Review of "Comeback Pitchers"

When I obtained this book, I had to admit that I knew very little about the two pitchers who are the subjects.  One, I vaguely remembered reading about in a children's baseball book and the other I thought I remembered hearing when one of his records was broken 10 years ago.  Turned out what I remembered about them was correct, and by reading this book, I learned a lot more about both men and their pitching careers.  Here is my review of "Comeback Pitchers." 

Title/Author: “Comeback Pitchers: The Remarkable Careers of Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn” by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  Athletes in every sport will hear from others that when their performance or their health is slipping that it is time to give up the sport.  For two pitchers whose best years came in the 1920’s, Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn, they were no different.  However, what was different is how at an advanced age for a pitcher they both were able to not only lengthen their baseball careers, but also perform at a high level.  Their careers and stories are chronicled in this excellent book by Lyle Spatz and Steve Steinberg.

There are some similarities in their careers.  They both played in the Federal League, a third major league that lasted only three years, 1913-15.  It was Ehmke’s breakthrough after much success in the minor leagues, while for Quinn it was a chance to make more money when he felt that his current team, the Boston Braves, were not giving him enough chances to pitch. They were also teammates for two and a half seasons on the Boston Red Sox (who were not a good team at the time) and later for the Philadelphia Athletics under Connie Mack.

It was here that Ehmke acquired the fame that he was long remembered for – in 1929, he was a “surprise” starter for the Athletics in Game One of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs.  The chapter on this game and the actual events and conversations that led up to the game is one example of the excellence of this book. Spatz and Steinberg dispel many myths about the game, starting with the “surprise” announcement of Ehmke as the starter.  He and Mack had actually worked out an agreement in which while it wasn’t certain that Ehmke would start game one, he was certainly going to be part of the A’s World Series team and contribute.  There are numerous quotes and sources about Ehmke’s start that support the notion that it was not a complete surprise to many in baseball.

This, of course, is not all that is written about Ehmke in the book as the authors included such items as Ehmke’s frequent clashes with Ty Cobb when Ehmke pitched for the Tigers, Ehmke’s very good performance for a terrible Red Sox team and his elation that despite all the health issues he suffered, he was able to be on a championship team in 1929. 

Similar extensive writing and research was done on Quinn as well, but his fame was due more to his longevity instead of any one particular accomplishment. There are three noteworthy records he held for a long time because of his longevity.  One that still stands is that he was only one of three pitchers to appear in a game at age 50 or older.  The other two have since been broken – the oldest player to hit a home run (broken by Julio Franco in 2016) and oldest pitcher to win a game (broken by Jamie Moyer in 2012).  Quinn’s career is covered just as extensively as Ehmke in the book, with detailed pages on his success with many different teams.  It should also be noted that Quinn was one of the last spitball pitchers as those pitchers who used it as their primary pitch were allowed to continue using it after it was banned in Major League baseball in 1920.  That meant he was still throwing the spitter for another 13 years. 

While neither pitcher was ever considered outstanding or had a career that would be considered for the baseball Hall of Fame, this book is one that certainly could be considered to be in that lofty status of baseball books, it was that good.  Because of the detail, it is not one that will be read quickly, but it is so through that a reader will feel like they will now be an expert on the careers of Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn, two pitchers who certainly can be considered as “comeback pitchers.”

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Links:  Amazon.com: Comeback Pitchers: The Remarkable Careers of Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn: 9781496222022: Spatz, Lyle, Steinberg, Steve, Williams, Pat: Books

Review of "Playing Through the Pain"

With the opening of baseball season, it's only appropriate to review a baseball book the day before Opening Day.  And what a book this was - a fantastic biography of former MVP Ken Caminiti.  Here is my review of "Playing Through the Pain."

Title/Author: “Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever” by Dan Good

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  If there is one “a-ha” moment when steroid use could no longer be a dirty little secret within Major League Baseball, it was when Sports Illustrated published an interview with Ken Caminiti in 2002 when he disclosed that he used steroids through much of his career, including when he was the National League MVP in 1996 while playing for the San Diego Padres.  This book by Dan Good is a terrific look at Caminiti’s life and career that has many highlights as well as many demons beyond just using steroids.

While outstanding in many ways, what may be the most impressive aspect of the book is how many people Good interviewed to paint a complete picture of Caminiti.  Over 400 people talked on the record to good and it wasn’t just the usual collection of former teammates, family members and business acquaintances.  The people who shared their thoughts on him ranged from Ken’s girlfriends in middle school to his physical therapist when he was rehabbing from injury to his parole officer after one of his multiple arrests on drug possession. 

All of these people, plus the extensive research by Good help to paint a complete and very complex picture of Caminiti.  On the field, he was both consumed with perfection and competition.  He was going to make sure that he always performed at his best, opponents or injuries be dammed.  While he was fiercely competitive, as are most athletes, he was always quick to help other players improve.  This included players who he felt might be taking away his job.  Many of the people interviewed would mention how he was always willing to help others.

But despite this, the demons of alcoholism and drug addiction, including cocaine, were the worst enemies for Caminiti.  They not only helped in his decline as a player, but they were also detrimental to his friendships and his marriage.  Good describes his ex-wife Nancy in almost saintly terms on how she held together their family while Ken was in and out of substance abuse treatment several times.

The passages about his play on the diamond were very good as well.  There isn’t a lot of play-by-play analysis or extensive reviews of his seasons, including his best ones with the Houston Astros (two separate tours) and the Padres.  Caminiti also tried to salvage his career in 2002 with the Texas Rangers (I thought Good’s frequent reference to Alex Rodriguez with that team as the “$252 million man” was funny) and Atlanta Braves.  No matter what team he was with and whatever his level of ability was at, he was always remembered fondly by teammates, especially Hall of Fame second baseman Craig Biggio from the Astros.

Of course, one of the main questions that readers will have when selecting this book will be about steroids.  Good’s passages about this, from the acquisition of the drugs by friend Dave Moretti to Ken’s inner demons on why he needed to use them to the two interviews by Jules Roberson-Bailey and later Tom Verducci that were used in the bombshell Sports Illustrated article on his use.  Throughout the book, Caminiti is portrayed by many who, when not under the influence of any drug or alcohol and is thinking clearly, will speak in a matter-of-fact tone and that is how he is portrayed in giving these interviews.  Good should also be credited with being open minded about steroid use by Caminiti. If there is any bias, Ken does come across as a person with whom one can sympathize, but even that is tempered and the reader is left to come up with their own conclusions.

Every baseball fan who watched the game during the era of steroid use when statistics were altered, bodies of players changed and the sport enjoyed a rebound of popularity after the 1994-95 strike should add this book to their reading list.  It doesn’t matter whether one liked Caminiti or even never heard of him, it is a great read about a very complex man.

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

Link:   https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Through-Pain-Caminiti-Confession-ebook/dp/B09C17ZKJ5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

Review of "Loserville"

While the amount of reading I have done lately for reviews has slowed some due to professional and school obligations, the time I have found to read for review lately has been well-used as there are some excellent sports books coming out this season.  This is one, about Atlanta's entry into the world of professional sports a few decades ago and it was a very good read.  Here is my review of "Loserville."

Title/Author: “Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta – and How Atlanta Remade Professional Sports” by Clayton Trutor

Rating: 4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

For a time during the 1960's and 1970's, the sports world had a nickname for the city of Atlanta – "Loserville."  It was derived mainly from the lack of on-field success for three of the city's four major sports teams – baseball's Braves, football's Falcons and basketball's Hawks.  The only team during that time was the newest franchise, the Atlanta Flames hockey team.  They also were the only team of the four who drew consistently large crowds but even they, by the end of the 1970's, also had troubles in the standings and in the stands.  How these franchises coped with these times and how it shaped the city is illustrated in this very good book by Clayton Trutor.

There is a lot of information and ideas to digest in this volume.  There are the business aspects behind the operations of each of the teams as Atlanta had no major league teams before 1966 when the Milwaukee Braves, after a contentious sale and lame duck season in Milwaukee, moved to the southern city.  Soon afterward, the NFL awarded the city an expansion franchise, hoping the fans who flocked to college football games would do the same for a professional team.  Basketball also took a wayward team, the St. Louis Hawks, and moved them to Atlanta. The Flames came later when the NHL awarded two expansion teams to Atlanta and Long Island in 1972.

Trutor addresses both the economic and the social impacts that the new teams brought to the city. There were new facilities that needed to be built – Atlanta Stadium for the Braves and Falcons in an area that had a poor reputation for crime and safety, not completely unfounded.  There was also a question of removing families, mostly Black from homes to make way for the ballpark. Later the Omni, an arena that was built in a business district hoping the fans of the Flames and the Hawks would revitalize the area, also had issues.  These were mainly due to flaws in the building structure, rendering it obsolete soon after opening.  There were other issues such as transportation and racial matters as well with mostly well-to-do white patrons attending the games.  This makes for an excellent look at what professional sports can and can't bring to a city, something noteworthy as more team owners look for publicly financed facilities.

The reading is easier than expected, staying away from a scholarly type of organization and language.  The only quibble is that the ending feels rushed when other southern cites are illustrated to show that it wasn't only Atlanta that had issues with new professional teams.  It was ironic to read a book titled "Loserville" immediately after the Braves won the World Series and Tampa was a city cited at the end, despite the fact that two of its teams, the football Buccaneers and hockey Lightning, both are the reigning champions of their respective leagues.  Still, if one enjoys reading about the business side of sports mixed in with social issues, this is an excellent choice.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Links: Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta―and How Atlanta Remade Professional Sports: Trutor, Clayton: 9781496225047: Amazon.com: Books

 

Review of "Bouton"

Every avid baseball reader has at some point read the book "Ball Four."  Whether a reader likes it or not, no one can deny it had a profound effect on the game.  A biography has been written about the author of "Ball Four", Jim Bouton, and it is just as compelling a book.  Here is my review of "Bouton"

Title/Author:

“Bouton: The Life of a Baseball Original” by Mitchell Nathanson

Tags:

Baseball, biography, author, Yankees, Pilots, Astros, Braves

Publish date:

May 1, 2020

Length:

456 pages

Rating:

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review

When the book “Ball Four” was published in 1970, it shook the baseball world to its core. It was basically a tell-all book, and it wasn’t the first book of its kind as “The Long Season” was a similar book published a decade earlier and “Behind the Mask” also previously released. But given the some of the lurid (for the times) details of the day-to-day life of a ball player, the exposure of just how one-sided contract negotiations were before the days of free agency, and some other secrets exposed, “Ball Four” was so controversial that the commissioner of baseball, Bowie Kuhn, demanded a meeting with the author, pitcher Jim Bouton. This book is a wonderful biography of Bouton by Mitchell Nathanson that shows there is much more to Bouton than just a baseball player.

The reader will learn that early on, while Bouton was a competitive person and loved to play sports, he also wanted to learn other facets of life as well.  This isn’t to say he was an outstanding student, but he was a keen observer and liked to acquire knowledge from many different sources, not just textbooks. Something else that is interesting about his early life is that his youth sports experience was ahead of its time as he wanted to devote all his energy to one sport, baseball, instead of multiple sports.

His baseball career is a very interesting section of the book as Nathanson not only talks about his time as a successful pitcher for the Yankees, but also about Bouton’s relationship with pitching coach Johnny Sain.  Like so many other pitchers, Sain not only made Bouton a better pitcher but also left a lasting impression.  Nathanson even makes talking about Bouton’s quirk of having his hat fall off his head on nearly every pitch seem intriguing.

But injuries and a fastball that wasn’t as fast any longer led to a decline in Bouton’s effectiveness and he ended up with the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969.  But that season turned out to be the most important one in Bouton’s life as he took copious notes, recorded many conversations and basically documented nearly everything that happened during his season with the Pilots.  Bouton also never got rid of those papers and cassette tapes, storing them in what became the “butter yellow box.” He took those notes and wrote “Ball Four” with the help of sportswriter Leonard Schecter. While it was a hit with many baseball readers, especially younger ones with whom Bouton shared many similar political and cultural beliefs, it caused quite a commotion in the baseball establishment.  Not only in the commissioner’s office, but in locker rooms and press boxes all across baseball, “Ball Four” exposed many secrets that weren’t too kind to the game.

While the book was a best seller, it did effectively blackball Bouton from not only the Yankees, who would not invite him back to the stadium for nearly 30 years, but also from baseball.  He did attempt comebacks (this trait is shown time and time again by Nathanson with some wonderful prose) in all levels of the game, which culminated in a short stint on the roster of the Atlanta Braves in 1978, but for all intents and purposes, he struggled with baseball after writing the book.

Of course, the thirst for knowledge outside of baseball kept Bouton busy on other projects, including writing other books.  These included follow-ups to “Ball Four” titled “I’m Glad You Didn’t Take It Personally” and “Ball Five”.  There was also a book about the town of Pittsfield, Massachusettes when they proposed replacing a very old ballpark with a newer one called “Foul Ball.”  While the incentive behind writing that was to expose corruption in the town instead of anything about the game of baseball, Bouton met the same fate as he did with “Ball Four”, namely that he made many new enemies.

Nathanson’s account of these endeavors of Bouton, as well as the sharing of his personal life that resulted in a divorce and subsequent re-marriage that changed him profoundly, make for great reading that will be difficult for a reader to put down.  If the reader has ever read “Ball Four”, then this book is one that he or she must add to their library as well as it is a great account of the man behind the legendary book.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

                                                                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                               

Buying Links:

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496217707/

https://www.amazon.com/Bouton-Baseball-Original-Mitchell-Nathanson/dp/1496217705/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=   

Review of "Final Game at Ebbets Field"

Don't let the title of this book fool you - there is much more to it than just the game described in the title.  While that caught me by surprise, I am glad I kept on reading as there are some very interesting stories in this book.  Here is my review.

  

Title/Author:

“The Final Game at Ebbets Field and Other True Accounts of Baseball’s Golden Age” by Noel Hynd

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Giants, Dodgers, Yankees, Athletics, Braves, Red Sox

Publish date:

June 27, 2019

Length:

221 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

Review:

Having read this author previously with his excellent account of the New York Giants, I fully expected this book to be a great retelling of the last game played at Ebbets Field, which took place on September 24, 1957. That was only the first chapter as Noel Hynd shares many stories about baseball from it’s Golden Age in the 1940’s and 1950’s in this collection.

After the initial surprise that the story of the final home game of the Brooklyn Dodgers only took a few pages, it is advised for a reader to continue on as there are many other great stories about the Dodgers and some other teams as well, most notably the New York Giants. In an ironic twist, one of the stories is about the last game the Giants played at the Polo Grounds before they, too, moved to California.  I enjoyed this story more than the title essay as the last Giants game of 1957 seemed to have much richer detail, especially about the fans.

Speaking of the Polo Grounds, one other story that is worth mentioning is that a member of the grounds crew of that park was living at that park, as an apartment was constructed underneath the stands and that man along with his wife and child were able to maintain residence there so he would be available whenever he was needed. 

Like any other collection of stories, this one has a few that fall short of excellent, but they are outnumbered by the good ones.  Readers who are interested in learning some interesting stories about baseball from that era will want to check out this book.

                                                                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Final-Game-Ebbets-Field-Philadelphia/dp/1074174763/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Alou: My Baseball Journey"

Felipe Alou may be remembered best as the manager of the 1994 Montreal Expos, the best baseball team that never got to play in the World Series.  However, there is so much more to the man and now he tells his complete story.  Here is my review of his memoir to be released on April 1, "Alou: My Baseball Journey"

Title/Author:

“Alou: My Baseball Journey” by Felipe Alou with Peter Kerasotis

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Giants, Braves Expos, memoir

Publish date:

April 1, 2018

Length:

336 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Usually a man who became a major league baseball player and manager will share that he always dreamed of making it to the majors. Not so for Felipe Alou. The man who became the first player from the Dominican Republic to play in the major leagues, to play in the World Series and to manage in the major leagues, originally was going to be a doctor. Then through a strange turn of events in the 1955 Pan American games, a young Alou found himself on the baseball team, where he caught the eye of scouts.  The rest is history – and told by Alou in this memoir of his life both in his homeland and in the United States.

Alou was often portrayed as a gentleman during his playing days with the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves and even more so during his managerial career, mostly with the Montreal Expos but also his last two years back in San Francisco. The stories he shares are told in that manner with one notable exception: his recollections of the racism he faced while being a pioneer for Latin American ballplayers.

While there are many stories about the racism directed at black players in the early days of integration in baseball, the plight of the Latin American player is not as well known. However, it is was just as humiliating and degrading and reading about someone experiencing this firsthand, as Alou did, is very powerful.  He talks about Latin players going through this even worse than black players, as the latter players were able to stick together and retreat to friendly neighborhoods.  When they were doing this, the black players, according to Alou, would exclude their Latin American teammates, making them feel even more isolated.

When approached by Sport magazine in 1963 to talk about these experiences, Alou had also been fined by commissioner Ford Frick for playing in an exhibition series in his homeland. Incensed by this and wanted to tell everyone about the racism Latin players faced, he wrote an article for the magazine’s November edition, which is shared verbatim in the book and certainly the most powerful passage in the entire volume.

This isn’t to say that the book is all about this topic  Indeed, Alou spends a great deal of time talking about his two brothers who also played in the major leagues, Matty and Jesus. The three brothers made history when they appeared in a game together in all three outfield positions and also were the three batters who came to bat in one inning – both firsts for the major leagues. Alou speaks with some pride about his accomplishments on the field with the Giants and Braves, but downplays it much of the time.

Then he talks about his experience with the Montreal Expos as both a coach and later the manager of the team, becoming the first man from the Dominican Republic to manage in the major leagues. Here Alou looks back fondly at his time in Montreal as it is very clear that he has a special place in his heart for the city and it broke when the Expos left.  He blames the ownership for this. He also looks back warmly at the Expos team that is still talked about today, the 1994 team with so many young stars whose season of glory was cut short by a strike that wiped out the season and the World Series that year. I do wish there was more in the book about that team, but at least Alou shared some great memories of that group.

Finally, Alou shares much about his homeland, not just his family life but also about the political strife of the Dominican Republic in the 1960’s. While interesting, this section took a little bit away from the rest of the book for me as it seemed to be more a statement about his political beliefs in his homeland than simply background information. This fits with his writing in the rest of the book where he shared his opinions of what he felt strongly about (including his belief that the National League should adopt the designated hitter) but I believe it could have been shortened.

Nonetheless, this was a very good book that fans of the Giants, Expos and baseball in general will enjoy. If a reader is interested in the history of Latin American players in the game, Alou’s experiences will certainly be of interest to that person. 

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

 http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496201522/

https://www.amazon.com/Alou-My-Baseball-Journey-Felipe-ebook/dp/B077DZXTG7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "When the Braves Ruled the Diamond"

Normally, any baseball book will get a glowing recommendation from me, even if it falls a bit flat from my expectations.  In this case of this book about the 14 consecutive division titles by the Atlanta Braves, my recommendation is conditional - try the print version, not the audio book and if the reader is a hard core Braves fan, go elsewhere as there will not be any new material here.  But for casual fans and readers, this one is one to try if one wants to learn about this team that went on an extraordinary streak. 

Title/Author:

“When The Braves Ruled the Diamond: Fourteen Flags Over Atlanta” by Dan Schlossberg, narrated by Kyle Tait

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Braves, championship, history, audiobook

Publish date:

March 22, 2016

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

2 ½ of 5 stars (just okay)

Review:

The Atlanta Braves ended the 20^th century and began the 21^st century by accomplishing an astounding feat – winning 14 consecutive division titles, not counting the 1994 season in which no team awards were given as a player strike ended the season on August 12 that year. This book by Dan Schlossberg covers each season in which the Braves won a division title and also has stories about the most important people who contributed to the streak.

While the team won all these division titles, the team was a disappointment in the postseason, winning the World Series just once during the streak (1995) and not making it back to the World Series after 1999.  That is a good analogy to describe this book about the Braves as well – despite all the great material and a good narrator, the audio book fell short of expectations.

The book started with very good stories on the general manager who put these teams team together, John Schuerholz, as well as manager Bobby Cox, pitching coach Leo Mazzone, infielders Terry Pendleton and Larry “Chipper” Jones (the two players who were named National League MVP during the run) and pitchers Gregg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.  While avid Braves fans or readers who read a lot about baseball may be familiar with most of the material, these chapters contain good information for readers who wish to learn about these men.  The summaries of each season of the streak also are good for readers who want to learn the basics about the Braves in each of those seasons.

As an audiobook, however, there were several issues. One of the most glaring came at points during some of the season summaries.  There were random facts stated in the middle of the chapter that interrupted the particular story that was being told.  For example, during one of the seasons in which Deion Sanders played for the Braves, it was noted that Sanders was the first man to appear in both the World Series and the Super Bowl in his athletic career.  However, at the time this fact was said, it interrupted the recap of the 1995 postseason accomplishments of the Braves and Sanders was not at all mentioned in that part.  This was not the only time the narrative was interrupted by an unrelated fact.  It probably would not be as glaring in a print version, especially if it was meant to be a photo caption or footnote, but it was not clarified as such in the audio version.

The other shortcoming of the book, in this reviewer’s opinion, was the needless repetition of certain facts over and over throughout the chapters about the GM, manager, coach and players.  By the time that part of the book is over, the reader will certainly know that the Braves won 14 straight division titles, that John Smoltz was the only player to be on all 14 of those teams and that the Braves were 9 ½ games back of the San Francisco Giants in 1993 to come back and win the division that year.  All were interesting, and the first is why the book was written – but it didn’t need to be repeated so often. 

Despite these negatives, I did finish the book, I did learn some new things about this team and do believe that it is a book that casual baseball fans will enjoy.  If one is a hard core Braves fan, or baseball fan for that matter, there isn’t a lot of new information.

Book Format Read:

Audiobook

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/When-Braves-Ruled-Diamond-Fourteen-ebook/dp/B01DV1YD02/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-braves-ruled-the-diamond-dan-schlossberg/1122940762?ean=9781613218372

Review of "Sad Riddance"

I was in the mood for a baseball book, and realizing that I have not read a non-fiction baseball book in awhile, I picked this one out of the TBR, even though it hasn't been there too long.  It was a long, detailed read about the last season of the Milwaukee Braves. It is well worth the time to invest in reading. Here is my review of "Sad Riddance." 

Title/Author:

“Sad Riddance: The Milwaukee Braves’ 1965 Season Amid a Sport and World in Turmoil” by Chuck Hildebrand

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Braves, politics, race

Publish date:

November 27, 2016

Length:

468 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

After moving to Milwaukee from Boston after the 1952 season, the Braves franchise saw instant success on both the field and at the box office. It felt like the perfect marriage between a struggling baseball franchise and a city looking to achieve “major league” status.  However, that initial euphoria didn’t last as by 1965, the team announced they planned to move to Atlanta, but the city of Milwaukee would not let the team out of its stadium lease. If the marriage between team and city was perfect at the start, it ended in an acrimonious divorce. The last season saw small crowds, court actions and no less than three attempts by the team to leave for the Deep South in the middle of the season.  All of this and more is captured in this well-researched and thoroughly written book by Chuck Hildebrand.

The team won the World Series in 1957 and nearly duplicated that feat in 1958. They shattered attendance records in those years and while the fans didn’t continue to turn out in those record numbers as the 1960’s evolved, the team continued to perform well on the field. Then the team was sold to a group based out of Chicago, led by Bill Bartholomay, repeatedly assured Milwaukee that the team would stay put – only to do an about face and apply for the team to move to Atlanta in 1965. The city would not allow the team out of its lease, so the team had to play a “lame duck” season in 1965.

Hildebrand weaves stories from Braves players on that team with anecdotes from fans, team officials and city officials to paint a complete picture of what took place on and off the field during that 1965 season.   For the on-field exploits, he covers each game and notes the attendance at each home game, most of which drew less than 10,000 fans – a precipitous decline from the previous 12 seasons.  While these sections are not all detailed play-by-play for each game, the reader will get a good sense of how the team performed, which was admirably given the circumstances – they were contenders for the National League pennant until the last week of the season and did finish fourth with a winning record.

As for the off-the-field accounts of the struggle between the ownership group and the city, these are well documented as well.  Not only does Hildebrand explain about the city’s insistence that the team honor its County Stadium lease, he delves into the politics of baseball at the time regarding franchise moves and Milwaukee’s challenge to baseball’s exemption from anti-trust laws.  Each of these topics were addressed in enough detail that readers will understand exactly what was happening. 

There are also plenty of passages about non-baseball events of the time, not only on a national level but also local as well.  The struggles for civil rights in Milwaukee, city council politics and the push for public funding for sports arenas are covered as well as national topics like the Vietnam War and the Watts riots in Los Angeles.  Connecting these with the baseball team was tricky, but Hildebrand pulled it off.  Readers will have to read these sections carefully if they were not familiar with the local politics of Milwaukee.

Nonetheless, this book is a wonderful account of the last season of the Milwaukee Braves.  No matter what a reader looks for in his or her baseball books, there will be something for everyone in this one.  It is a long, detailed read so be prepared to spend a significant amount of time with this one.  It will be worth the investment.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Sad-Riddance-Milwaukee-Braves-turmoil-ebook/dp/B01MTU3A7V/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506458648&sr=1-1&keywords=sad+riddance

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sad-riddance-chuck-hildebrand/1125183492?ean=9781539475712

Review of "The Phenomenon"

As I was somewhat familiar with the story of Rick Ankiel, I have been interested his memoir since it was published in April.  I was able to obtain the audio version and I believe that it made a good story even better.  Some of the reviews of this book that I read were somewhat critical of the writing and the narration, but I felt that those were secondary to the story which is one that is inspiring.  Here is my review of "The Phenomenon"

Title/Author:

“The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips and the Pitch that Changed My Life” written by Rick Ankiel and Tim Brown, narrated by Rick Ankiel

Tags:

Baseball, Professional, memoir, autobiography, Cardinals, Braves

Publish date:

April 18, 2017

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

 

Review:

In October 2000, Rick Ankiel felt like he was on the top of the baseball world.  He was considered one of the best young pitchers in the game and was on the mound for a post-season game against the team he cheered for as a boy, the Atlanta Braves.  In the third inning, a seemingly innocent wild pitch led to even more of them and he had to soon thereafter be removed from the game. That led to even more wildness and Ankiel was in the fight for his baseball career.  But that fight was an internal one and how he handled that is chronicled in his recently published memoir.

When I saw that Ankiel was the narrator of the audio version, I decided to listen as I always believe that hearing the author tell his or her story lends an air of credibility to the book if he or she sounds honest.  That was certainly the case here as Ankiel comes across in both words and voice as completely honest.  While he had a difficult childhood by seeing his father treat his mother badly, he doesn’t blame that or any other external reason for his sudden loss of the ability to throw a baseball where he wanted.

When Ankiel subsequently underwent surgery on his throwing arm and still did not have success, the reader or listener will be surprised at how he decided to change from being a pitcher to an outfielder.  Even though I knew the story behind his decision to change and his subsequent work to learn a new position, I believed this was the most inspiring part of his story.  Late in his career, he played in another post-season game, this time for the Braves and he hit a game-winning home run against the San Francisco Giants.

He also spoke honestly about his name appearing on the Mitchell Report, the report written by former senator George Mitchell on his investigation in the use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball.  Ankiel states that he took human growth hormone while recovering from his surgery and at the time, he checked if it was a banned substance in the game.  He stated that it was not at the time (not until 2005) and therefore he decided to use it.  There was no defiance, no bitterness at being listed on the report – just stated as a matter of fact. 

This statement is in line with the rest of his book – narrated as just what happened without a lot of emotions, regrets or anger.  It was an audiobook that I enjoyed listening to and would recommend this book, either print or audio, to baseball fans who enjoy memoirs or a good comeback story.

Book Format Read:

Audiobook

 

Review of "Ballplayer"

While I cannot say that I am huge fan of Chipper Jones, nor of the Atlanta Braves, I had heard a lot of good things about this book so I was eager to obtain a copy.  When I saw it offered on NetGalley, I scooped it up right away - and it was worth the time to read.  Here is my review of "Ballplayer."

Title/Author:

“Ballplayer” by Chipper Jones and Carroll Rogers-Walton

Tags:

Baseball, memoir, professional, Braves

Publish date:

April 4, 2017

Length:

324 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The story of Larry “Chipper” Jones sounds like one that many fictional stories are woven from: a country boy who with the guidance from his parents becomes a big-time star in a big city. While it may sound like something that would be written as fiction, it is very much a true story as Jones reflects on his life in this memoir co-written with Carroll Rogers-Walton.

While Jones does speak about his inspiration and guidance from his parents as a young man, I felt the book was a little different than most sport memoirs in that there is not a lot of space about the athlete’s personal life.  There is one chapter and part of another in which Jones speaks about his failed marriage and the infidelity that led to that ending.  Much like what he did while a player, he spoke about it in detail once, then let everyone make their judgments and moved on.

How the book does this is that aside from that, Jones mostly talks about baseball, baseball, and more baseball.  From his high school and minor league days, to his time with the Braves teams that won 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants and one World Series, this book covers nearly everything a fan would want to know about life in the major leagues.  Jones is full of praise for the three Hall of Fame pitchers who led the Braves – Tom Glavine, Gregg Maddux and John Smoltz. 

For hardcore fans, Jones also talks deep into baseball analysis.  Not statistics, but things that happen on the field, such as learning to switch hit, learning different positions on the field (he was a shortstop, third baseman and outfielder, plus he also pitched in high school) and pitch-by-pitch analysis of memorable at bats for Jones. One I particularly enjoyed was one against Roger Clemens when the latter was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Fans of Jones or the Atlanta Braves, the only major league team for which he played, will particularly enjoy this book.  Even those who enjoy reading memoirs of baseball players but may not be a fan of either will still want to add this to their libraries.

I wish to thank Penguin Group Dutton for providing an advance review copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)