Review of "The Heyday of Willie, Duke and Mickey"

The return of baseball season means I'll be attending games.  My preferred method of transportation for these trips is either a train or a bus, meaning more reading time. Here is my review of this book I read on a recent trip to Yankee Stadium. 

Title/Author:

“The Heyday of Willie, Duke and Mickey: New York City Baseball’s Golden Age Amid Integration” by Robert C. Cottrell

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

After World War II ended, major league baseball went through a period of great change as it integrated Black players into the game.  It also went through a period of dominance by New York teams as at least one of the three New York City teams – New York Yankees, New York Giants or Brooklyn Dodgers – appeared in the World Series in 9 of the 11 years between 1947 and 1957.  This period of baseball history is chronicled in this book by Robert C. Cottrell.

Cottrell covers this from two views – one from on the field with good recaps of the seasons for each of the three New York teams.  He also provides readers with the progress of integration of the major leagues. Of course, he starts with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he does an admirable job of informing the reader of the progress made by other clubs as well. This also includes the lack of progress of integration on some clubs, most notably the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

One thing to note is that if a reader has read other books on either topic, there probably won’t be much new material that they have not already read.  This book gives a good overview of these items.  The sections with the most detail are those that talk about the pennant races and World Series matchups involving one of the three teams.

Something that did catch me by surprise was the title did not seem to really be the right one for the book.  While each of those three Hall of Fame center fielders did get a good amount of text, it felt like the subtitle would have made the better title.  For the record and for those who were not familiar with the names, they were Willie Mays of the Giants, Duke Snider of the Dodgers and Mickey Mantle for the Yankees.

Overall, this was a decent book and one that was fine for passing the time on a train ride to Yankee Stadium for a ball game.  It is best suited for those readers who were not already familiar with this golden age of New York City baseball.

I wish to thank Bloomsbury Academic for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: Heyday of Willie, Duke, and Mickey, The: New York City Baseball's Golden Age amid Integration: 9798881842574: Cottrell, Robert C.: Books

Review of “The Magical Game”

 Back to work has meant less reading time, but going to catch up today with a trip to Yankee Stadium. So that meany getting back into baseball books. I finished this one last night and enjoyed it. 

Title/Author: “The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball’s Superstitions, Rituals and Curses” by Addy Baird

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Anyone who follows baseball, even just casually, knows that the game has many rituals, that both players and fans carry superstitions (even if those are not publicly shared) and that it has some of the most famous curses in sports. This book by Addy Baird is a very good explanation of how these became part of baseball lore.

Many times when an author inserts themselves into a non-fiction book, it takes away from the information they are trying to tell (unless it’s a memoir, of course). That is not the case with this book as Baird explains her own rituals and even believed that she had jinxed her favorite team, the New York Mets, until they won a game in which she was able to sit in the broadcast booth with two of the Mets TV announcers.

The book isn’t all baseball stories as Baird takes the reader inside the history of rituals, superstition and jinxes. This was quite interesting as these sections helped explain why people who otherwise would not do something so out of character when encountering a certain event or situation. The stories of the rituals and superstitions of fans, including Baird’s own, were excellent.

Some of the more famous examples of these are covered in an amount of detail that’s just right for those who may not be familiar with them. But for readers who have read other sources about these events, there’s nothing new to learn. The best example of this is the chapter on curses and the two most famous curses in the game - the “Billy goat” curse on the Chicago Cubs and the “Curse of the Bambino” on the Boston Red Sox. Because I’ve read multiple books on both of these, I didn’t find anything new but readers who are not as familiar with them will enjoy these stories.

This was a fun book to read and it’s clear that Baird is not only a loyal Mets fan but she truly enjoyed writing this book. Whether one considers themself superstitious or not, it’s one that can be enjoyed by baseball fans of any level of interest in the sport. 

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Game-History-Baseballs-Superstitions/dp/1250353467 

Review of "Season of Shattered Dreams"

Eric Vickrey’s Season of Shattered Dreams brings new life to one of baseball’s most devastating and least‑remembered moments. It's a book I've been looking into for a long time and finally got the chance to read it.  Here is my review.

Title/Author:

“Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, The Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash That Changed Everything” by Eric Vickrey

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

One of the most tragic dates in baseball history is June 24, 1946. On that day, a bus carrying 16 members of the Spokane Indians of the Western International League crashed on a mountain road in the Cascades. Nine team members were killed. A city, a team, and an entire league were left in shock. In Season of Shattered Dreams, Eric Vickrey tells the stories of the players who survived, the ones who didn’t, and the many people whose lives were permanently altered by the deadliest day to that point in professional baseball history. It was a finalist for the prestigious Casey Award in 2024, and after reading it, the recognition makes perfect sense.

While Vickrey devotes a chapter to the crash itself and the immediate aftermath, the strongest parts of the book are his portraits of the players and manager who made up the 1946 Indians. The pre‑crash chapters are especially compelling, particularly those on Jack Lohrke, Ben Geraghty, and Vic Picetti. After the crash, Vickrey follows Geraghty’s long, determined, and ultimately unsuccessful quest to become a major‑league manager, a journey that ended at the AAA Louisville Colonels despite his widely respected baseball mind.

The book captures everything a reader might want from baseball history of that era: the impact of World War II on rosters, the unique structure of baseball west of the Mississippi before MLB expanded, the near‑major‑league quality of the Pacific Coast League, and vivid profiles of the players themselves.

Vickrey also excels in widening the lens. He includes the stories of players who were not on the bus — Lohrke being the most famous example — and shows that their experiences were just as dramatic and meaningful as those who survived the crash. He brings in voices beyond the roster as well: wives and girlfriends, the bus driver, and even the search for the mysterious car that nearly collided head‑on with the team bus before swerving away and sending the vehicle down the ravine. These shorter narratives add depth and texture without ever feeling like digressions.

As Vickrey does in the book, it feels right to name the nine players who died, ensuring their memory endures nearly eighty years later: Freddie Martinez, Chris Hartje, George Risk, Bob James, Mel Cole, Bob Kinnaman, George Lyden, Bob Patterson, and Vic Picetti.

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

Link: Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, the Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash That Changed Everything: Vickrey, Eric: 9781538190722: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room"

I started listening to this audio book on my recent trip to a Canadiens-Rangers hockey game, keeping in line with my policy to read or listen to books appropriate for my trip. However, I didn't finish it that night, had to put it aside to get another review done, and came back to it, finishing today.  Here is my review.

Title/Author:

“Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Canadiens Stories Ever Told” by Robert S. Lefebvre, narrated by J.P. Linton

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

As the hockey team who has won the most Stanley Cups, this book on the Montreal Canadiens from the collection of similar titles for other teams in the four major sports sounded like one that would be full of excellent stories.  While this book by Robert S. Lefebvre has a few of them, especially during the greatest eras for the team in the 1950’s and the 1970’s, overall, this book fell short of those expectations.

One aspect that did not fall short of expectations was the narration of the book by J.P. Linton.  Even more than the good stories, I felt that Linton did a fantastic job on the narration, especially in the earlier chapter when the connection between the Canadiens and the Francophone population in the province of Quebec.  His pronunciation of the French names was very good, and he provided excellent narration of the hockey stories as well.

Here is where the book was not what I expected – the actual stories.  When I see one of these books in the “Tales from the Locker Room” series, I expect a lot of stories about the players’ camaraderie, their antics away from the games and of course game action as well.  This book lacked much of these.  There were more historical stories of how great Canadiens teams were either built or had their dynasties come to an end.  This was especially true for the Montreal teams that won four consecutive Cups from 1976 to 1979.  The stories were more about the players after they left the Canadiens that led to the end of their dynasty in the spring of 1980.  Or, if not that topic, there were plenty on how some of those players were acquired, such as how the trade for Guy Lafleur was conducted. 

Those types of stories, which were many of them no matter what era was being discussed, were good and well-researched. They did hold my interest long enough for me to finish the book, although Linton’s narration helped with that as well.  This just was not the collection of stories I expected.  Readers or listeners who are more interested in the workings of the Montreal front office through the decades would be the target audience for this book.

Link: Amazon.com: Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Canadiens Stories Ever Told (Audible Audio Edition): J. P. Linton, Robert S. Lefebvre, Audible Studios: Books

Review of “The Hardest Longest Race”

 Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Having taken the Easter week off, it gave me plenty of reading time and as a result more reviews done. This book was a bit of a challenge to finish, but I’m glad I stuck it out and wrote this review while still fresh in my mind as I even upped my rating. Here is my review of “The Hardest Longest Race.” 

Title/Author: “The Hardest Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Race That Changed America” by Eric Moskowitz. 

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Before auto racing came into the sport we know today, there was a race across the United States pitting five cars from 4 different auto makers. Billed as the Ocean to Ocean race, this 1909 race from New York to Seattle is chronicled well in this book by Eric Moskowitz.

The five cars were produced by Ford (they had two Model T’s in this event); Shawmut (a small automaker business in Boston); Acme; and Italia, a European maker. The race was used not only for advertising purposes but also to see if the “little guys” from Boston and elsewhere could beat the mighty Ford brand. This was such an important event that Henry Ford himself made the trip to Seattle to see the finish and the prize money was put up by Robert Guggenheim. 

The book takes the reader through the many paths through mud, ruts, potholes and other obstructions through the states. There are various checkpoints along the way where the cars check in for standings and the crews can rest and refuel both cars and bodies. Moskowitz does a very thorough analysis here of all these roads, cars and men in this event. At times it feels too good as one has to carefully read it in order to keep the cars and crew straight and also to fully understand what the conditions were like driving these cars.

Fans of auto racing today - whether Indy car, F1 or NASCAR - will find that reading about race cars with speeds less than 20 miles per hour will be hard to imagine given the speed of today’s cars. But putting in perspective the nature of those early cars, the completely different parts like axles and tires and the road/trail conditions, finishing this race is a major achievement.

There was a major dispute and rules violation that affected the outcome of the race but not the aftermath. This review will not provide a spoiler but will say that this book goes well beyond a sports book on auto racing. It’s a great adventure story with many twists - literally and figuratively- along the way.

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hardest-Longest-Race-Cross-Country-Contest/dp/1250282675/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Whale Talk”

 This book is one I normally avoid- a YA fiction novel. I checked it out of the library for a reading challenge my local library is doing and thought, why not? It at least has a sport as the story - a swimming team. But wow, was this a great book! Only reason I didn’t finish it in one sitting was that I started it on a train ride to a hockey game and had to finish on the ride home, as I note in the review. Here is my review of “Whale Talk.” 

Title/Author: “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: It isn’t uncommon for high school students who are in the “popular” category to form a tight group of friends amongst themselves. However, it is NOT common for this type of group to become the swimming team for their high school. That is done in this excellent novel by Chris Crutcher. 

The idea for this team came from the main character, The Tao Jones (yes, that is the character’s name) who usually went by T.J. He falls into that outsider class as a Black student raised by white adoptive parents in a mostly white school. This school also prides itself on its sports achievements and T.J., while showing he’s an excellent athlete in sports outside of the school or organized leagues like pickup basketball. 

T.J. just doesn’t care until a developmentally disabled student, Chris, is bullied because he’s violating the school’s unofficial code by wearing his dead brother’s letter jacket. T.J. fends off the bullies and here he comes up with the idea of a swim team so others like Chris can earn letter jackets. He finds other students who are outsiders for various reasons, a coach and a bus driver to form this swimming team.

This review won’t give any more of the story, but just know that between the character development of T.J., Chris and the two main antagonists against this swim team, a reader will know them well. The same can be said for the rest of the swim team, T.J.’s parents and his girlfriend Carly, even though those last three characters are not as crucial to the storyline. T.J.’s dad, however, has a dark secret that becomes important later as do some other minor characters. Why they are important is that they help to show why T.J. is the person he is and also to illustrate the many complex issues facing young people today.

The descriptions of the swimming workouts and meets are brief but accurate for describing this type of competition with some of it off the usual course given the characteristics of these swimmers. I thought these were excellent and the last one, when T.J. was the only one swimming, had all the drama a good athletic event should have.

This was off the usual path of reading for me as I very rarely read a YA fiction book and I read this one as part of a reading challenge. The only reason I didn’t finish it in one sitting was that I started it on a train ride to a hockey game and had to finish on the ride home. So, no matter your reading tastes, if you pick this book up, chances are it will be one you will be glad you read. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Whale-Talk-Chris-Crutcher/dp/0688180191/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 n

Review of “Beyond Ken Dryden”

Regular readers here know that I have a policy of reading a book relevant to the game I am attending when riding a bus or train there. Last night I took the train to see a Rangers-Canadiens game and had this book loaded on my Kindle. It was a quick but excellent read - was finished before I arrive in New York City. Here is my review of “Beyond Ken Dryden.” 

Title/Author: “Beyond Ken Dryden” by Oren Safdie

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  For some people, athletes and their teams can be more than just entertainers. Some of these people can take comfort in turning to sports to help deal with whatever is troubling. For a young Oren Safedie, that came during the 1970’s when his favorite hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, won six Stanley Cups led by Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden. 

This short memoir, covers a portion of Safedie’s childhood, tells how the Canadiens and Dryden were his escape from two traumatic events at that time. His family lost everything in a house fire and his parents divorced, which would be terrible for any child, but even more so for Safedie, given the tone of his description of the events. 

But what ties these events together with hockey is how Safedie weaves actual play by play into the book, especially when there’s a fight between his parents when his father is on the phone with his mistress and Safdie’s mother overhears it. When the parents get in a fight over this, the book alternates lines between the parents’ argument and play-by-play of game 4 of the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals when the Canadiens swept the Philadelphia Flyers to win the first of four consecutive championships. 

That is just one of the examples to link hockey to Safedie’s youth and events that took place. There’s humor as well. I laughed out loud when Safedie refused to go to the wedding when his father remarried and calling the new stepmother “Mike Milbury” because of the Boston star’s dirty play. Or linking the retirement of Dryden to when his father left the house. I felt that this was a very creative way to write a memoir.

Because it covers just a short period of his life, the book is a short but excellent read. If a reader wants a different type of memoir linking the author’s life to real time sports, this is a good choice.

I wish to thank the Literary Press Group of Canada for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1773901923/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1773901923&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2