Title/Author:
“When the Crowd Didn’t Roar” by Kevin CowherdBaseball, politics, race, Orioles, White Sox
Publish date:
April 1, 2019
Length:
192 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
On April 29, 2015, the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox played
the first major league game in which no spectators were allowed into the ballpark. Earlier in the week, two other games
between the two teams were postponed for security concerns due to the rioting
that was taking place in Baltimore following the death of an African-American
in police custody. The city of Baltimore and Major League baseball did decide
to have the April 29 game played, but with no fans in attendance so police
and other law enforcement officials could concentrate their efforts on the
aftermath of the rioting. The circumstances of both the game itself and the
events that led up to that decision are captured in this excellent book by
Baltimore sportswriter Kevin Cowherd.
Two characteristics of this book stand out. One is that Cowherd takes
an explosive issue like the treatment of African-Americans by law enforcement
and writes about it in a balanced, non-judgmental manner. He was writing about factual information
without inserting his own opinions.
While the book is considered a baseball book, it is much more than
that as it is important for the reader to understand the circumstances that
called for this unusual atmosphere for the game to be played.
As for the game itself, the best parts of the writing about it were
about the players. This is especially true for Orioles players, especially
Adam Jones, who was thrust into the role of the unofficial spokesman for an
African-American viewpoint from the Orioles.
Chris Davis and Caleb Joseph are also followed through the game. Joseph’s actions of pretending to sign
autographs for fans is one of the actions taken in order to try to give the
game a sense of normalcy but at the same time illustrates the awkwardness the
players, umpires and other crew members feel.
Many times Cowherd describes how much the normal sounds of a game –
pitches hitting the catcher’s mitt, spikes on bases, even the chatter and
spitting in the dugout – are magnified in this stadium void of fans.
Through it all, there is some humor thrown in for good measure. Cowherd writes about the Orioles television
broadcasters, Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer, and what they were saying and doing
during this game. Like the players,
there was some humor attempted – a line by Thorne when he was telling a play
in a whispered tone that he was using his “Masters voice” was very funny –
but it was overshadowed by the enormity of the situation. Again, all of this is brought to life by
the excellent writing of Cowherd.
There is one story Cowherd told that captured the spirit of this book,
the Orioles and the city. A young
African-American man who wrote a blog about sports from his perspective was
provided press credentials for one of the cancelled games. But he felt he had to be a part of the no-fans
game, so using his expired credential, he made his way to the post-game press
conference of Orioles manager Buck Showalter. He asked the manager a question
that was unlike the typical press conference question and Showalter didn’t
back away from the question, but instead gave an answer that made the young
man happy. Of course, he was
discovered and had to leave the conference, but this story is the best of the
book because it captures the feelings of everyone involved, regardless of
their race or political affiliation. For the full details of this story, it
is best to read about it in the book as a review cannot do that story justice.
This book should be read under the knowledge that while it is about an
unusual baseball game, it is more than just a baseball book. The reader will have a much better
understanding of what the city of Baltimore was enduring during that week and
how this game both gave the city a small amount of normalcy during a trying
time and was a illustration of how grim the situation seemed at that time.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of
the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Hardcover
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