Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life Review

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Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life ReviewThis revealing autobiography of slugger Hank Greenberg (1911-1986) makes for excellent reading. Greenberg was baseball's first Jewish superstar, a massive (6-4, 215 lbs), popular, intelligent player. Greenberg's immigrant parents disliked his decision to play baseball, but by the mid-1930's he was slugging the Detroit Tigers to pennants and his mother found herself a celebrity in her mostly-Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx. Greenberg's popularity probably reduced the amount of anti-Semitic abuse he faced - abuse that he often answered with his bat. Greenberg lost nearly five seasons to military service during World War II, and he left the game after 1947 to become a talented baseball executive and later an investment broker. All is described in these readable pages, along with Greenberg's views on famous controversies. Did opposing hurlers purposely walk him as he closed in on Babe Ruth's home run record in 1938? Was he unfairly drafted prior to Pearl Harbor? Should he play on major Jewish holidays? His answers ("no") are given at length. In his last year with Pittsburgh, Greenberg also encouraged a rookie named Jackie Robinson who faced similar but much greater abuse.
Greenberg was intelligent, dedicated, and surprisingly modest. He passed away before this book was finished, at which point journalist Ira Berkow filled in the gaps with interviews and anecdotes. This is an intelligent and readable biography about one of baseball's most impressive men.
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Another Time Another Place Review

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Another Time Another Place ReviewFor anyone who lived in or near Brooklyn's Brownsville section at any time prior to the early 1960s, this book is sheer nostalgia. By having interviewed a substantial number of people (many of whom now live in Florida), the authors do an outstanding job of conveying the flavor of "the old neighborhood" in days gone by. At the end of the book there's a series of interviews with Brownsville celebrities, that is people who went on to become nationally famous, including Steve Lawrence and "Grandpa Munster" Al Lewis.
The authors clearly convey a picture of Brownsville in its heyday as a nuturing neighborhood and the experience of having grown up there as not at all unlike my vision of small-town America--a place where people knew and cared about one another.
Perhaps small-town America is still like that. However, one would be hard presssed to find an urban neighborhood that could be called nurturing anywhere in America today.
I only wish the authors had told us more about the history of Brownsville all the way up to the present time and why the neighborhood changed so drastically, but perhaps that was beyond their purpose. Still one can't help but wonder what became of the elderly people who had lived there all or most of their lives and were "left behind" through no fault of their own when the area turned into a crime-ridden slum.Another Time Another Place OverviewThe Brownsville/East New York neighborhood of the 1930's, 40's and 50's is now but an almost faded memory, a "time warp" as it were. Today it is a neighborhood that has been eviscerated and exists only as a geographic locale. Through the collective memories of the famous and the not-so-famous, Jerry Chatanow and Bernie Schwartz have elicited and chronicled a treasure trove of anecdotes and remembrances that bring back to life a once vibrant and exhilarating neighborhood. The authors vividly transport the reader back to a bygone era of street games, egg creams, mello rolls and knishes, patriotism at the home front, plush movie palaces, the Dodgers, the Knicks, boxing venues, old time radio and the neighborhood settlement houses with its open doors waiting to welcome the teeming masses. Anyone from small town or big city who was ever enriched by the nurturing warmth, the loyalties and camaraderie of a "neighborhood" will enjoy this major contribution to the oral history of America. This is a story told within the context of this country's transformation from "The Great Depression" to World War Two to "Baby Boomer" prosperity. The authors were both observers of and participants in what in retrospect proved to be a triumphant generation.

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Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story Review

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Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story ReviewVince Scully the legendary Hall Of Fame announcer for the Brooklyn and now Los Angeles Dodgers... is nearing his sixtieth complete year of broadcasting. I happen to have been blessed to listen to Vinnie as a young boy in New York... and then miraculously... our family moved to Los Angeles the same exact year as the Dodgers... so I have never missed a single year of Vinnie's poetic... magical... announcing of our families beloved Dodgers from the time I was old enough to know the difference between a ball and a strike... till today... when as a Grandfather I listen to Vinnie with my grandchild. This is a book that is long over do... but unfortunately... I'm sad to say it is disappointing for a number of reasons.
Since Vinnie did not participate in the development of this book the author depends entirely on historical quotes... and on countless occasions many sentences and paragraphs include numerous quotes from multiple individuals... and many times the same section has more than one quote from the same individual... IN NO LOGICAL SEQUENCE... and the reader becomes dumbfounded as to which quotes came from which individuals. At times such as these the flow of the story comes to a standstill as the reader literally scratches his head and tries to figure out who said what.
There are also numerous typos and/or sentences that just don't make sense. Such as page forty-eight when the author writes: "IT WOULDN'T HAVE GONE THROUGH THE (BROOKLYN) FENCE." "MUSED CAMPANELLA. MIGHT HAVE GONE THROUGH IT, THOUGH." Huh?? Or on page ninety-nine "THE KID YOU'D LIKE TO SEE RINGING YOUR DOORBELL WHEN YOU DAUGHTER STARTS DATING." There are also important historical mistakes such as the stating that in 1966 Koufax won his third straight Cy Young award. That is incorrect. Koufax didn't win three straight awards... though he did win the Cy Young in 1963,1965 and 1966. The reader is also let down when the most famous baseball fight in modern history involving the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers when Giant Juan Marichal hit Dodger catcher Johnnie Roseboro over the head with a bat is discussed, and none of the prior game detail that culminated in this horrendous event is covered.
When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles Vinnie and the transistor radio is what fueled the Dodgers growth in popularity as much as the team itself. Every member of the family from Grandma and Grandpa... to Mom and Dad... and the kids... all knew Vince Scully simply... and lovingly... by one word "VINNIE". He was a one name superstar way before Madonna... Britney... Magic and Michael. Vinnie was voted *THE MOST MEMORABLE PERSONALITY IN THE HISTORY OF THE LOS ANGELES DODGER FRANCHISE!* This book chronologically covers all the bases in Scully's career... but it is not an easy read due to the sloppiness mentioned earlier. What may or may not be an interesting coincidence... is that this book and the last shoddy baseball book I read... were both mysteriously delivered a couple of weeks "earlier" than the original release dates that had been posted on Amazon for months. Perhaps the publishers cut down on quality control to simply get the books out quicker than originally scheduled for some unknown marketing reasons. If so... I hope they learned their lesson.
Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story OverviewIn 1950, Vin Scully broadcast his first major league baseball game for the then-Brooklyn Dodgers. Nearly sixty years later he still invites a listener to 'pull up a chair," completing a record fifty-ninth consecutive year of play-by-play. Recruited and mentored by the legendary Red Barber, the New York-born Scully moved with the Dodgers to Los Angeles in early 1958. His instantly recognizable voice has described players from Duke Snider to Orel Hershiser to Manny Ramirez, with hundreds in between.At one time or another, Scully has aired NBC Television's Game of the Week, twelve All-Star Games, eighteen no-hitters, twenty-five World Series, and network football, golf, and tennis. He has made every sportscasting Hall of Fame; received a Lifetime Emmy Achievement award and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and been voted 'most memorable [L.A. Dodgers] franchise personality." In 2000, the American Sportscasters Association named Scully the Sportscaster of the 20th Century.The first biography of Vin Scully is long overdue. Curt Smith-to USA Today, 'The voice of authority on baseball broadcasting"-is the ideal man to write it. Scully opens each broadcast by wishing listeners, 'A very pleasant good afternoon." Pull Up a Chair will provide a reader with the same.

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Taking on the Yankees: Winning and Losing in the Business of Baseball, 1903 to 2003 Review

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Taking on the Yankees: Winning and Losing in the Business of Baseball, 1903 to 2003 ReviewI really enjoyed this book. I head about it reading a review in the Wall Street Journal. When I first saw the phrase "the business of baseball" in the title I was fearful. But this was no review of accounting ledgers. It was instead a lively tour though the history of baseball with a focus on its most successful, and colorful team. It debunked many myths that I always carried around in my head (e.g. that my beloved Red Sox sold the Bambino to finance a play), and constantly got me thinking about the role of baseball in society and society in baseball. I thought it just as good in discussing free agency and the labor agreements of the last few years as it was covering the early history of the game. The author had a point of view, but it didn't get in the way of a clear and objective telling of the story. Best of all, it was just fun to read.Taking on the Yankees: Winning and Losing in the Business of Baseball, 1903 to 2003 Overview

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Through a Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein 1937-1957 Review

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Through a Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein 1937-1957 ReviewForests have been felled with books written about the much beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. Roger Kahn, Carl Erskine, Red Barber, and numerous others have relished telling us what life was like with Brooklyn baseball, especially from the years 1947 through 1957. In addition, numerous authors have written about Jackie Robinson. However, author Dennis D'Agostino and Bonnie Crosby, daughter of Barney Stein, who was the official photographer of the Brooklyn Dodgers have put together several of Barney's photographs of his years in covering the Dodgers from 1937 through their last season of 1957 in Brooklyn. These are photos not seen before in other books, and numerous details are provided that the reader may otherwise overlook in the picture. I'm fortunate to have the book entitled "The Rhubarb Patch" published in 1954 with Barney Stein's photos and text by Red Barber, and this new effort is a treasure trove of photos from this historical era. One photo that has been often seen is of Jackie Robinson stealing home in the 1955 World Series on pages 90 and 91. The view we are given shows the entire dugout and many of the fans in the stands, several dressed in neckties and fedoras. The on-deck batter for the Dodgers, Frank Kellert, appears to have the best view of whether Robinson was safe or out. When asked for his opinion on the play Kellert drew the rath of Robinson by answering, "I thought he was out." Not mentioned in the caption, but seated in the front row of the stands is "The Big O", Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley, nattily attired in suit and tie. I'm thankful I can remember the Dodgers of the 1950's, but whether you are old enough to do so or not, if you enjoy baseball history, I would highly recommend, yes, one more book on the Brooklyn Dodgers.Through a Blue Lens: The Brooklyn Dodger Photographs of Barney Stein 1937-1957 OverviewAs one of New York's legendary news photographers, Barney Stein covered everything from popes to presidents, from gangsters to glamour girls. But no job brought him more joy and fame than as the official team photographer for the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers. For two decades, his camera captured the Dodgers in all their glory, both on and off the field. Now, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn, Barney Stein's photos live again.

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Branch Rickey (Penguin Lives) Review

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Branch Rickey (Penguin Lives) ReviewThe wonderful "Penguin Lives" series has hit another home run with Breslin's insightful, entertaining and revealing treatment of the man who, as GM of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the late 1940's, had the courage and foresight to facilitate Jackie Robinson's extraordinary breaking of the sport's color bar.
These "Lives" books are not meant to be exhaustive biographies. Generally, there are no indices, source notes. Rather, the author provides a quite selective bibliography for readers wanting fuller treatment. The mission of the "Lives" books, rather, is to sketch the full life, and home in on significant, inspiring acts of the subject that truly made a positive difference in the world. The several I have read, including this one, have the sense of a masterful story-teller chatting knowingly with me across a kitchen table.
Enter Breslin, an icon himself, who for more than 55 years has moved us to tears and laughter and greater understanding. His selection to treat Rickey really is "beautiful." By story's end, Penguin's choice of Rickey as the inaugural sports figure in the series--ahead of Robinson, Ruth, Thorpe--also seems totally appropriate. As Breslin shows, without Rickey doggedly pursuing his vision of integration against many foes, a decade (or more) might have passed unchanged.
What led Rickey to dissent from all 15 other baseball owners (Breslin provides their ridiculously pious and hypocritical "Statement on Race") and dedicate himself and his team to integration? Breslin reveals Rickey as a dedicated Methodist, a proponent of fairness for all, with an eye for talent (he champions a lanky young freshman named George Sisler; years later, Rickey and super scout Clyde Sukeforth seize on Robinson, but only after subjecting him to a four-hour grilling, "Will you have the guts to turn away?"; the recounting of that meeting is riveting). As do a number of others in the Penguin series, Rickey radiates as a true visionary. Not only was breaking the color bar the right thing to do morally; it also was great business. Rickey's every act in that direction was purposeful, as Breslin shows us a man who never relied on luck. "Luck," Rickey said, "is the residue of design."
So before Robinson could take the field in a Dodgers uniform and triumph over so much hostility, Rickey carefully built a new infrastructure. He steadfastly courted politicians to pass first a fair employment law and then to mobilize their constituencies; he spoke to African-American groups; he courageously ignored the racist sports writers of the time; he reasoned with some of his own racist players. "Proximity" was part of his vision for success--by being proximate to a player of Robinson's immense talent and focus, the rightness of integration would manifest itself. He was in his late 60's by then, had a long and successful career in baseball, but was determined to make this happen. And in Robinson he had a great chance.
With his unique style, wry humor and grace, gift for incisive anecdotes and riffs, and flair for embellishing dialogue without taking undue liberties, Breslin succeeds in letting his remarkable subject's life achievement show and tell itself. In so doing, Breslin's gem takes a rightful place among Penguin's other lives who really mattered.Branch Rickey (Penguin Lives) Overview

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The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg Review

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The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg ReviewLet's face it, most of us these days have never heard of Moe Berg, except in passing. Not a single one of the baseball games he played in still exists on videotape. He never saw action in a World Series game. By the end of his career as a ballplayer (variously for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox), Berg plaed so infrequently, you might think him the Bartleby of baseball. When asked to play, the occasional second game of a doubleheader, he preferred not to. So he sat on the bench.
As Nicholas Dawidoff portrays him, Berg was a bizarre man who spent the final 25 years of his life essentially homeless, living off the charity of friends and family, trading his stories of pre-war baseball and wartime espionage for the offer of clean clothes, hot meals, and warm water for a bath. Trained in the law, and a skilled linguist who spoke half a dozen languages, he refused all employment, apart from the rare consulting job or intelligence mission.
While most print accounts of Berg make extravagant claims about his World War II espionage, Dawidoff boils everything down to what he can find on paper from the CIA (and its precursor agencies). The truth, as reported here, is that Berg's probing of German atomic secrets in 1945 was vital to the war effort, but that he hardly ever worked as a spy again. He simply pretended to be one, while remaining cloaked in an increasingly insular lifestyle.
The research for "The Catcher Was a Spy" is impeccable. Dawidoff interviewed hundreds of sources, and as a result the book's index is clogged with famous names -- athletes or otherwise (not too many other books quote both Ted Williams and Albert Einstein). However, most sources knew Berg only tangentially, and I spent a lot of time flipping back and forth to the index and the (extensive) footnotes to keep track of who was saying and thinking each particular passage.
The end result is a finely detailed psychoanalysis of Moe Berg, who passed away more than 20 years before this biography was written. Lots of secondary sources (and their opinions, in many cases, of a man they met for 2 or 3 days, half a century previous) are cited, as are many of Berg's private journals and letters. What no-one knows, however, including the author himself, is what Moe Berg really thought. Therefore Dawidoff spents a lot of time telling us what "Berg must have known", or "would have believed". For example, Berg was a non-practicing Jew who rarely mentioned the Holocaust, and Dawidoff is forced to fill in the gaps with auhorial speculation. Other speculations (on homosexuality, death by poisoning, and child molestation) seem forced or unnecessary.
"The Catcher Was A Spy" is often heavy going, as it seems to require equal knowledge of baseball, nuclear physics, and abnormal psychology. I found the account of Berg's postwar meanderings to be the most exciting material, although I wish these had been arranged chronologically rather than geographically. On the whole, I recommend the book, and wish that Berg had left behind a completed biography of his own. He had so many stories to tell.The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg Overview

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