results in a player or manger being tossed from the game, most of them do involve that in some manner. It is only appropriate that one of the better stories about these ejections involved his ejection of Walter Alston, the legendary manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a late season game. Harvey realized that he had not ejected a single person from a game that season, so in order to prove to the league offices that he hasn’t softened, he ejected Alston on a seemingly minor offense. Alston, after hearing Harvey’s reason for the ouster, played along and took it gracefully.
Title/Author:
“They Called Me God:
The Best Baseball Umpire Who Ever Lived” by Doug Harvey with Peter Golenbock
Tags:
Baseball, memoir,
umpire
Publish date:
March 25, 2014
Length:
288 pages
Rating:
3 ½ of 5 stars (good)
Review:
Doug Harvey was considered to be one
of the best umpires in the game in a 30-year major league career that spanned from
1962 to 1992. It is even more impressive when one considers that Harvey did not
attend umpiring school as most other umpires do who make it to the major
leagues. Stories from his career, from high
school games to the World Series, are told in this memoir co-written with Peter
Golenbock.
The title of the book will tell the
reader what the tone of the stories will be like – they are all about himself
and many of them will tell the reader that he believes he was one of the best
umpires because he believed in listening and fairness. Not many will truly
argue these points, but he does frequently remind readers of these points. At times, that repetition took away from the
theme of the stories he was trying to tell.
These are all short stories, rarely taking up more than two or three pages in the hardcover edition. With a long career, one can imagine that he shared stored about many of the players and managers that he had to eject from games. While not every story results in a player or manger being tossed from the game, most of them do involve that in some manner. It is only appropriate that one of the better stories about these ejections involved his ejection of Walter Alston, the legendary manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a late season game. Harvey realized that he had not ejected a single person from a game that season, so in order to prove to the league offices that he hasn’t softened, he ejected Alston on a seemingly minor offense. Alston, after hearing Harvey’s reason for the ouster, played along and took it gracefully.
Another aspect of Harvey’s life that
he talks about frequently is his drinking.
He notes that often after games, there wasn’t much to do so he and his
fellow umpires would usually enjoy a few at the hotel bar. This was especially
true when he was a rookie and he would join his crew chief there instead of
leaving him alone with his drinks. I bring this up because that is how the book
reads – like the reader is sitting at the hotel bar with Harvey after a game holding
a drink and listening to Harvey tell all of these stories of ejecting players
and managers.
While the book was entertaining
enough and I liked most of the stories, the repetition of how good an umpire he
was did start to wear a little thin by the end of the book. He is one of only a few umpires that have
been enshrined in the baseball Hall of Fame – that alone says he is one of the
best and there was no need to repeat this.
Otherwise, if a reader likes to read about an umpire’s power over a
game, then this book comes recommended.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying Links:
Friday, July 19, 2019
Review of "Race to Justice"
While this book could be considered more of a true crime book instead of sports, it does involved the murder of a very popular member of the Penske Racing Team's hospitality crew and it shook up the racing world. This is a good book on the subsequent investigation and trial for that case. Here is my review of "Race to Justice"
Title/Author:
“Race to Justice” by Larry
Sells and Margie Porter
Tags:
Auto Racing, crime,
legal
Publish date:
May 21, 2019
Length:
337 pages
Rating:
4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
On October 25,1992, Cindy Albrecht went
missing. She was a popular member of the hospitality crew for the Penske Racing
team, serving as the executive chef. Two of her friends on the hospitality crew
were concerned and called the authorities.
Weeks later, Albrecht’s body was found in a remote area with her head
removed. The date of her disappearance was the date her divorce from her husband
Michael was finalized and she had started dating a new boyfriend. Michael had
just been fired from his job as a mechanic for the Dick Simon racing team and
was not handling the divorce well. His
arrest for the murder of his wife and subsequent trial is the story behind this
true crime book written by the prosecutor of the case, Larry Sells and journalist
Maggie Porter.
Before the book focuses on the
criminal investigation and trial, the description of Cindy’s life of working
with the Penske team is described well. The reader will lean not only about the
inner workings behind that food that is served in the tents to race team
members, visitors and other VIP’s, but also about the races, mechanical teams
and drivers. There are photos of drivers and some excerpts from exciting races,
such as the close finish to the 1992 Indianapolis 500.
While auto racing is an important part
of the book since it was the industry in which the Albrechts and others worked,
the book is mostly about the investigation into the death of Cindy Albrecht,
the subsequent arrest of her husband and his trial for murder. With one of the authors being the lead
prosecutor during the trial, it would be expected that there would be much
focus on the courtroom proceedings. That was the case and it was done so in very
specific detail, down to the description of each of the witnesses. As one who enjoys reading about court trials,
I found this part of the book riveting and could not put it down.
If a reader enjoys legal or true
crime stories, then this book is highly recommended and is one to pick up. If the reader would prefer to not read such
details but learn more about the people, then the beginning of the book will satisfy
that person.
I wish to thank Wild Blue Press for
providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book(Kindle)
Buying Links:
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