Review of "Once More Around the Park"

One of my favorite authors of all time is Roger Angell.  No matter what he wrote about baseball, it was always a treat to read it - and re-read it.  That was the case for me with several of these essays in this book but that's okay - I never tire of reading any collection of his baseball writings. 

Title/Author:

“Once More Around the Park” by Roger Angell

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Avid readers of baseball books are familiar with Roger Angell’s work.  His prose on the game has entertained and informed thousands of readers through the years and while he may no longer be with us, his work is still a treat to read – even if it has been previously read.  This book, a collection of his work in other publications or books that covers approximately 40 years of the sport, is a treat to any baseball fan or reader.

Just like his other books like “Late Innings” or “Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion”, this collection covers a wide variety of topics about baseball and the stories range from humorous to “just the facts” to touching.  If I had to select just a couple of the chapters that I would pick out as the best, one would have to include “In the Country” where Angell took a letter he received from a wife of a pitcher trying to make it in the low minors into a touching love story – not just of the game but also of the couple.  Then the next chapter, “In the Fire”, brings the reader into the world of the catcher with insight into that unique position. There are so many more aspects that a catcher has to consider than what is usually available to the fans in stands or watching on TV.  Such as where to position themselves for a pitch, how to maneuver to make that throw to second base or communicating to fielders on where to position themselves, this chapter is written so well and has contributions from many star catchers from the late 1970s and early 1980s such as Carlton Fisk, Ted Simmons and Bob Boone.

I’ll use the catcher chapter to illustrate one more aspect of the book I really liked and that is while the material is about players and events from several decades ago, there are so many of Angell’s observations that could be applicable today.  The example I’ll use is for catchers who have been named the Most Valuable Player in their league.  He makes the point that only those catchers who have “startling offensive figures” win this award and he gives examples like Johnny Bench, Gabby Harnett and Ernie Lombardi. I noted that this is still true today, with the most recent MVP catcher, Joe Mauer, also putting up incredible hitting statistics in his MVP year but no mention of defense or any other aspect of his game.  I wrote the note in the book and I did that over 40 times for other items.  To me, that shows that even though the game may have changed a lot since Angell wrote his words, they are still applicable, true and wonderful to read even today.   

Link: Once More Around the Park: Angell, Roger: 9780345367372: Amazon.com: Books