Review of “Royal Treatment”

Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the integration of Major League Baseball by the Dodgers and Jackie Robinson. So, just like when he played in Montreal the year before integration, I received a book about his time with the Royals a year before that anniversary. Here is my review of that book.

Title/Author: “Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball’s Color Barrier” by Sean J. McLaughlin

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: When Jackie Robinson spent the 1946 baseball season with the Montreal Royals, it was part of the plan by Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey to integrate Major League Baseball. This was done not because Robinson needed the year at the Dodgers’ top farm club to work on his baseball skills. It was done to prepare him for what he might face as the game’s first Black player. How Robinson and his wife Rachel fared in Montreal and how the city treated him is the main focus of this book by Sean J. McLaughlin.

The book isn’t all baseball, all the Robinsons or all Montreal. McLaughlin does a very good job of weaving the topics together in a way that it doesn’t get too bogged down in one topic. While that’s a strength of the book, there are also good chunks of the book, several pages long, about subjects that are really only peripherally relevant to the main subject of Robinson. Two examples of this are the lengthy sections on Canadian racial history and a later description of the same thing for the city of Louisville, who was Montreal’s opponent in the 1946 Junior World Series. 

While these subjects may not have been directly related to the Jackie Robinson story, when McLaughlin concentrated on Robinson, the city and citizens of Montreal, or the action on the field during Royals games, the writing is great. It’s clear, full of important details, and makes the reader feel like they are in a time warp and takes them back to post-World War II Canada. I especially enjoyed reading about the warm reception that the Robinson received in Montreal, whether it was in their neighborhood or enthusiastic baseball fans cheering the soon-to-be Dodger on. 

This step of the Jackie Robinson story is one that is often passed or glossed over and this book finally gives it the recognition it deserves. No matter what the checkered history of racial relations may be in both the United States or Canada may be, this book shows that even that may be pushed aside when a talented player can make an entire city cheer. 

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Treatment-Robinson-Montreal-Baseballs/dp/1496244311/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of "The Heyday of Willie, Duke and Mickey"

The return of baseball season means I'll be attending games.  My preferred method of transportation for these trips is either a train or a bus, meaning more reading time. Here is my review of this book I read on a recent trip to Yankee Stadium. 

Title/Author:

“The Heyday of Willie, Duke and Mickey: New York City Baseball’s Golden Age Amid Integration” by Robert C. Cottrell

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

After World War II ended, major league baseball went through a period of great change as it integrated Black players into the game.  It also went through a period of dominance by New York teams as at least one of the three New York City teams – New York Yankees, New York Giants or Brooklyn Dodgers – appeared in the World Series in 9 of the 11 years between 1947 and 1957.  This period of baseball history is chronicled in this book by Robert C. Cottrell.

Cottrell covers this from two views – one from on the field with good recaps of the seasons for each of the three New York teams.  He also provides readers with the progress of integration of the major leagues. Of course, he starts with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he does an admirable job of informing the reader of the progress made by other clubs as well. This also includes the lack of progress of integration on some clubs, most notably the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

One thing to note is that if a reader has read other books on either topic, there probably won’t be much new material that they have not already read.  This book gives a good overview of these items.  The sections with the most detail are those that talk about the pennant races and World Series matchups involving one of the three teams.

Something that did catch me by surprise was the title did not seem to really be the right one for the book.  While each of those three Hall of Fame center fielders did get a good amount of text, it felt like the subtitle would have made the better title.  For the record and for those who were not familiar with the names, they were Willie Mays of the Giants, Duke Snider of the Dodgers and Mickey Mantle for the Yankees.

Overall, this was a decent book and one that was fine for passing the time on a train ride to Yankee Stadium for a ball game.  It is best suited for those readers who were not already familiar with this golden age of New York City baseball.

I wish to thank Bloomsbury Academic for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: Heyday of Willie, Duke, and Mickey, The: New York City Baseball's Golden Age amid Integration: 9798881842574: Cottrell, Robert C.: Books

Review of "Before They Wore Dodger Blue"

As I mention in the review, I find books about the Los Angeles Dodgers to be among the best baseball books that I read.  This one by Eric Vickery, a former Casey Award finalist, to be no exception.  Here is my review of his book on the 1970 Spokane Indians, managed by Tommy Lasorda and had many future Dodger stars on its roster. 

Title/Author:

“Before They Wore Dodger Blue: Tommy Lasorda and the Greatest Draft Class in Baseball History” by Eric Vickrey

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The Los Angeles Dodgers have long been considered one of the better baseball organizations in developing players whom they have drafted or signed into good major league players.  In 1970, their AAA farm club, the Spokane Indians, had one of the best crops of players drafted by the Dodgers. This book by Eric Vickery not only describes that season in good detail but also provides interesting stories and facts about most of these players and the manager, Tommy Lasorda.

What strikes me as one of the best aspects of this book is that Vickrey doesn’t limit the discussion to the best players on that team.  While many baseball fans know at least parts of the stories about future All-Stars like Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey, the other players who may not have been stars or even play much in Major League Baseball get plenty of mentions in the book.  This includes players like pitcher Bob O’Brien, infielder Bart Shirley and pitcher John Purdin. No worries if a reader has not heard of these and other players that weren’t stars – the reader will learn about that player and get a complete picture of what part of the Indians’ success they played.

Of course, the players I mentioned that made up the long-lasting Dodger infield (along with Bill Russell) get plenty of material written about them as well.  Other stars get their fair share of text in the book as well.  The admiration Lasorda had for Bobby Valentine as an up-and-coming star is well documented and it sparked plenty of material for this book, both directly involving those two and the rest of the team’s reaction.

There is also an excellent section on Lasorda and his penchant for public speaking.  Even events that seem ho-hum, such as an injury to a player, can be fun to read.  An example of this is when Bill Buckner had a broken jaw and it was wired shut.  Teammates made many comments about his bad breath.  This was presented in a manner that made me laugh out loud.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I find books about the Los Angeles Dodgers to be great ones to read, and this one is no exception.  One doesn’t have to be a Dodgers fan to enjoy reading about one of the greatest draft classes in the history of the game – at least since the draft started in 1965.

I wish to thank Mr. Vickrey for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Before They Wore Dodger Blue: Tommy Lasorda and the Greatest Draft Class in Baseball History: Vickrey, Eric: 9781938532948: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “A Damn Near Perfect Game”

 Back to baseball here, I found the audio version of this gem and decided to play it during some dead times during the workday. Here is my review of “A Damn Near Perfect Game.”

Title/Author: “A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America’s Pastime” by Joe Kelly, narrated by L. J. Ganser

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Sometimes the best view of a topic, be it sports, occupations or anything else, comes from someone who has actually experienced it and has done so in many different ways and levels. This short book by Joe Kelly, a relief pitcher who has been with 4 teams, most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, tells readers and listeners why baseball is such a great game and also the ways it can fix itself. 

This isn’t a complete criticism of those today who feel the game is boring , too slow for today’s younger generations or similar well-worn reasons published on why baseball is not as popular as other sports. Instead, Kelly approaches this two sided. Yes, he does give suggestions on how the game can improve its appeal to younger people. The best part of this approach (and of the entire book for me) was his very productive interview with current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. That was very enlightening and not at all what I expected. 

The other way that Kelly approaches the task is what one would expect from the title. He extols all the aspects of the game that he believes makes it so good. There are far too many individual points made about this to list them all, but we’ll just say that any reason that fans have said why they like the game is covered in some way in the book. This can come from Kelly or from one of the many famous and not-so-famous people who share their stories on the game.

Speaking of stories, Kelly shares many of his own. There is a little bit of autobiographical material when he tells his rise to the major leagues. But the best is early in the book when he made his famous “pouty face” At Carlos Correa in a 2020 game between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Strange as it may seem, he uses this story to tell of his love for the game and why it is so good.

Listening to the audio version of this book, I not only enjoyed L.J. Ganser’s narration, but I felt I was able to connect with the stories told. While I am not one this book seemed to be trying to reach, it is one that any level of baseball fan should enjoy and who knows, it just might convince some that baseball truly is a damn near perfect game.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Damn-Near-Perfect-Game-Reclaiming/dp/1635768896/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of "1978"

Continuing with the posting of baseball book reviews to start the 2025 season, this was an enjoyable read about the 1978 season.  It was much better reading than watching my team start the season 0-3!  Hopefully they turn it around soon - meanwhile, here is my review of this book. 

Title/Author:

“1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era” by David Krell

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

In 1978, baseball and the social culture of the United States were both undergoing significant changes.  In social circles, disco was the most popular genre of music, there were actions taken to advance the causes of feminism (one of which involved baseball, allowing female sportswriters access to baseball locker rooms), and many movies and television shows showcasing new talent. 

In baseball, however, the change really brought something that was not so new – the two best teams in 1978 were the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Like the previous year and many times in previous decades, they faced each other in the World Series.  This book by David Krell examines the paths the two teams took to get there and also takes readers into the details of many popular movies, television shows, musical artists and some social issues as well.

Krell never gets too deep into any one topic, not even the baseball as many of the stories told about the Yankees, Dodgers or other teams are never too lengthy – they are just long enough to get the message across about what were the results.  A great example of this is how the Yankees won the American League East division over their rivals, the Boston Red Sox (another team that has a good amount of coverage).  While the chapter on September (there’s a chapter for each month) mentions the “Boston Massacre” when the Yankees swept a four game series at Fenway Park to complete a comeback from 14 ½ games behind the Red Sox, there is little else about this comeback save for the first story in October about the tie-breaking game played by the two teams.  

For other subjects, it’s the same style.  Whether talking about a new comic genius named Robin Williams appearing on “Happy Days” as Mork from Ork, movies such as “Grease” or news events such as the assassination in San Francisco of supervisor Harvey Milk and George Moscone, Krell has the same style – enough coverage for the reader to understand the story, but not too much detail where the reader may lose interest.  This is especially important to readers who experienced these events as they will bring back memories and maybe even add something they did not recall.  The book’s style certainly would appeal to these readers who lived through that baseball season.

While not completely about the 1978 baseball season, this book is nonetheless an enjoyable and quick read for fans of the game in that time – the beginning of free agency, the re-emergence of the Yankee-Dodger rivalry and some other events that made that season memorable for many fans.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: 1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era: Krell, David: 9781496239600: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Don Drysdale: Up and In”

With spring training in full swing, it’s time to start reading the new baseball books coming out this year. This one that was published in February is a good look at Dodger great Don Drysdale. 

Title/Author:

“Don Drysdale: Up and In” by Mark Whicker

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  

Baseball fans in the 1960’s saw some very good Los Angeles Dodgers teams and some of the best pitching in the history of the game, capped off by the “year of the pitcher” in 1968. A pair of Dodgers pitchers were among those pitchers who enjoyed much success and this by Mark Whicker tells the career of one of them, Don Drysdale.

Drysdale was the last player from the Brooklyn Dodgers to retire after the team relocated to Los Angeles. That move, along with a lengthy section on Walter Johnson’s scoreless streak for pitchers (why that’s included will be noted later) and many shorter passages about the many political and social issues of that time are interspersed in the book along with some excellent coverage of Drysdale’s baseball career. That is the bulk of the text Whicker includes in this book, so it doesn’t feel like a full biography but there’s still enough material on his life off the diamond to give a reader a good feel for the type of person he was.

While Drysdale was a California native and thrived after the team moved to his native state, he was gaining a reputation as being difficult as well as a pitcher who was more interested in hitting batters than throwing strikes. For the former, there are many examples of this in the book. This can range from mild, such as his frequent complaints about the dimensions of the baseball configuration of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (the home stadium for the Dodgers before Dodger Stadium was built in 1962), to the dangerous, such as the accusation by his first wife Ginger that Don had beaten her “30 times.” This is the only time in the entire book that any hint of domestic violence is mentioned. It is a good example to show that much of the book was dedicated to Drysdale’s activities on the diamond (although there are nice stories about his second marriage to basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers).

The baseball sections are excellent. Whicker writes about Drysdale’s successful accomplishments in great detail, and even some of his less than stellar days. For the latter, the best example is when he became the starter in game 1 of the 1965 World Series after Sandy Koufax famously refused to pitch that day as it was Yom Kippur. After the Minnesota Twins roughed up Drysdale to win the game 8-2, Drysdale quipped to manager Walter Alston “I bet you wish I was Jewish.”

However, as one would expect from a Hall of Fame pitcher’s career, there was much more good than this type of bad. He won a Cy Young award in 1962, pitched and won games on three World Series championship Dodger teams (including 1965 where he won game 4) and setting a new scoreless inning streak for pitchers of 58 ⅔ innings in 1968. This is his most famous accomplishment, the one that likely ensured his place in the Hall of Fame and is the best section of this book. It is where Whicker starts off with the passage about Walter Johnson, takes the reader through Drysdale’s amazing streak, and later illustrates the similarities between him and the Dodger pitcher who broke Drysdale’s record, Orel Hershieser. 

Lastly, while Drysdale mostly played second fiddle to Koufax during this stretch of Dodger greatness (and otherworldly pitching by Koufax) the two would always be linked as teammates and of course for their famous holdout for new contracts in the spring of 1966. This event is also covered in the book and with good detail, especially on Drydale’s role. This is a book that any Dodgers fan will want to read to learn more about “Double D” and the legacy he left on one baseball’s most storied franchises.

I wish to thank Triumph Books for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Don-Drysdale-Life-Dodgers-Legend/dp/1637275749/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger”

 It wasn’t easy to convince me to review a book that starts off with a play from a very painful day for us Twins fans - game 7 of the 1965 World Series. But the author of this book told me put aside the painful reminder and take an objective look at the book. Boy, am I glad I did. Here is my review of “Jim Gilliam, The Forgotten Dodger.”

Title/Author:

“Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger” by Stephen Dittmore 

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: “The Play”. This is how a photo of Jim Gilliam’s catch of a Zoilo Versailles line drive to third base in the seventh game of the 1965 World Series was captioned and it’s a very appropriate moniker for the defining moment of Jim Gilliam’s long career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. This book by Stephen Dittmore captures the life and career of “Junior” and is a very good tribute to a much beloved player for this storied franchise. 

 “The Play” is not a spectacular snag of a ground ball with a miraculous throw to first base, like Brooks Robinson did in the 1970 World Series. It is not a no-look catch of a deep fly ball running full speed toward the wall like Willie Mays did in the 1954 World Series. It was simply Gilliam knowing what situation was in the game (Fifth inning, his team ahead 2-0 and his pitcher having trouble throughout the game so far) and what he needed to do to give his team its best chance to win. 

This is really a perfect illustration of not only Gilliam’s baseball career with the Dodgers but also a good analogy to the book and Dittmore’s  writing. There’s really nothing fancy or very different about this than other sports biographies but it’s well-written, well-researched and provides a lot of insight into Gilliam’s personal life as well as his baseball life.

A reader will not only learn that Gilliam played well in the Negro Leagues but had to wait his “turn” during the early days of the integration of Major League Baseball, but also his frustrations during his time with the Dodgers that even despite all-star game apoeances and solid play every season, he never really had a chance to settle in one position. Gilliam’s personal life and his two marriages as well as his competitive nature away from the diamond, like in bridge and golf.

The other aspect of the book I really enjoyed, mainly because it makes a reader stop and think, was Dittmore’s description of racism in organized baseball. While he does write about Gilliam’s encounters with this during his playing career, what sets this book apart from others on this topic is Dittmore’s description of the “Four Gates” of denial to Blacks of various positions in the game. The First Gate was broken by Jackie Robinso to allow Black players. The Second Gate was to break the unwritten quota system to allow only a small number of Black players in any one team. The third Gate was for Blacks to gain coaching positions (a natural for Gilliam who did become a Dodgers coach) and finally the Fourth Gate - managing a Major League team, accomplished by Frank Robinson in 1975.

There’s plenty to learn in the book not only about Jim Gilliam and the game of baseball, including some unique terms. If you have never heard of the phrase “snatch coconuts” and want to learn about ot and so much more about the life of Jim Gilliam, this book comes highly recommended. For the record, I never heard this term before reading the book and it refers to changing a player’s position.

I wish to thank Mr. Dittmore for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.augustpublications.com/products/jim-gilliam-the-forgotten-dodger 

Review of “Joe Black: More than a Dodger”

I belong to the baseball book club on Goodreads and each season after the World Series ends, we choose a book on the winning team as a group read. This book was our selection after the Dodgers won this year’s fall classic. Here is my review of “Joe Black.”

Title: “Joe Black: More Than a Dodger” by Martha Jo Black and Chuck Schnoffner

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Say the name Joe Black today to most baseball fans and the response you most likely will get is “Who’s that?” But that wouldn’t be the case back in 1952 when as a rookie he almost single-handedly pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to the 1952 National League pennant. This book by Black’s daughter Martha Jo and Chuck Schoffner tells of that special season and why it meant so much to the young pitcher.

The book as a whole is pretty standard fare as a biography for a Black baseball player in the early 1950’s. The color barrier had just been broken by Jackie Robison and by 1952, enough Black players were playing in Major League Baseball that the talent level and interest in the Negro Leagues was waning. Having gotten his crack at professional baseball in the Negro Leagues, Black was able to overcome the significant barriers he and his fellow Black players encountered to eventually pitch in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately, he never regained the magic of his 1952 season, gradually getting worse, and was eventually released by the Dodgers in 1957. He did sign with the Washington Senators for 1958 but pitched very poorly for them as that was his last season.

While reading about his baseball career was okay, I liked the chapters on his life outside of baseball better, especially his success first as a teacher and then as an executive for Greyhound Bus. He followed his mother’s advice and made sure to complete his education which paid off for him as it was unusual for baseball players in that era to have a college degree. It also contributed to another chapter in his post-pitching career that I enjoyed reading about. 

Black was hired by MLB to guide players to be successful after baseball, but he grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of attention to this and caring about the history of the game for Black players. This was profoundly illustrated when it was written that future white Hall of Fame players like Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux wanted to talk to Black about topics like the Negro Leagues while a Black player like Vince Coleman had no idea who Jackie Robinson was. Frankly, that is very sad. 

While the book didn’t have much of a “wow” factor for me as far as the baseball goes, it was nonetheless very interesting to read about Black’s life away from the diamond and it makes the title to be a very apt one for describing the man’s life. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Black-More-than-Dodger/dp/0897337530/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L0E3FQZ7OA61&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k1EqE-mL-VZaiODe_OB0mtguH9sHtm5jfVj5pMhoxkaSVjWtiuKTlFgTbGcBpbS4u4I_-byDlLNeyt_FWzS9q_c0y-qW2lKSstBmvN_ygZHWsmWB3s7JNuvk-5oDxOIVLMueYb8MoCVpqxsc6xqrxo8bVJUGQz7LTGP47CypGgmDjAgNHWw8eXpC6N9vagtFWFUDAmpPIZrppyASOsqhBh-vxo4U0NUBdXSdVD9DPN8.OeIw0BRfO41-LBAKK26a9ZDyDYXEUxsnw9NjLVO1Uh4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Joe+black+more&qid=1731114034&sprefix=joe+black+more+%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1 

Review of "The Last of His Kind"

 While I have never been much of a fan about the Los Angeles Dodgers, for some reason, every book I read about the team or one of their players always is a good one.  This book on Clayton Kershaw is no exception.  Here is my review of "The Last of His Kind."

Title/Author:

“The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness” by Andy McCullough

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Clayton Kershaw has been one of the best pitchers in major league baseball since his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008.  By 2010, he was moving into elite status, eventually earning three Cy Young awards and also was the National League MVP in 2014.  As this review is written, he is still on the active list for the Dodgers but has not pitched in a game in 2024.  While his status as an active player may be in doubt, there is no doubt he has had an interesting baseball career and life, both of which are told in this excellent book by Andy McCullough.

The book is a good balance of Kershaw’s baseball life and his personal life.  He was a child of divorced parents and grew up without the financial security of many of his friends.  He and his mother did the best they could and in Clayton’s case, that included being the best baseball player he could be.  He was very focused on this, believing that a scholarship opportunity through baseball was the only way he could afford to go to college.  That plan got sidetracked when the Dodgers made him a first-round draft choice in 2006 and paid him a very good signing bonus.

This is where he developed his work ethic and the five day routine from which he never wavered during baseball season, all the way up to the Dodgers and through most of his career.  Injuries, mainly to his back, forced him to deviate from this later in his career, but the writing by McCullough about Kershaw’s routines is excellent and lets the reader know just how focused Kershaw can be, especially on the days he pitches.

From this description, one would think Kershaw is intense without much of a personality, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This was what really stood out to me while reading this.  Yes, there is plenty about his baseball career and the questions about his postseason struggles are addressed. However, when he is not pitching and either spending time with his family or even with teammates in the clubhouse or away from the ballpark, Kershaw comes across as a friendly funny guy and a man who puts his family first.  There are many passages in which his wife Ellen describes Clayton in such glowing terms.  While that may be expected, this is backed up by so many others in which Kershaw has had interactions.

When writing about baseball on the field, McCullough gives excellent accounts of this part of Kershaw as well.  Whether describing Kershaw’s coaches and advisors working on developing his pitching arsenal, the Dodgers’ front office activities (including the disastrous time of Frank and Jamie McCourt’s ownership) or the joy Kershaw felt when the Dodgers finally won a World Series in 2020, this aspect of the book is just as good.  I particularly enjoyed the section when Kershaw learned his unorthodox delivery method in three steps. 

Whether you are a Dodgers fan, a baseball fan, or just want to learn about one of the best pitchers in baseball the last 15 years, this book is for you. 

I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness: 9780306832598: McCullough, Andy: Books

Review of "The New York Game"

Baseball and New York City have been connected in many ways throughout the sport's history. This book is the best illustration of that connection and should be on the shelves of any fan of the game or of the city.  

Title/Author:

“The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City” by Kevin Baker

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: The old cliché of how art can imitate real life can be applied here in this book of the history of New York baseball and the rise of the city by Kevin Baker.  Of course, one would have to consider baseball to be a form of “art”, but even so, this is a great illustration of the rise of baseball from a game scattered across the five boroughs of the city and how it compares to the rise of New York City as a major world metropolis.

The book starts off with an emphasis that is one did not already know this (most do), baseball was not invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York.  Instead, the earliest origins can be traced to various fields and street of the city in the mid 19^th century.  From there, the book tells the story of baseball in the city up to World War II with great detail and with emphasis on the three teams in New York during this portion of the 20^th century – the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants.  Each team has excellent very good, detailed descriptions of their star players (most notably Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for the Yankees, as one might expect) and of the managers.  For the latter, this is especially true for Giants manager John McGraw.

Intertwined with the history of the ballclubs is the history of the city and how it rose in stature to what it was at the time of the end of the book.  Just like the excellent description of 19^th century baseball of which many do not know about the New York experience such as the New York Knickerbockers – no, not to be confused with the basketball team. What is also very interesting about including the history of city politics is how they were tied in with the baseball teams.  The best writing about this connection is Baker’s telling of how Tammany Hall politics were involved in the founding of the Yankees.  The story of how they were also squeezed out of the Polo Grounds and ended up building a nice little park called Yankee Stadium also made for good reading.

If there is a problem with any part of the book, it comes near the end, where the stories about the teams, players, and city in the 1940’s doesn’t seem to cover all aspects as well as the rest of the book as well as an ending that seemed abrupt.  But by then, I was so enamored with the rest of the book that it didn’t matter – this was an excellent, albeit lengthy, read on baseball and New York City.

I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City eBook : Baker, Kevin: Kindle Store