Review of “Fever Pitch”

This was not a book I was searching for, nor was it one I was asked to review. Instead, I read it as a buddy read on Goodreads and I’m glad I did so. Here is my review of the memoir that inspired two movies with the same title. 

Title/Author: “Fever Pitch” by Nick Hornby

Rating:  3 ½  of 5 stars good)

Review:  It’s not often that I will review a book from more than 30 years ago, but when I was asked if I would do a buddy read on Goodreads for this book, I gladly accepted. This memoir by Nick Hornby about his ultimate fandom of the English football team Arsenal is really a story that many fans of a particular team can at least partially see themselves. 

How this book reads is really a matter of what the reader is looking for. If one wants to learn more about English football at that time, this really won’t help, mainly because unless the reader followed the sport at that time, the names will not be familiar. Nor will there be a lot of description of the action on the pitch as Hornby concentrates on what’s going on in the stands. Hoping to learn more about the game before the creation of the Premier League in 1992, this was a disappointment.

However, the other expectation that I had when picking up this book was not only met, but exceeded. I wanted to read about what it would be like to be so obsessed with one team and its ups and downs. Hornby explains how he started following Arsenal as a young lad as a time for bonding with his father. From there his obsession with the team grew, affecting his studies, occupational aspirations and relationships. He also addresses issues that plagued English football at the time, mainly hooliganism and racism. He approaches these topics from the viewpoint of a fan, which was fair. All the while, Hornby throws in plenty of self-deprecating humor and some thoughtful introspection making the book feel like the reader is having a conversation with him. 

This book is not to be confused with the 2005 movie starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore about an obsessed Red Sox fan - but there was a movie made in the United Kingdom in 1997 adapted directly by Hornby and follows the book closely about a fan obsessed with Arsenal. While I could not understand much of the football talk and I don’t believe I rise to the level of fandom that Hornby does with Arsenal, I could see myself with my fandom of the Minnesota Twins many time while reading this. That is the strength of this book and why it’s a fun book for sports fans who have followed one team in a particular sport for a long time. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Fever-Pitch-Nick-Hornby/dp/0575053151/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Short review of "Wait Till Next Year:

It isn't too often I will review a book more than 20 years old, but an exception was made for this well-known memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  In an online book group to which I belong, this was a buddy read selection and even though I have known about this book for a long time, I decided to participate and was glad I did.  This review is shorter than most, mainly because I would be simply repeating the same points many others have in the previous years.  Here is a short review of this book.

Title/Author:

“Wait Till Next Year" by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, Dodgers, classic

Publish date:

October 21, 1997

Length:

261 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Most baseball fans like to tell stories of when they first became fans as children. Some stories are certainly more entertaining and told better than others.  One collection of baseball stories that fits this description is this very good memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin that tells about her childhood when she was cheering for her beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

Goodwin is a well-known historian and was also a sports writer when it was not filled with many opportunities for women.  Given how she writes about her memories of the Dodgers and the many memories she has of them and her family, it is easy to see why she chose and succeeded in these professions.  Her recollections of not only her fandom of the Dodgers but also those of her childhood friends, her loving family and her Catholic upbringing are excellent reading and will be enjoyed by all who love to read about family, baseball or childhood. 

So many fellow readers and reviewers have enjoyed this book and I am happy to be another one who recommends this book to nearly everyone.  It was a quick, happy read that while it wasn't long on substance, it was loaded with fun, love and the Brooklyn Dodgers.  It was very impressive to read just how much she knew about "dem Bums" back in her formative years.

                               

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Wait-Till-Next-Year-Memoir-ebook/dp/B000S1LVZE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Pennant Race"

For baseball fans like me, tomorrow will be somber as it was supposed to be opening day for the 2020 season.  But for now, we will have to be satisfied with replays of games and books.  For a good read on baseball in a different era, Jim Brosnan wrote two books about the game in the late 50's and early 60's.  This is the second of those books and it was a fun read.  Here is my review of "Pennant Race"

Title/Author:

“Pennant Race: The Classic Game by Game Account of a Championship Season 1961” by Jim Brosnan

Tags:

Baseball, professional, history, Reds, diary, classic

Publish date:

March 15, 2016 (e-book.  Original Publication Date: 1962)

Length:

272 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Sometimes it's best to read a book that is strictly about baseball and nothing but baseball.  For those times, this classic book by Jim Brosnan is just right.  Brosnan was a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and this is his diary of events through the regular season, one in which the Reds won the National League pennant.  

The book is a good reflection of baseball players and their day-to-day work life during the season, especially for relief pitchers.  At the time, these pitchers were the ones who weren't quite good enough to be in the starting rotation, but nonetheless their clubs and managers wanted to have them ready to pitch. Since these were the days when starters would work as many innings as possible, that left a lot of idle time for the relievers to swap stories and jokes with each other and, depending on the ballpark, fans as well.

These stories are told by Brosnan with very dry humor which will make the reader chuckle frequently throughout the book.  Some of the stories will contain names very familiar to fans of baseball in the 1960's such as Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson. Some of the best lines in the book come when Brosnan shares words about the curmudgeonly manager of the Reds that season, Fred Hutchinson.  Whether it is when Hutchinson is making a pitching change to either bring Brosnan in or taking him out or if it is about one of his clubhouse talks, those pieces were very entertaining.

While Brosnan talks about life as a ballplayer in the bullpen and on the road, it is not full of the controversial or shocking (for the time) aspects that "Ball Four" would contain eight years later.  Instead, this book is more like a diary with stories and accounts of Reds games in a season that became one for the ages as Cincinnati was the surprise winner of the 1961 National League Pennant.  It is a bit of a let down that the World Series was not included in the book, but this is still a very good account of a season and a team that is a reflection of the sport before multi-million dollar contracts and constant media exposure.  It's a good book for a reader who just needs a baseball fix.

                                                                  

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Pennant-Race-Classic-Account-Championship-ebook/dp/B013CCTJUE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "The Fight"

While the bulk of my reading is newer books, it is refreshing to read a classic book every now and then.  That was the case when I picked up this book on the Ali-Foreman fight in 1974 written by Norman Mailer.  Certainly a different perspective on this legendary match.  Here is my review of "The Fight."

Title/Author:

“The Fight” by Norman Mailer

Tags:

Boxing, championship, history, classic

Publish date:

September 17, 2013 (original publication date: 1975)

Length:

237 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars  (Outstanding)

Review:

One of the most amazing and historic boxing matches in the colorful history of the sport occurred in 1974 when Muhammad Ali surprised the world and defeated George Foreman to reclaim the world heavyweight title in Zaire. Much has been written about this fight, including this book by renowned author Norman Mailer. 

Part historical, part play-by-play and part memoir (Mailer inserts himself in the book), the reader will get an interesting perspective of this fight and the setting in which it took place. Since the book was originally published in 1975, one can easily note that there are sections and passages that would not pass an editor’s eye today, such as when Mailer stated that “Africa is shaped like a pistol, say the people here, and Zaire is the trigger.” He also writes most of the book in a masculine point of view, sometimes a little too much that might make a reader uncomfortable.

At the beginning of the book, he does state that he is going to do this, so it is not unexpected.  This will also allow the reader, should he or she wish to continue, to get a different perspective.  One part that I did enjoy was when Norman (how he referred to himself throughout the book) went jogging with Ali when the boxer was doing road work. While the pace was slower and he didn’t last the entire length of the run, it was nonetheless something that is not typically found in other books on this fight.

The best aspect of the book are chapters 13 through 15, the fight itself.  Here, the “masculinity” of Norman’s writing shines best, as the reader will feel like he or she is ringside.  Not just from the punches or reading about Ali’s famous strategy by leaning on the ropes early, but also from what is said by each fighter and their corners.  There are similar segments earlier in the book when Mailer visits each fighter’s training and workouts.  Knowing how the fight ends before starting the book, it was amazing to see that some of the popular myths about that fight, such as that Foreman was not prepared, are simply that – myths, not actual events.

Some of the early portions of the book seem to drag, but this is an overall quick read and very entertaining.  As long as the reader keeps in mind the biases and the time period in which this is written, it should be able to be enjoyed by many readers.

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Nook)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Norman-Mailer-ebook/dp/B00ERTEPNI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fight-norman-mailer/1002356794?ean=9780812985962   

Review of "Five Seasons"

Baseball book readers need no reminder or yet another review to tell them how good a baseball author Roger Angell is.  I just completed another of his books and while there have been scores of reviews written about this collection of essays since its first publication in 1977, I would be remiss not to contribute my thoughts as well.  Here is my review of "Five Seasons." 

Title/Author:

“Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion” by Roger Angell

Tags:

Baseball, professional, essays, classic

Publish date:

May 15, 1977

Length:

413 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

Frankly, another review of a book in which the topic is baseball and the author is Roger Angell cannot either a) do justice to the book or b) say anything that hasn’t already been said.  This collection of baseball essays from his days of writing for the New Yorker covers the time period of the 1972 -1976 seasons.

During this time frame, anything a reader can think of is covered.  Scouting?  Yes, a wonderful conversation with a long-time scout for the then-California Angels is retold. Business? Between the strike over player pension funds in 1972 (the first strike by the fairly new Major League Baseball Players Union) and the lockout during spring training in 1976, that’s covered.  Fans?  One wonderful chapter on three lifelong Detroit Tigers fans will have the reader both laughing and crying. 

Of course, there’s plenty about the game on the field as well.  Readers who were fans of the game at that time will enjoy reading about all of the star players.  Everyone from Hank Aaron to Joe Morgan is mentioned as well as the best teams of that era – the Oakland A’s who won the World Series three consecutive seasons, the Big Red Machine otherwise known as the Cincinnati Red and the resurgence of the New York Yankees.  Being a New Yorker, Angell also writes passionately about the New York Mets, which makes for some of the best reading in the book.

This review just scratches the surface of describing how much a baseball fan will enjoy this book, whether or not he or she was a fan of this period of baseball. Angell is an author whose books simply must be read by all baseball fans, no matter their age or team loyalties. Those who have read anything by him know what I mean – those that haven’t, this is one to pick up to get a glimpse into the immense talent he has for writing about the American Pastime.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/5-Seasons-Roger-angell/dp/0671227432/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1532876031&sr=1-1

Review of "The Summer Game"

Roger Angell is simply the best baseball author who has ever pecked at a typewriter or keyboard.  While I have read some of his work in the New Yorker or parts of his collections of essays, this is the first time I have read one of his books from cover to cover.  Having accomplished that, it will be something that I will do time and time again.  Here is my review of his first book, "The Summer Game." 

Title/Author:

“The Summer Game” by Roger Angell

Tags:

Baseball, professional, essays, classic

Publish date:

March 1, 2004 – paperback version (original publication date – 1972)

Length:

303 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Roger Angell is considered by many, including this reviewer, the best baseball writer to grace the pages of books or magazines.  This was his first book, a collection of essays covering the decade from 1961 to 1971. The topics are wide – everything from the birth of the New York Mets (the Mets are a favorite topic of many stories in the collection) to the Pittsburgh Pirates World Series victory over the might Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 World Series. 

While his prose about the action on the diamond is worth the price of the book alone, his writing on so many baseball topics is also a joy to read.  Whether the topic is franchise shifts, expansion of both leagues and the postseason, the “Year of the Pitcher” in 1968, the first year of indoor baseball in the Houston Astrodome or the euphoria of New England when the Boston Red Sox lived the “Impossible Dream” by winning the 1967 American League championship, Angell tells it in flowing prose and an entertaining style.

There are so many examples in the book that illustrate the beauty of Angell’s storytelling. Many times Angell explains why baseball is the best game, and I will use two quotes from the book to show how he felt about the game.  In the chapter titled “A Terrific Strain” (written after the 1966 season), Angell writes that “Baseball is perhaps the most perfect visible sport ever devised, almost never requiring us to turn to a neighbor and ask ‘What happened?’”  The second quote I will use for this came from the final chapter, “The Interior Stadium.”  When writing about how most sports are resembling all the others, he maintains that baseball is unique, writing “Of all sports, none has been so buffeted about by this unselective proliferation, so maligned by contemporary cant, or so indifferently defended as baseball.  Yet, the game somehow remains the same, obdurately unaltered and comparable only with itself.”

With prose like this, how can any reader who enjoys baseball NOT read this man’s work?  It is the perfect book for readers who have not read any of his work to pick up and start enjoying.  If the reader has read this book, it is well worth the time to pick up again, as it is one that I will re-read as the winter continues.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Game-Bison-Book/dp/0803259514/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-game-roger-angell/1001863567?ean=9780803259515#/

Review of "The Natural"

While I have been a baseball lover for most of my life, I had never read this book nor saw the movie version made in the 1980's.  So, when the Goodreads Baseball Book Club made this one of the books to read for November, I thought it was about time that I did so.  I now understand why this is considered a classic baseball story.  Here is my review of "The Natural"

Title/Author:

“The Natural” by Bernard Malamud, narrated by Christopher Hurt

Tags:

Baseball, Fiction, classic

Publish date:

June 1, 2007 (audio version – original novel published 1952)

Length:

231 pages (paperback version)

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

This tale of a 35-year-old baseball player with extremely gifted talent for the game paints a mostly dark picture of a flawed man.  Bernard Malamud’s 1952 novel about Roy Hobbs and his time playing for the New York Knights is considered to be a classic baseball fictional story and was also adapted onto film in the 1980’s, with Robert Redford starring as Hobbs.  I will add a disclaimer that I have never seen the film, so this review and the opinions within are based only on this book.

I found Malamud’s development of the main characters in the story very good, even though there wasn’t a single character in the story that I could say I felt was a protagonist or a “good” guy or lady.  Hobbs has several character flaws which I believe portray him in a less-than-favorable light, such as always seeking out intimate relations with any woman with whom he is in contact.  One of these women, Memo, was taking a fancy to a teammate of Hobbs who died on the baseball field, Bump Bailey. 

Bailey’s untimely demise is the reason Hobbs became a started on the Knights and he immediately tries to court Memo, whose own character flaws are revealed later.  About the only character who seems be able to evoke sympathy from a reader is Iris, and the reason she is initially not Hobb’s type of lady is that she is a young grandmother.  This doesn’t sound like the typical baseball hero in a fictional story – but Roy and all the other main characters are well developed by Malamud.  Maybe the reader won’t like them, but the reader will believe that he or she knows them.

The story moves along well both on and off the diamond.  The baseball scenes are written well for the time depicted, which was when there was no night baseball and the game moved along at a quicker pace than today’s sport with many pitching changes.  There is one big leap of logic, however – how does Roy become such a great pitcher at 19 to strike out the mighty Whammer in a duel, yet later becomes such a great hitter and outfielder at 35?

I must also mention one other character that is baseball-centric, Wonderboy.  That is the name Roy has given to his bat, and he treats Wonderboy better than he treats the ladies, with special polishing and storing.  If there is any character who deserved pity - even though this character is an object – it is the ultimate demise of Wonderboy.  The fact that Roy made sure to bury Wonderboy on a baseball field says a lot about Roy’s relationship with his favorite bat.

The audio version of the book was narrated superbly by Christopher Hurt, who did his best to make the listener feel like he or she is on the field or in the hotel with Roy and company.  While the ending is dark and leaves the reader feeling down, the book certainly does earn a place in the library of classic baseball novels.

Book Format Read:

Audiobook

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Bernard-Malamud/dp/0374502005/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/natural-malamud/1100666982?ean=9780374502003#/