Review of “A Damn Near Perfect Game”

 Back to baseball here, I found the audio version of this gem and decided to play it during some dead times during the workday. Here is my review of “A Damn Near Perfect Game.”

Title/Author: “A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America’s Pastime” by Joe Kelly, narrated by L. J. Ganser

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Sometimes the best view of a topic, be it sports, occupations or anything else, comes from someone who has actually experienced it and has done so in many different ways and levels. This short book by Joe Kelly, a relief pitcher who has been with 4 teams, most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, tells readers and listeners why baseball is such a great game and also the ways it can fix itself. 

This isn’t a complete criticism of those today who feel the game is boring , too slow for today’s younger generations or similar well-worn reasons published on why baseball is not as popular as other sports. Instead, Kelly approaches this two sided. Yes, he does give suggestions on how the game can improve its appeal to younger people. The best part of this approach (and of the entire book for me) was his very productive interview with current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. That was very enlightening and not at all what I expected. 

The other way that Kelly approaches the task is what one would expect from the title. He extols all the aspects of the game that he believes makes it so good. There are far too many individual points made about this to list them all, but we’ll just say that any reason that fans have said why they like the game is covered in some way in the book. This can come from Kelly or from one of the many famous and not-so-famous people who share their stories on the game.

Speaking of stories, Kelly shares many of his own. There is a little bit of autobiographical material when he tells his rise to the major leagues. But the best is early in the book when he made his famous “pouty face” At Carlos Correa in a 2020 game between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Strange as it may seem, he uses this story to tell of his love for the game and why it is so good.

Listening to the audio version of this book, I not only enjoyed L.J. Ganser’s narration, but I felt I was able to connect with the stories told. While I am not one this book seemed to be trying to reach, it is one that any level of baseball fan should enjoy and who knows, it just might convince some that baseball truly is a damn near perfect game.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Damn-Near-Perfect-Game-Reclaiming/dp/1635768896/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of "The Black Widow"

Hard to believe that after nearly 12 years of writing book reviews, this one is the first one I have done on pool or billiards. It was a good choice to be the first one - this was an excellent memoir by the "Black Widow" of pool, Jeanette Lee. 

Title/Author: “The Black Widow: My Story” by Jeannette Lee with Dana Benbow

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  In the early 1990’s, Jeannette Lee was a massive celebrity who participated in a sport that many may play but few had actually followed closely, pool.  Thanks to a popular movie (The Color of Money) and a new all-sports network (ESPN launched ESPN2 during this time) more people became aware of the sport, but the “Black Widow” of the game.  In this candid memoir, the person behind the Black Widow persona, Jeanette Lee, shares her life and career memories.

It should be noted early that this memoir will not follow the traditional time line and strictly move from early years to the present.  While there is much information about Lee’s childhood and family early in the book, there are parts early about how she got interested in the game and about her cancer diagnosis.  While that may be confusing at first, it makes sense as the reader continues and puts Lee’s entire story together.

And what a story it is!  It is part sad, part inspiring but completely interesting as I had a hard time putting this book down.  Her story of hanging out at Chelsea Billiards and learning the game is quite amazing.  She had no training, no coaching, or any previous experience.  She just started watching players, learning their shots and the geometry of the game and started playing.  Of course, she had many mentors along the way and when she won a prestigious tourney at age 19, she was on her way.  It should also be noted that the “Black Widow” was not her idea at first, but she fully on board with it after her agent and marketing experts informed her of the potential.

The book is about equal parts her career in pool and her personal life as the latter also has many twists and turns.  From her parents’ divorce to her sometimes-unsteady relationship with them and her sister to her 20-year marriage and later her cancer diagnosis, Lee reveals many secrets that she has kept for years.  Although the best of them in my opinion was one in which she hustled a well-known male player in order to provide Rick Riley a great Sports Illustrated column. 

If a reader remembers the height of the popularity of the “Black Widow” or just wants to read an excellent sports memoir, this is one to get.  It had everything that I enjoy when reading this genre of books.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Widow-Memoir-Jeanette-Lee/dp/1637273991/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

 

Review of "Why So Serious?"

My run of reading baseball books was temporarily interrupted by a notice from my local library that my hold for this book was ready.  Having read many positive reviews for this one, not to mention how enjoyable he is to watch play, I made sure to pick it up and read it right away.  Here is my review of this biography on Nikola Jokic. 

Title/Author:

“Why So Serious?  The Untold Story of NBA Champion Nikola Jokic” by Mike Singer

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

For a quiet, unassuming (albeit tall) Serbian man who loves horses to become a two-time NBA MVP and lead his team, the Denver Nuggets, to their first NBA championship in 2023, it takes a special story to make it believable.  Denver writer Mike Singer does so in this terrific book about that player, Nikola Jokic.

The most striking feature about both the book and the subject is how humble he is, especially considering the success he has attained as an NBA player. That is clear from the beginning when Singer is writing about Jokic’s formative years.  Believe it or not, basketball is not Jokic’s first love at that time – it was horses.  He never lost that love even while developing into one of the best basketball players of his era – horses are still an important part of him, and they are included in some parts of the book throughout.

Another important aspect of Jokic to know is that he is very self-deprecating. Whether meant as humor or self-criticism, he not only does he speak like this but also very matter-of-factly.  There are many instances of this throughout the book as well.  It should also be noted that Jokic has never had what has been known as a basketball body and he was aware of that.  The difference is that while he was an up-and-coming European player, he just let his skills and basketball smarts overcome any physical deficiencies. He paid more attention to his body once he reached the NBA and while he still will never be mistaken for better athletic bodies, his overall strength and endurance is much better.

Of course, there is plenty of basketball text in the book, both in Europe and the NBA.  Since Jokic’s only professional team has been the Nuggets, the book chronicles the Nuggets’ seasons with Jokic quite well.  There aren’t a lot of game summaries but instead the reader will get a feeling of the camaraderie of the Nuggets players, especially on how they interact with their all-NBA center. Because of all this and much more, this is a very enjoyable read for any basketball fan. One doesn’t have to be a Nuggets fan to enjoy this book.

Link: Amazon.com: Why So Serious?: The Untold Story of NBA Champion Nikola Jokic: 9780063396807: Singer, Mike: Books

Review of “The Greatest Summer in Baseball History”

Continuing with my baseball theme to start the new season, this was an audiobook I started on the bus trip back from the Mets home opener and finished a couple days later. Title is a little over the top, but the book is solid. 

Title/Author: “The Greatest Summer in Baseball History” by John Rosenberg, narrated by Barry Abrams

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 1973 was an eventful year in both baseball and America. For the latter, several important events that would affect the nation took place. The withdrawal of American troops in Vietnam, the Watergate hearings, and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision were among the most notable of these. In baseball, the New York Yankees were purchased by a Cleveland shipping company owner named George Steinbrenner, a legendary player played his last season while another chased a hallowed record and a team that frequently fought amongst itself was trying to repeat as champions. That is the setting for this book by John Rosengren. 

Having listened to the audio version, the narration by Barry Abrams is definitely one of the strengths of this book. His telling of some of the major stories in both America and baseball was excellent. Whichever topic was discussed, Abrams did so in a no-nonsense manner that came across much like the news anchors at that time (though non of them were ever mentioned in the book).

The title seems a little hyperbolic as while there were some excellent storylines in that 1973 baseball season, they didn’t feel to be so much better than other years. To his credit, Rosenberg doesn’t compare them to big stories in other years. He sticks with a few topics and covers them thoroughly. These would be the ending of Willie Mays’ career with the New York Mets, Hank Aaron’s pursuit of the all time home run record of 714 by Babe Ruth, the introduction of the designated hitter in the American with a focus on Orlando Cepeda of the Boston Red Sox, and the new Yankee owner who immediately let it be known it was his way or else.

On this last topic, this was the best mix of sports and social or political events of a year or era that I have read in a book of this type. Steinbrenner’s eventual conviction of illegal campaign contributions, especially to President Nixon’s 1972 re-election bid, tied in nicely with the writing on that summer’s Watergate hearings. While not quite as easily done, there are good connections between baseball and these events throughout the book.

As with any book on a baseball season, this climaxes with the World Series. The Mets and the Oakland Athletics played an exciting seven game series won by Oakland to give them back to back championships. The many storylines made by the Athletics, their star Reggie Jackson, and their universally disliked owner Charlie Finley are covered well, as was the unbelievable comeback by the Mets who were left for dead in August only to win the National League East title, then upset the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS. Of course, the Willie Mays saga is included and overall, the coverage of the baseball is very good, even if it is a bit repetitive on some facts and descriptions. 

Any reader who enjoys books on certain years or seasons in baseball with plenty of social or political commentary will want to check this book out. Highly recommend the audio version. 

Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Greatest-Summer-in-Baseball-History-Audiobook/B0C2W37Z93?eac_link=SMHsVJ6gcDX2&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0C2W37Z93&qid=X1m21vL1JG&eac_id=141-2071635-4315628_X1m21vL1JG&sr=1-1 

Review of "One More for the White Rat"

Continuing my baseball theme for the start of the 2025 season, this was a very quick and enjoyable read about the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals.  Admittedly, I mainly wanted to read this book's last chapter on the World Series that year - I explain why at the end of the review.

Title/Author: “One More for the White Rat: The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Chase the Pennant” by Doug Feldman

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball.  They have won the World Series 11 times, second only to the New York Yankees.  They have won the National League (NL) title a total of 19 times, third behind the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and New York/San Francisco Giants.  One of those years that they won the NL pennant but not the World Series was 1987 and their season that year is captured in this book by Doug Feldman.

Sometimes a book that describes one particular year or season for a sports team will not only discuss the team and its play on the field, but will also discuss political and social issues of that year.  Sometimes that enhances the book’s theme, sometimes it will distract the reader from it.  In the case of this book, it’s neither – Feldman very rarely mentions anything aside from baseball.  If there is something aside from the Cardinals, their players or their opponents, it’s very brief.  An example is the stock market crash of October 19 of that year.  Feldman just wrote about it in one sentence, then went back to the main subject, that year’s World Series between the Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins.

Sticking with baseball information throughout the book was a good decision by Feldman as his writing about the Cardinals was excellent.  A reader will learn about just about every player on that team.  While it would be expected to have information on stars like Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and John Tudor, it was also very good to read about younger players who were up and coming such as Danny Cox or veterans who were important to the team but didn’t get a lot of playing time such as Tom Lawless.  Name just about any player on that Cardinals team and chances are a reader will find something about him.

Of course, given the nickname of the team’s manager, Whitey Herzog, is in the title of the book (“the White Rat”) there is plenty to learn about him as well. Herzog had the reputation of having the Cardinals play “small ball” and steal a lot of bases, after having previously been the manager of the Texas Rangers, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals.  It was the latter team where he had his first taste of success, but Herzog’s story in the book really begins not when he started with the Cardinals, but when the lost to Herzog’s former team (Royals) in the 1985 World Series.  This shows how focused the book is on the 1987 team as that is when the drive for their 1987 success started. 

While overall the book is excellent and I enjoyed the whole story, I should add a disclaimer that as a Twins fan, my favorite chapter was about the 1987 World Series, where the Twins defeated the Cardinals 4 games to 3 – it was the first World Series in which the home team won every game.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.  

Link: https://www.amazon.com/One-More-White-Rat-Cardinals/dp/1496241401/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

Review of "1978"

Continuing with the posting of baseball book reviews to start the 2025 season, this was an enjoyable read about the 1978 season.  It was much better reading than watching my team start the season 0-3!  Hopefully they turn it around soon - meanwhile, here is my review of this book. 

Title/Author:

“1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era” by David Krell

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

In 1978, baseball and the social culture of the United States were both undergoing significant changes.  In social circles, disco was the most popular genre of music, there were actions taken to advance the causes of feminism (one of which involved baseball, allowing female sportswriters access to baseball locker rooms), and many movies and television shows showcasing new talent. 

In baseball, however, the change really brought something that was not so new – the two best teams in 1978 were the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Like the previous year and many times in previous decades, they faced each other in the World Series.  This book by David Krell examines the paths the two teams took to get there and also takes readers into the details of many popular movies, television shows, musical artists and some social issues as well.

Krell never gets too deep into any one topic, not even the baseball as many of the stories told about the Yankees, Dodgers or other teams are never too lengthy – they are just long enough to get the message across about what were the results.  A great example of this is how the Yankees won the American League East division over their rivals, the Boston Red Sox (another team that has a good amount of coverage).  While the chapter on September (there’s a chapter for each month) mentions the “Boston Massacre” when the Yankees swept a four game series at Fenway Park to complete a comeback from 14 ½ games behind the Red Sox, there is little else about this comeback save for the first story in October about the tie-breaking game played by the two teams.  

For other subjects, it’s the same style.  Whether talking about a new comic genius named Robin Williams appearing on “Happy Days” as Mork from Ork, movies such as “Grease” or news events such as the assassination in San Francisco of supervisor Harvey Milk and George Moscone, Krell has the same style – enough coverage for the reader to understand the story, but not too much detail where the reader may lose interest.  This is especially important to readers who experienced these events as they will bring back memories and maybe even add something they did not recall.  The book’s style certainly would appeal to these readers who lived through that baseball season.

While not completely about the 1978 baseball season, this book is nonetheless an enjoyable and quick read for fans of the game in that time – the beginning of free agency, the re-emergence of the Yankee-Dodger rivalry and some other events that made that season memorable for many fans.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: 1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era: Krell, David: 9781496239600: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Diamond Duels”

It’s the start of the 2025 baseball season and as is the case every year, I read a few baseball books to get in the swing of baseball. Here’s the first baseball book for me in the 2025 season, “Diamond Duels”.

Title/Author:

“Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups” by John Nogowsli

Rating: 

3 ½  of 5 stars (good)

Review:  

Throughout the history of Major League Baseball, there have been great individual matchups, even though it is clearly a team. Whether the comparisons are a particular pitcher against a particular hitter, a comparison between two pitchers or two batters, or just describing how one player fares against certain peers, there are countless examples of where this information can be fascinating. This book by John Nogowski is a collection of chapters with such information.

Through some great research online and reading a lot of books, Nogowski was able to illustrate some of the most interesting comparisons among the greats in baseball history. All eras are covered, from the era of pitchers like Cy Young and Walter Johnson to the ”steroid” era and sluggers like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Some of these are how these stars matched up against others - pitcher vs. batter. It was usually, but not always, a listing of which pitchers gave a hitter the most trouble or vice versa. There were also comparisons of teammates that gave their team a fearsome 1-2 punch such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey or David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

Not every chapter was in that format, however. The sections that focused on one player were some of the best in the book and when Nogowski is attempting to make a case for a player as an all-time great. The best of these was his section on Pedro Martinez and his case that two of the best seasons recorded by a pitcher were those of Martinez in 1999 and 2000. One may not agree, but it makes fro great reading.

There isn’t a lot of new information in this book that serious baseball fans won’t already know, but it’s still a decent book to pick up to get in the mood for the new baseball season. It worked for this reviewer.

I wish to thank Lyons Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Duels-Baseballs-Greatest-Matchups/dp/1493084828/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38T6LBXXX4O7E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bN6dBDAZJq8DGrESzGSQiw.IbuTW5kdMKpaSnI9VEX0iTomULZxy1c6dYsWsM9KIzw&dib_tag=se&keywords=diamond+duels+nogowski&qid=1743285388&sprefix=Diamond+duesl%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1