Review of "50 Moments That Defined Major League Baseball"

This was a book that was certainly not on my radar and I would not have even heard of it without an email from a social media coordinator working on behalf of the author. While I expected the typical list of great moments, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not.  Here is my review of "50 Moments That Defined Major League Baseball"

Title/Author:

“50 Moments That Defined Major League Baseball” by Rocco Constantino

Tags:

Baseball, professional, list

Publish date:

May 20, 2016

Length:

218 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Through the myriad of books that contain lists of the top events or moments of any sport, this book was a refreshing change in that many of the moments listed were not ones that one would expect. This compilation of great moments in baseball history by Rocco Constantino has a bit of everything, but also some unexpected candidates that made it into the book as well.

The first chapter, which lists the first games played by some of the greatest players, lets the reader know that this list will be a little different. Those players included Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Derek Jeter. There are also moments and games listed for the immortal players in the game such as Ted Williams, tragic incidents such as J. R. Richard of the Houston Astros suffering a stroke while pitching. This variation makes the book a very interesting one to read. 

The reader does have to read the book carefully in order to get the complete picture of the event or moment that is described. Each one, with the exception of chapter 6 when several greats of the game describe who or what was their inspiration to excel in the game (the best chapter in my opinion), will have a date at the beginning of the passage. However, there may be a lot of other information about the player before or after the date listed.  Without reading the passage carefully, the reader may get confused about when the true moment took place, as happened to me while reading.  This was easily overcome as the book progressed.

This book is recommended for any baseball fan who wishes to learn more about important events in the sport.  The short passages make it a good choice for readers who prefer to read the book in bits and pieces.  The unusual choices and reasoning behind them will make those who like to debate about such things discuss them even further. It is one of those books that one can keep after reading for later reference. It is one that would be a good addition to one’s baseball book library.  

I wish to thank Mr. Constantino for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Moments-Defined-Major-League-Baseball/dp/1442260548/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464053715&sr=8-1&keywords=50+moments+that+defined