Review of "Black and Blue"

Whenever I read a book on a particular game or series between two teams, I always prefer one that is balanced in the amount of space devoted to each team as well as presenting a balanced viewpoint.  This book on the 1966 World Series does just that, despite the fact it ended in a sweep for the Baltimore Orioles.  Here is my review of "Black and Blue." 

Title/Author:

“Black and Blue: Sandy Koufax, the Robinson Boys and the World Series That Stunned America” by Tom Adelman

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Orioles, Dodgers, history, championship

Publish date:

January 1, 2010

Length:

268 pages

Rating:

4 ½ of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The 1966 World Series was supposed to be a one-sided affair.  Representing the National League were the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, led by the greatest pitcher in the game at that time, Sandy Koufax.  With another Hall of Fame pitcher in Don Drysdale, plus other capable arms like Claude Osteen, the Dodgers were picked to easily dispose of the American League champion Baltimore Orioles. Even though the Orioles were led by Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson and a young pitching staff led by Dave McNally and Jim Palmer, they were supposedly no match for the mighty Dodgers.  How that World Series played out and very good information on both teams is captured in this very good book by Tom Adelman.

The format of the book is very simple.  There are six chapters in the book, plus an epilogue.  The six chapters represent both teams and each game played in the series – a sweep by the Orioles, hence the subtitle of book.  Aside from the most ardent Baltimore fans, there were not many who thought the Orioles would even win a game, much less the series.  While Adelman’s writing is very fair and impartial throughout the book, which was a terrific characteristic, it was clear to the reader that the Dodgers were the heavy favorites.

The two star players for the teams that year, Robinson for the Orioles and Koufax for the Dodgers, are the two players featured most prominently in the book, but that doesn’t mean that others, especially Orioles players who performed well in the series, are overlooked.  One very good example is Moe Drabowsky, the Orioles reliever who pitched 6 2/3 innings in game 2, striking out 11 Dodgers along the way.  Another Orioles pitcher who has a nice write up in the book is Dave McNally, who was the winning pitcher in the clinching game 4.  As for other Dodger players who are mentioned prominently in the book, they include Drysdale, Maury Wills and Willie Davis, the latter of whom suffered an inglorious fate when committing three errors in one inning during game 2.

While other books on the two teams, especially the Dodgers, may go more in depth about some of the players, this book is a very good synopsis of the two teams, their respective cities at the time and excellent accounts of all four games, especially in the discussions about the lack of offense by the Dodgers.  Readers who are fans of either team or of the game in the 1960’s will enjoy reading about one of the most stunning World Series in the history of Major League Baseball.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                               

Buying Links:

www.amazon.com/Black-Blue-Robinson-Stunned-America/dp/0316067156/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-and-blue-tom-adelman/1100622512?ean=9780316075435