Review of "This Never Happened"

The timing for reading this book was very good as it was a fictional story based on the accounts of a previously reviewed book here on the Gas and Flame men in World War I.  While this is fiction and does not refute any of the information from the non-fiction book, but the story does make one wonder.  Here is my review of "This Never Happened."

Title/Author:

“This Never Happened: The Mystery Behind the Death of Christy Mathewson” by J. D. Manheim

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  It is well known that one of the original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, pitcher Christy Mathewson, died of tuberculosis that was a result of exposure to poisonous gases during World War I.  This novel by J.D. Manehim, a fictional work based on this unfortunate incident, raises the question of whether the exposure was during the actual fighting in France soon before the war ended or whether this was caused by an incident while in training.

This training was in a special division called the Gas and Flame Men.  This division had many famous baseball personalities.  In addition to Mathewson, the Gas and Flame Men included Ty Cobb, Branch Rickey and Frank Chance just to name a few.  The story raises the question of why were these men chose for this duty, especially given the dangerous nature of working with poisonous gases. 

However, the story of the division is only part of the novel.  A pair of men stumble across documents that a relative of one of them left about these men.  The documents were written by a fictional baseball writer, J.T. Willet who was one of the early baseball writers and one whose work for the Sporting News was so good that was part of the reason that the Sporting News was called the “Bible of Baseball.”  Willet found out what “really” happened through interviews with Mathewson’s widow, Cobb and other very important people who knew was supposedly really happened.  Willet’s story, the story of the documents and what became of them and the war stories of the baseball people all tie together well and the ending does make one wonder what really happened.

The book does take awhile to get going and most of the characters are not developed in great detail, but those minor issues are overcome by a riveting story that any reader interested in baseball or World War I will truly enjoy.

I was provided a review copy and the opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: This Never Happened: The Mystery Behind the Death of Christy Mathewson (The Deadball Files): 9798888190821: Manheim, J.B.: Books

Review of “The Gas and Flame Men”

Sometimes a book that I thought would be mostly about baseball (or another sport) may be more heavily into another topic. That was the case for this book and it was a very good one. Here is my review of “The Gas and Flame Men.” 

Title/Author:

“The Gas and Flame Men: Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service During World War I” by Jim Leake

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

When Germany started using poisonous gas as a weapon during World War I, the United States formed its own Chemical Warfare Service to not only counter this type of attack, but also to go on the offensive for this strategy. When the call was made for men to join this special unit, several well-known baseball players heeded the call. This book by Jim Leake is a very good work on both the military and baseball parts of this story.

There is certainly more written about the Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) than about baseball in the book. However, this doesn’t mean the game is ignored. There is good material on several well-known ballplayers who were part of the CWS - including two very famous Hall of Fame players, Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb.  Leake, through excellent research, finds quotes about how the players felt about serving their country with the “work or fight” orders of that war. There was some controversy about Mathewson’s willingness to fight, and Leake’s research shows that wasn’t the case. Cobb’s feelings about the possibility that he would not return to baseball after military service was also interesting.

However, the best work was about the CWS itself. Every aspect of the program was covered, from its inception to the recruiting of men with knowledge of chemistry and gasses to the training. One notable item was something that is hard to fathom today and that the soldiers were shipped overseas without any training in the program - that would be received while on the field. Interestingly, one soldier who would fell under this category was Cobb, but the Armistice Day treaty was signed before Cobb saw any combat. He was getting training but the war ended earlier than expected. 

As all know, Cobb went on to more great seasons after returning home. However, as author Leake noted, this wasn’t the case for all. He does write about the tragic death of Mathewson soon after coming home, which was attributed to his exposure to gas during the war.  Leake’s work on lesser known players like Eppa Ripley is just as good throughout the book as well. Readers who enjoy military literature or baseball books will want a copy of this book.

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

Link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1640126058/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1640126058&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20 

Review of "The Best Team Over There"

Having gone to a baseball game via the train recently, I did the usual activity I do on a train and read a book about the sport that I am attending.  For this ride, I chose this book on Grover Cleveland Alexander.  It wasn't quite what I expected.  Here is my review of "The Best Team Over There"

Title/Author:

“The Best Team Over There: The Untold Story of Grover Cleveland Alexander and the Great War” by Jim Leeke

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Grover Cleveland Alexander was both one of the best stories in early 20^th century baseball and one of the most tragic. The winner of 373 game, the pitcher known as “Pete” was inducted in the baseball Hall of Fame in 1938. He also was a decorated veteran of World War I and his time in the service and how it affected his baseball career and his life afterward is the subject of this book by Jim Leeke.

A reader should not expect a book that talks much about Alexander’s baseball career.  There is some baseball talk, especially for the year before he left for Europe, which included a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Chicago Cubs.  Leeke does a nice job of illustrating Alexander’s feelings about being drafted and his farewell game for the Cubs before leaving for basic training.

It is after this part where the book really becomes a military book.  While the research and detail about the particular battles and movements made by Alexander’s division, it is written in a manner that unless a reader is well-versed in World War I military language, it could be confusing.  I did go back several times to re-read passages to make sure I followed along.  This took up the bulk of the book, especially when Alexander and his fellow soldiers had to stay in Europe for occupation of Germany after the Armistice Treaty ended the war on November 11, 1918.  

Because of this, and the following disconnect that seemed to occur after Alexander continued his baseball career upon his return, I found this book to be one better suited for military buffs than for baseball fans.  But it is clear that Leeke is knowledgeable about both topics and his work on both is worth the time to read.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Team-Over-There-Cleveland/dp/1496217160/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

Review of "Play Ball!"

This book contained much more than just stories about soldiers playing baseball during the Great War - it was a nice lesson on just how much the doughboys loved the game.  Here is my review of "Play Ball!"

Title/Author:

“Play Ball! Doughboys and Baseball During the Great War” by Alexander F. Barnes, Peter L. Belmonte and Samuel O. Barnes

 

Tags:
Baseball, history, amateur

Publish date:

March 28, 2019

Length:

256 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The popularity of baseball as a participant sport in the United States as well as a spectator sport was very high during the time of World War I.  No matter where troops were stationed during the Great War, it was very likely that one could find a baseball game. This is illustrated in this book about the soldiers and their love of the game.

 

The authors performed a great deal of research, including items such as newspaper articles, cards and photos of soldiers, or “doughboys” as they were called during World War I, playing baseball.  Box scores and stories from soldiers give the book not only an air of authenticity, but also a personal touch as well.

 

It didn’t matter where these soldiers were stationed.  There were games between units on training bases, on the fields in France and also in Germany. These games were often played for diversion from the horrors of war and also for the morale of the troops.  A nice touch by the authors was to include women in this book as there were teams made up of women as well, mostly from the nursing corps. One other noteworthy item is that there were many desegregated games played by these men and women, unlike the professional leagues back in the United States.

 

The writing and narration is crisp and easy to read, nicely complementing the pictures and other items noted earlier.  Any reader who wants to learn more about the baseball games that the doughboys played during the Great War will want to pick a copy of this book. It is an excellent addition to anyone interested in the connection between World War I and the national pastime.

 

I wish to thank Schiffer Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Format Read:
E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Play-Ball-Doughboys-Baseball-during/dp/076435678X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1548867244&sr=1-1&keywords=Play+Ball%21+doughboys