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Hardcover, 304 pages |
Reviews and Commentary for Tim McCarver's Baseball for Brain Surgeons & Other Fans
A baseball book that is very different...
This is a unique and wonderful look at baseball at the end of the century. The book is funny, on the mark and the most educational sports book I've ever read. McCarver truly teaches the fan, both experienced as well as the novice, so much about the inner game - not talking stats here - that one feels that you have earned a P.H.d in baseball when you complete the book. Timmy McCarver is not only baseball's best brain, but he's its best teacher as well. If you think you know baseball - read this book - you'll learn a heck of a lot more. And most of all, it's fun!
from New York City , 04/04/98, rating=10:
A baseball book that is very different...
This is a unique and wonderfull look at baseball at the end of the century. It's funny, on the mark and the most educational sports book I've ever read. The book truly teaches the fan (experienced or novice) so much about the inner game - not talking stats here - that one feels that you've earned a Phd in baseball when you complete the book. Tim McCarver is not only baseball's best brain, he's its best teacher as well. If you think you know baseball - read this book - you'll learn a hell of a lot more. And most of all - it's fun!
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Rep Edition
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Reviews and Commentary for I Had a Hammer : The Hank Aaron Story
Synopsis:
Henry "Hammering Hank" Aaron slugged his way from the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro League to the Atlanta Braves, where, on April 8, 1974, he shattered Babe Ruth's homerun record--a feat recently voted the greatest moment in baseball history. "A hell of a story."--New York Times Book Review.
Customer Comments
A Reader from Berkeley, CA , 03/27/98, rating=7:
Best Read If You Are A Fan
I Had a Hammer is a wonderful book if you are a fan of Hank Aaron or of baseball in general. Aaron gives insights into what it was like to come out of Alabama during the Jim Crow era from his days as a boy, to playing in the Negro Leagues, signing with the Braves, all the way up until his retirement from baseball.
That's the good part. As a life-long, Aaron fan I loved it. Unfortunately, the book lacks much of the passion and drive that led Aaron to breaking Ruth's unbreakable career home run record.
from Missouri, United States , 03/25/98, rating=10:
I Had A Hammer A Hit
The book is a must read. It shows Aaron fight against prejustice to evenutually break a record that he would be scorned and have his life threatend before he could break it. Also his triumph of breaking Babe Ruth's all time career home run record also winning in a white man's world.
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Rev&Updtd Edition
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Reviews and Commentary for The Science of Hitting
Sports and Outdoors Editor's Recommended Book, 09/15/97:
As a boy, all Ted Williams wanted was to be the best hitter there ever was. Through his storied tenure with the Red Sox, he pretty much got his wish. He not only hit, he knew how to hit; there was no keener, more devoted, more articulate student of the art. The Science of Hitting is his comprehensive book of wisdom and anecdote, a baseball bible that offers clear, concise, well-illustrated, fundamental information on how to hit a baseball and, just as important, how to think about hitting a baseball. Williams's first commandment is "Get a good pitch to hit," and, in one of baseball's most dramatic teaching tools--a photograph that divides his strike zone into 77 baseballs, seven wide by 11 high--Williams projects what he would hit at each pitch location, from .230 on the low-outside strike to .400 in what he called his "happy zone," the heart of the plate belt high. In 1941, that happy zone was obviously ecstatic; Williams hit .406 that year, the last to break the magic .400 barrier.
Customer Comments
Tom Pierce , 05/07/97, rating=10:
The Bible of hitting a baseball
Truly one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Ted Williams, has outlined his techniques and philosophy of batting. Ted dives into the intracate details of the science of hitting a baseball. There are plenty of diagrams that help to understand his concepts. This book is a must for the serious player and the beginner alike.
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Hardcover, 320 pages |
Reviews and Commentary for Ted Williams : A Tribute
Sports and Outdoors Editor's Recommended Book, 03/16/98:
The fun of this celebration of one of baseball's greatest hitters is not in the expected encomiums from a clubhouse of fellow ballplayers, the many nostalgic photographs, or even the bits of Williams collectibles it displays. It's in the tribute's surprises, and there are many: Shoeless Joe author W. P. Kinsella's fictional reportage of an imagined encounter between Williams and Jackson; senator John Glenn's recollection of flying fighter missions with Williams in Korea; basketball coach Bobby Knight's account of a plane ride with Williams for a fishing trip in Russia; and the tribute's valedictory, Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle's emotional panegyric to the 50th anniversary of the season Williams hit .406. Whether Teddy Ballgame is the greatest hitter who ever lived is certainly debatable; that he is unquestionably one of the most appreciated and studied is evident on every page of this splendid homage.
Synopsis:
Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams is probably the greatest hitter who ever lived, yet he is much more. He is a man who fought for his country in World War II and Korea, and a man who spoke up eloquently for the induction of blacks to the Hall of Fame before it was popular to do so. Ted Williams: A Tribute pays unique homage to a man whose impact transcends the sport. Color photos.
The author, Jim Prime E-Mail: jprime@istar.ca , 03/01/98:
A comment from the co-author..
My name is Jim Prime and I am co-author of Ted Williams: A Tribute. I also co-authored, with the Splendid Splinter himself, Ted Williams Hit List, a ranking of the greatest hitters of all time (available in paperback this spring). Ted Williams: A Tribute was a labor of love. Everyone from Robert Redford to George Steinbrenner to George Bush provided wonderful remarks about Ted. I would enjoy hearing from readers.
The author, Bill Nowlin (billn@rounder.com) , 12/05/97:
author comments on TED WILLIAMS: A TRIBUTE
This book was a great pleasure to work on for Jim and myself. I grew up in Boston and Ted was my childhood hero. In the course of our work on the book, I myself interviewed over 175 people, and we could only fit a portion of that into the book itself. It was a lot of fun "talking Ted" to so many people who were inspired by him in one way or another in their lives. I want to continue to collect stories, and to read what people think of the book. Please be in touch.
Customer Comments
from Boston , 04/03/98, rating=10:
I've read a lot of books on Ted and this one is tops!
I've read just about all the books on Ted and this one is right up there. I can't believe the interviews these authors got - from John Glenn on serving with Ted in Korea to the connection between Ted and Jack Kerouac. Some very touching stories, too, about "The Kid and The Kids." Ted made all kinds of time for kids with cancer. There isn't that much on Ted's controversial son or on his family life in general. It seems like the authors were respectful of his privacy. There must be a couple of hundred photos before, and many of them I'd never seen. I didn't think there was that much more to be said about Ted - boy, was I wrong. I highly recommend this book.
Say Hey : The Autobiography of Willie Mays
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Rep Edition
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Reviews and Commentary for Say Hey : The Autobiography of Willie Mays
Synopsis:
From the Negro Leagues to the National League to the Hall of Fame, here is the story of one of the all-time greats. Mays recalls his childhood in rural Alabama, his early playing career, and his life as a star rookie in the glory days of New York baseball.
The Chicago Cubs : Memories and Memorabilia of the Wrigley Wonders
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Hardcover, 156 pages |
Reviews and Commentary for The Chicago Cubs : Memories and Memorabilia of the Wrigley Wonders
Synopsis:
Fans and collectors can capture that "let's play two" feeling all over again in this fondly remembered scrapbook of Cubs history. Features the early days of dominance through the last pennant win of 1945 to the "almost" season of 1969, along with the jersies, caps, balls, and bats of legend. 200 illustrations, 150 in color.
Wrigleyville : A Magical History Tour of the Chicago Cubs
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Paperback, 560 pages |
Reviews and Commentary for Wrigleyville : A Magical History Tour of the Chicago Cubs
Synopsis:
One of America's best-known writers about sports turns his attentions to the team that has won and broken the hearts of generations of fans--the Chicago Cubs. Utilizing dozens of personal interviews with players, coaches, fans, sportswriters, and clubhouse personnel, as well as newspaper archives and rare out-of-print memoirs, Golenbock has created a perfect gift for every baseball fan. 50 photos. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title.
Synopsis:
One of America's best-known writers about sports turns his attentions to the team that has won and broken the hearts of generations of fans--the Chicago Cubs. Utilizing dozens of personal interviews with players, coaches, fans, sportswriters, and clubhouse personnel, as well as newspaper archives and rare out-of-print memoirs, Golenbock has created a perfect gift for every baseball fan. 50 photos. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title.
Customer Comments
03/23/98, rating=8:
If you grew up with the Cubs, you need to own this book.
I have to admit a bias in that I am an insufferable Cubs fan, one who spent more than a few childhood days at Wrigley Field. Despite that, Golenbock's book enlightened me to things I am ashamed to say I did not know. For instance, I had no idea the Cubs' original name was the White Stockings. I had assumed all along they were the Cubs. That revelation took some getting used to, for if you're a lifelong Cubs fan, you can't admit to accepting anything White Sox.
That aside, Wrigleyville isn't exactly filled with heretofore unknown information, but it does go into particular detail about pre-1900s Cubs history that you're unlikely to find anywhere else. Golenbock seems to have spent the bulk of his energy on the pre-WWII period, and appears to assume the reader is already a Cubs fan with post WWII knowledge. That isn't a complaint, merely an observation. The chapters devoted to Cap Anson, Albert Spaulding, Mike Kelly and Frank Chance are filled with stories even Ernie Banks couldn't have known.
Which brings me to my next point. While the passages from Dickie Noles, Darold Knowles and Gene Oliver were entertaining, where were Ernie Banks, Jim Hickman, Phil Regan, Joe Amalfitano, Don Kessinger, Paul Popovich, Bill Madlock etc....? The one paragraph attributed to Joe Pepitone appeared verbatim in his own book. However, as someone who grew up with the Cubs since the late Sixties, it was extremely enlightening to hear from Glenn Beckert, Randy Hundley and Ron Santo. That, however, made the dearth of information from Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston, Andre Dawson, Keith Moreland, Leon Durham, Jody Davis and Jim Frey all the more glaring.
But please don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be without this book. Until now, the idiosyncrasies of P.K. Wrigley were only a rumor, and while we always had him to blame for the College of Coaches and the Lou Brock trade, I would now like to thank him for holding out on night baseball and thereby adding to the considerable charm of Wrigley Field.
One last thing. In light of the recent passing of the legendary Harry Caray, and the obvious reverence in which Golenbock holds him, it is lamentable there isn't more from him here. Golenbock ends the book with what amounts to a mini-tribute to Harry, and since he makes the correct observation that the current editions of the Cubs are synonomous with Harry, it would have been nice to have had him flesh out that concept to its conclusion. Because, to paraphrase more than one interviewee, my idea of Heaven is being at Wrigley Field on a weekday afternoon in July with Grace in the on-deck circle and Harry at the mike, warbling yet another rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" as I order another Old Style and tell the story of how I saw Hank Aaron make the final out for Ken Holtzman's no-hitter in 1969. Ahhh, you can't beat fun at the ol' ballpark.... --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title.
A Reader from Rockaway, NJ , 12/19/97, rating=8:
A great book about how important baseball used to be
Peter Golenbock, though a thorough history of the Chicago Cubs, brings us back to the beginnings of Chicago baseball and teaches us how baseball became such a passionate past-time for many, many people. Baseball and the Cubs were such an important part of so many people's lives from the late 19th century through the 1930s. And Golenbock traces this fanaticism right through the lean decades, basically mirroring the demise of the team and the sport. Make no mistake about it: baseball was king and the Cubs ruled Chicago. The author takes you right into the hearts and minds of the fans and players as he weaves through the history with many great interviews. Not to be overlooked is P.K. Wrigley's major contibution to baseball and his determination to keep Wrigley field "beautiful." Oh, to be at a Cubs game on a summer afternoon (of course) in 1935!
If They Don't Win It's a Shame : The Year the Marlins Bought the World Series
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Hardcover, 256 pages |
Reviews and Commentary for If They Don't Win It's a Shame : The Year the Marlins Bought the World Series
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Synopsis:
Not since the publication of "Ball Four" has a book captured the reality of baseball like this one. "If They Don't Win It's a Shame" takes readers behind the scenes, into the clubhouse, onto the field, and into the grandstands to explore the attitudes and behaviors, trials and tribulations, of the players, fans, managers, and front office personnel caught in the heat of a pennant race. Photos
The publisher, McGregor Publishing - Mcgregpub@AOL.com , 03/11/98:
USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY - MARCH 11, 1998
"Just when we thought we couldn't learn anything more about the 1997 Florida Marlins, along comes the best season-insider book since John Feinstein's "A Season On The Brink"... Rosenbaum paints an accurate picture of the perfect 90's mercenary team, one already scattered throughout baseball. The book's best value might be as a historic account of a season that already seems very long ago." Pete Williams, USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY
The publisher, McGregor Publishing - Mcgreg@AOL.COM , 01/09/98:
Advance praise for "If They Don't Win It's A Shame"
"This is the other side of the Major League Baseball story - the one America never gets to see. It's about the warts and the boils...the over-paid and the over-protected...life among the heroic and the not so heroic. It is the sometimes funny, sometimes angry but always honest story of a triumphant big league season in the sun. Step inside the locker room - you will never get another chance like this one. Dave Rosenbaum has done a hell of a job." Jerry Izenberg - Columnist, Star-Ledger
Tim McCarver, 
