Quick Book Reviews

I have been reading a ton and do not feel like spending a lot of time looking at each individual book.  In particular since these books are ones that I have read before.  This is at least the second, sometimes the third time I have read each of the books to follow.

HITTER: THE LIFE AND TURMOILS OF TED WILLIAMS by Ed Linn

I was given this book many years ago by the girl I was dating at the time.  She was the most understanding girlfriend about my Red Sox obsession and got me a couple of Ted Williams books, a Carlton Fisk bobblehead, and a Trot Nixon jersey.  This is a an incredibly in-depth book that does not necessarily treat Williams sympathetically all the time.  Williams was a petulant young man when he made it to the Majors, prone to mental lapses in the field and concerned mostly about his hitting.  It did however show him as an incredibly thoughtful player when it came to his hitting.  The book did not deal much with his off-field life, in particular his life after baseball.  It did deal with his military service in depth, which was an impressive part of the overall Ted Williams story.  All in all, it was an intriguing look at the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.

RED SOX NATION: AN EXPURGATED HISTORY OF THE BOSTON RED SOX by Peter Golenbock

This is a nice thick book that I first read in spring 2006.  I remember having this book with me when I went to Boston to see the Red Sox play the Devil Rays at Fenway Park.  I read the whole thing during the few weeks between graduating from law school and beginning my Bar Exam Prep course.  This book is mostly told through the observations of players, fan, and writers that were there to witness the events.  As such it is a little short on information prior to Tom Yawkey's reign.  I would have liked more information, particularly about the 1920's-1932 since that is an era not covered very often in books.  The rest of the book though was thoroughly researched and intriguing.  The book actually carries through the 2004 World Championship.  Again, this is something that pleased me quite a bit as I do not have many books from the World Championship.

THE TEAMMATES: A PORTRAIT OF A FRIENDSHIP by David Halberstam

A very short story taking a look at the remarkable friendship between Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky which continued long after the foursome retired from the Major Leagues.  The book is mostly told through flashbacks and the narrative device is the long road trip that DiMaggio and Pesky took to see Ted Williams just prior to his death.  Doerr was unable to be present due to his wife's illness.  It is a quick read and does discuss the careers that the four players had as well as their lives after their careers were over.  It is unfortunate that Doerr is the last of these four players still alive.

THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO by Dan Shaughnessy

This is actually the first Red Sox book I ever read.  Of course you can tell from the cover that it is quite a bit out of date.  The book covers the supposed curse that affected the Red Sox from the time they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees and covers the repeated inabilities of the Red Sox to win the World Series.  The particular moments are the 1946 World Series (Johnny Pesky holding the ball and Enos Slaughter's mad dash for home), 1948 playoff game (Denny Galehouse), 1949 season (Ellis Kinder being pinch-hit for in the last game), the early 70's folds, 1975 World Series, 1978 playoff game (Bucky Bleepin' Dent), and the 1986 World Series (Bill Buckner's error).  Shaughnessy's theory is that there is a curse.  More likely it has all been bad luck.  Of course Boston has since won the World Series twice in 2004 and 2007.