Title/Author:
“Bums No
More: The Championship Season of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers” by Stewart Wolpin
Tags:
Baseball,
championship, Dodgers, Brooklyn, Yankees, history
Published:
June 15,
2010
Length:
130 pages
Rating:
3 1/2 of 5
stars (good)
Review:
The
Brooklyn Dodgers won only one World Series before the move to Los Angeles in 1958
and this book is a good recap of that season. It reads much like any other
season recap book with one exception. The stories shared here by fans,
including some famous ones like Larry King, are a wonderful addition and they
are interspersed throughout the book.
There
is not a lot of depth to the recap of the season. It reads much like a brief summary when
describing the various ups and downs to the season, beginning with the 12 game
winning streak and ending with first the despair entering the World Series and
then the elation of winning it all. The
despair was illustrated through the reactions
I also liked the thought by Vin Scully about how the entire borough of Brooklyn was rabidly celebrating the Dodgers winning but in the author’s opinion, the Bronx did not match that for the Yankees for any of their championships, nor did Manhattan do the same for the Giants in the previous season of 1954. Overall a good read.
Did I skim?
No. The book was long enough to capture the
entire season, but short enough that it didn’t take too long to finish.
Did I learn something new?
Yes. I don’t usually look up or research older
baseball records, so I didn’t know that the Dodgers started that season with a
12 game winning streak or that they broke out of the gate so fast. Also, while I knew that the Dodgers were not
drawing well because many of their fans were now heading east on Long Island, I
didn’t realize just how severe a drop in attendance they were
experiencing. The low crowds described
in some of the games seems hard to fathom for a championship team worshipped by
the locals.
Pace of the book:
Very good. The stories of fans, both famous and not so
famous, are interwoven with the season recap nicely. There isn’t a long pause before getting back
to the season when one of these stories was shared.
Positives:
What the
book lacked in depth and new revelations was more than made up by the wonderful
description of the love affair between Brooklyn and the Dodgers. Each fan’s story and the write-up of the
celebration after the championship illustrate this.
Negatives:
Fans who
are either old enough to remember this special season or those who are
well-versed in Dodgers history might be disappointed in the lack of depth in
the description of the baseball happenings or the portrayal of the players. While good for a casual fan or a reader who
knows little about the Dodgers, hard core fans might be disappointed.
Do I recommend?
Yes. It is good for baseball historians, Dodger
fans, or those who wish to learn a little more about the Brooklyn baseball era.
Book Format Read:
EBook
(Kindle)
Buying Links:
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