1 comments about The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M..

1. Bing Devine became the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958, and I fondly remember those Cardinals teams from the 1960's onward. We have heard about the Cardinals in books from Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Bob Gibson, Bob Broeg, and others. Missing has been the story of their marvelous General Manager, Bing Devine. Just as Bill Veeck will always be associated with Eddie Gaedel, Bing Devine will always be associated with the acquisition of Lou Brock from the Chicago Cubs in 1964 in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio. It was Devine that brought together the 1964 All-Star game starting infield of Boyer, Groat, Javier, and White. The latter three all acquired in trades by Devine. Devine provides us with his viewpoint of his mid-season firing in 1964 when his team then went on to win the National League pennant and the World Series against the Yankees. Manager Johnny Keane was to be fired at the end of the season, before the team fooled owner Gussie Busch and won it all. Devine also explains his tenious relationship with Branch Rickey who Mr. Busch had brought in as a "senior consultant." I knew that Mr. Busch was unhappy with GM Devine and manager Johnny Keane due to a problem with shortstop Dick Groat, but I never knew the reason for it. Groat was unhappy that Keane had taken away permission from Groat to use the hit-and-run play on his own. Busch got word there was a problem with Groat, but Devine, believing the problem had been solved, didn't tell Busch when Busch asked him if he had anything to tell him. Devine then went on to join the New York Mets for three years before being rehired again as GM of the Cardinals. Devine also explains his dislike of being ordered by Mr. Busch to trade pitchers Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss against Devine's better judgment. Bing Devine does not bad mouth anybody in the book. He just gives his opinions regarding the trading of players, and his relationships with the people he has worked with over the years. As a measure of the respect Devine is held, he is now 88 years old and still is involved in an active capacity with his beloved Cardinals. St. Louis has a tremendous baseball tradition and history, and Bing Devine is responsible for a great part of it. Thank you, Mr. Devine, for this book. We needed to hear your viewpoint.

No comments about Extra Bases: Reflections on Jackie Robinson, Race, and Baseball History.

5 comments about Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball.

1. There is no question that Jackie Robinson is a genuine American hero; his stoic acceptance of the abuse he endured in his first year with the Dodgers was fierce. The significance of the integration of major league baseball cannot be overstated in the overall move towards the overthrow of all racial barriers. As Simon so aptly points out, Robinson's life was truly in danger; America had an internal terrorist cell operating for decades with the tacit support of large segments of the population and law enforcement. The purpose of that cell was to keep people of color in their place and they never hesitated to kill when it served their purposes. Black people and their white supporters were still being murdered two decades after Robinson first took the field for the Dodgers.
   Independent of the reasons that motivated them; you also have to be proud of the actions of the other people on the Dodgers. It all starts with Branch Rickey, who despite his faults; was a visionary who did this because he wanted to win and it was the right thing to do. There was manager Leo Durocher, hardly a saint, who was emphatic with the Dodger players in telling them Robinson was going to play because he would help them win and that was the only thing that mattered. There was southerner Eddie Stanky, who screamed at the Phillie players who were issuing racial taunts at Robinson, calling them cowards for picking on someone who could not fight back. Finally, there was Pee Wee Reese, who called time at one of the most brutal moments, to walk over to Robinson and comfort him.
   The primary message from this book is that Jackie Robinson succeeded because he was a great player and he brought out the best in the game of baseball. After his Dodger teammates and the Dodger fans realized his worth, they accepted him because he helped them win and in sports, that is all that should matter.



2. Mr. Simon is an esteemed radio journalist, but this book hardly qualifies for even the low standards of sports journalism. Many factual errors, and Mr. Simon spends almost as much time coming up with excuses for why the Red Sox were the last team to integrate, as he does celebrating Jackie Robinson and those who spurred the re-integration of "Organized Baseball." This dashed-off effort completely overlooks that Blacks WERE previously in Organized Baseball, but were booted out.



3. This little book--small in dimensions and hardly over 100 pages in length--should be on everyone's bookshelf. Whether you remember watching Jackie Robinson play (as I do), or whether he's just a name from the distant past; whether you're white (as I am), or black, or any other race, creed or color; whether you're a baseball fan (like me) or someone who couldn't care less about the National Pastime, Jackie Robinson's story is for everyone.

   The only reason I didn't give this book a 5-star rating is that there's really nothing new in it; if you already know the saga of Robinson's integration of baseball you aren't likely to learn a lot of news things about it here. But Scott Simon writes beautifully and movingly and retells this great American story with verve and directness.

   I've read that there are professional baseball players today (even black players!) who barely have any idea who Robinson was or what he endured. His story should never be forgotten and this wonderful book will help assure that Robinson's memory endures.




4. This book offers nothing in the way of original research or new conclusions about the integration of organized baseball; it is full of errors, special pleading, and misplaced nostalgia. It also fails to acknowlege its debt to the superior work of others, especially Jules Tygiel (*Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy*) and John C. Chalberg (*Rickey and Robinson: The Preacher, the Player and America's Game*). Purchase either of the latter books (or both) and give this misconceived vanity effort a pass.



5. This book is a perfect two-hour read for a Saturday morning after listening to the author on NPR's Saturday Morning Edition. The reader can hear Mr. Simon's distinctive and familiar voice when reading the pages. The book is not intended to be a comprehensive history on baseball's integration or a biography of Jackie Robinson, as noted in the opening pages. Rather, it provides just the right amount of background on Mr. Robinson and Mr. Richey, as well as the context surrounding events. Mr. Simon's notes and examples stimulate readers to learn more about particular people and events. I particularly recommend this book (and possibly the series from the list of forthcoming books) as a quick read for adults and teenagers who desire to read about the people and events that shaped our nation, yet must balance the responsibilities of family, work and community, which may prevent them from reading longer books.

2 comments about Mickey Mantle: Before the Glory.

1. I was hoping for something a little more exciting. A really dry read.



2. i knew the mick for 40 years and this helped me learn even more about his young life even when i thought i knew most everything.
   this is a great job by the author and i thank him for his book
   BOB SARRA

3 comments about Harry Agganis, " the Golden Greek": An All-American Story.

1. The Greek-American community owe Dabilis and Tsiotis a great debt of gratitude for the service they have provided by publishing the stories of Agganis and Kyriakides.



2. Arguably New England's finest all-around athlete, Harry Agganis' life represents the ultimate greek tragedy. Blessed with unprecedented athletic talent, Agganis was struck down in the prime of his life. His love of sports was equalled only by his love of family. Nick Tsiotos and Andy Dabilis capture the true essence of Agganis. This is must read for all sports fans.



3. A great look at the life of an exceptional young man who's legacy should be passed on.

2 comments about My Greatest Day in Baseball.

1. This is a very enjoyable compilation of first-person accounts of their top day in baseball by the game's greatest stars. We hear from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Christy Mathewson, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Brock, Cy Young and many others. Some of the 36 first-person tales are from the World Series; others are from regular season games. We hear Ty Cobb discuss the day his Tigers took the 1907 pennant, Leo Durocher as his Brooklyn Dodgers did likewise in 1941, Sandy Koufax throwing a perfect game in 1965, Roger Maris hitting 61 homers in 1961, and many equally interesting tales. The player remembrances were told to sportswriters like Jack Orr and John Carmichael, who gave us nicely readable prose. This book is dated but clearly worth reading.



2. Do you get a chill when you see names like Ruth, Cobb, and Gehrig in an actual box score--a box score from a bygone era that omits runs-batted-in and sometimes even times at bat? Have you ever heard about the "Merkle boner," Walter Johnson's dramatic first world series victory (in relief!), unknown Howard Ehmke starting a world series game instead of the great Lefty Grove and setting a strikeout record against the heavy-hitting Chicago Cubs (yes, the Cubs), Pete Reiser's Dodgers heading toward a pennant, Tinker to Evers to Chance? If so, you'll love this well-written, nostalgic look at baseball the way it used to be (before 1945). Though these first-person accounts were written by leading sportswriters of that era, the personalities of the players come through clearly. Some old-time (if occasionally fuzzy) pictures add to the fun. Highly recommended.

3 comments about The Autobiography of Baseball: The Inside Story from the Stars Who Played the Game.

1. This is one of the most informative(from the player perspective) books on baseball I've ever seen. Good narrative riddled with excerpts from interviews and autobiographies of the players who've made this the most beautiful sport around. Highlights include Willie Stargell's harrowing brush with Texas racism in the minors, psychological terrorism tips from Ty Cobb, playing through agony with Gary Carter and Roberto Clemente, what if's from Judy Johnson and Monte Irvin and dealing with the loneliness of language barriers in a strange land by Juan Marichal.
   Humor comes from a bit on illegal pitches featuring Gaylord Perry and Burleigh Grimes, as well as Joe Sewell's innovative way to deal with a bunt down the third base line...that one led to an overnight rule change. There is also an amusing debate over who threw the first curve ball and how corn cobs made Paul Waner a better hitter.
   There is also tragedy. The Carl Mays fastball that killed Ray Chapman is dealt with in these pages.
   The oral history is striking and wonderful, but the rare photos are even better. Clear photos grace nearly every page, many of which I have never had the pleasure of seeing. If you love baseball with even half the passion that I embrace it , you must own this book. It's time to see what was going on before sportscenter.

   Despite claims to the contrary by previous reviewers there are no stories related by Barry Bonds and this book is not in chronological order. It is, however, made to order. Slip off the dust jacket and enjoy.




2. This book is a unique approach to examining the
   national pastime of the USA. It is a picture book
   that visits various eras of the game in chronological
   order, along with quotes from the era's greatest stars,
   many of whom are enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame in
   Cooperstown, New York. You get to see the quotes of some
   great players. The photography alone makes the book a
   treasured keepsake. If you love baseball history, this
   book is for you. The photography mixed with comments

   about the game itself from those who participate in it
   is a great concept in itself.




3. This is a different sort of "best" book and takes the concept of oral history to a new level. Previously the players in such collections shared a common theme, like a team or time frame. But Wallace wonders what it would be like to sit down old-timers with contemporary players for a discussion of their craft. Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds . . . Bob Feller and Greg Maddux . . . brothers of the diamond shooting the breeze. Using excerpts from old interviews, Wallace seamlessly blends the generations as they regale us in tales about the pressures a rookie faces, the joy of the cheers, and the heartbreak of realizing it's time to hang 'em up. The choice of illustrations works extremely well in enhancing the stories.

1 comments about Mickey Mantle (Biography (a & E)).

1. I did a book report on this two years ago. I the whole book. But had Alot of bad language in it. It tells you alot about him but not great for young children to read for reports. I read that when I was 10.

4 comments about The Life That Ruth Built: A Biography.

1. This biography, although scholarly, is entertaining throughout and easily read. Smelser was a life long baseball fan and his love of the game animates every page. As an undergraduate at Notre Dame, I studied under the author. Now deceased, he was a professor of history. Smelser demanded from his students the thorough research he displays in this book. But he was also a wonderful storyteller. Both qualities are apparent in this work. Like the best biographers, the author has only mild affection for his subject. The Babe's qualities and failings get equal attention. But today, when the word "superstar" is wildly overrused, you see the extraordinary level of fame this man achieved. If you really want to understand the Babe's life, read this book.



2. Some legends are larger than life. Some legends are made up. Then there's Babe Ruth, than man by which all other baseball players are measured, even today. George Herman Ruth comes to life in this riveting, yet easy to read biography by Marshall Smelser.

   You follow the bambino from his early days at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys to his early days with the Boston Red Sox. You read about his turmoil with the fans, his trade to the New York Yankees, that later became the curse of the Bambino.

   Smelser's accounts of Ruth's life from his first wife to the run ins with Yankees manager Miller Huggins to the called shot in the 1934 World Series and so many others, will have laughing on minute and on the brink of tears the very next.

   I have always been a great Babe Ruth fan; so reviewing this book was a no brainer. Smelser writing style made it easy for me to read along and finally get a true picture of the man so many either loved or hated. I would highly recommend this book to any serious baseball fan!




3. It is a book about a hero that evrybody thought was perfect. In this book you get to see the life behind the face. There are so many legend and this book so the truth and tells you the miths.



4. every sentence filled with facts. research done is tremendous. best sports book i ever read.

5 comments about Rickey and Robinson: The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier.

1. "A vivid account of how Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey shattered baseball's age old color line. A must read for baseball fans everywhere. A wonderful book so ably pulled together by noted baseball historian and journalist Harvey Frommer."



2. ===========================================================
   "Just a terrific book. It fills in so many of the blanks about the story of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey. It's like a history lesson. And the intro by Monte Irvin puts it over the top." - - -Billy Sample, MLB Radio
   =================================================================



3. Pinstripe Press
   Rickey and Robinson
   The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier
   Blending exclusive interviews with Rachel Robinson, Mack Robinson (Jackie's brother), Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Ralph Kiner and others,
   - The Pinstripe Press

   Celebrated author Harvey Frommer evokes the lives of Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey and heralded baseball player Jackie Robinson to describe how they worked together to shatter baseball's color line.
   "This book clearly illustrates the elegance and class that BOTH men showed on the field and off. Frommer has provided a fresh perspective and a testament to overcoming adversity in the face of ignorance. Rickey and Robinson is a must read for hardcore baseball fans everywhere."




4. The Story Of Rickey And Robinson
   by Russ Cohen
   BASEBALLOLOGY.COM

   If you have never heard of Branch Rickey or Jackie Robinson, boy do I have a book for you, it's called Rickey and Robinson: The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier! Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest multi-sport athletes to ever walk the earth and Branch Rickey was the guy with the guts that gave Robinson his chance to shine, it's a truly amazing story.

   Rickey was a lawyer with a rich history that will amaze you in this book. As always author Harvey Frommer goes into tremendous detail to shed even more light on a great story!

   Robinson was a true American hero and this book talks to all the right people to give you a feel of how Jackie felt and was feeling during his playing career. The book also points out how he was a civil right's activist as well.

   The book talks a lot about the Negro Leagues and mentions even more players that you may not have heard of that unfortunately never made it to the bigs. Anytime you can read about Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella and Satchel Paige you are in for a fun time.

   Jackie died a young man at the age of fifty-three-years of age. This great man had to endure more stress, on and off the field, than most people could imagine. His funeral had 2,500 mourners and when you see the names you will see the type of respect that Robinson garnered.

   The author does a great job of keeping the final chapter of Robinson's life as upbeat as possible. It was sad but there was so much good to reflect on and the book did that. The afterword was a nice little story and the boxscore of Robinson's first game along with Rickey's player and managerial record are priceless.

   Buy this book now




5. ******************************************************** ...
   Professional athletes are probably no more ignorant of history than the rest of us, but there was something especially disturbing about the number of modern players who, in 1997, during the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the baseball color line, revealed that they didn't know who he was. Pollsters probably didn't ask, but it's likely even fewer would have known who Branch Rickey was. That black players in particular, whose careers follow the path that these men blazed, do not comprehend and honor the debt is most troubling of all. Anyone wishing to remedy their own lack of knowledge, and even those who think they already know the whole story, will find Harvey Frommer's Rickey and Robinson an invaluable resource and a truly moving read.

   Mr. Frommer had the novel idea of structuring the book as parallel biographies of the two men, their stories overlapping and lives knitting together for that remarkable period of years when they, almost by themselves, integrated major league baseball. Jackie Robinson's is the better known tale, from UCLA to the Army to the Negro Leagues to the Dodgers' minor leagues and then to Brooklyn, with a significant career in business and politics afterwards. And most baseball fans will be familiar with Branch Rickey's reputation as an innovator, his most lasting contributions, besides integration, to the game including the batting helmet and the organized minor league farm system. Met fans too will recall Ralph Kiner's stories about how tight-fisted and patronizing (in both the positive and negative senses) Rickey was with his players. But Mr. Frommer gives us a full picture of the man, of his religious background (which seems to have played no small part in his willingness to be a racial pioneer), his keen mind for the game and for business, and his endless maneuvering to improve his teams. Each man led a life full enough to support a biography of his own. Here we get both and they're fascinating.

   But the event that defined their lives was the meeting on August 28, 1945, at Brooklyn Dodgers headquarters, between Rickey and Robinson. It's astonishing to realize that this first time the men ever met, Branch Rickey asked Jackie Robinson to take on the daunting task of being the first black man to play organized white baseball (at least since the color bar had been erected decades earlier). But Rickey had made a true project of the whole idea, had scouted the Negro Leagues and the personal backgrounds of the prospective players thoroughly, and he knew Robinson was uniquely well-suited-- by his ability, his intelligence, his education, his relatively middle-class California upbringing, and his temperament, desire, and will--to bear the burdens. And so "The Meeting" was not just a get acquainted session, but an opportunity for Rickey to probe and to prepare Robinson, even to the point of demonstrating the kind of taunts he should expect to hear, before offering him the bittersweet role of, as he put it: "carrying the reputation of a race on your shoulders."

   The whole book is enjoyable but it is this chapter that really sings. The Meeting has been the subject of books, film, stageplay, and more, but it's never been told better than here, with high drama and a sense of history, but also with an immediacy that makes the reader feel like he's a fly on the wall in Rickey's office those sixty years ago. No one can understand what happened in baseball and in American society over those sixty years without knowing the story of Rickey and Robinson and, Mr. Frommer having given us such a rewarding and readable book about the men and their noble achievement, there's no excuse for not knowing it.
   *****************************************************