Every time I get before an audience talking sports I am always reminded of when I was promoting one of my early books – “New York City Baseball - 1947-1957 – The Last Golden Age” - about the old Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and New York Yankees.
The publishing company’s publicist asked – which team did you root for as a kid?
My reply was - -“None of these teams.”
“Oh my, oh my, that won’t do. Please pick one –
I had grown up in Brooklyn- -so I picked the Dodgers.
I went about promoting the book. One day I was in the Staten Island Mall introduced as a former Brooklyn Dodger fan when a guy in the back started to shout – you were never a DODGER fan . . . .I remember you from the old neighborhood. You were that Cardinal fan.”
“Folks,” I said, “that’s my crazy cousin. Don’t pay any attention to him. He has always been a bit jealous.”
He quieted down . and I went on with my talk. But truth be told, I was a St. Louis Cardinal - fan for a brief time. Youthful folly.
Today I am considered the ultimate Yankees fan having published 8 books on the subject, hundreds of articles, written for the team for 18 years.My REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM came out in 2008.
At the same time I am a student of the Red Sox. In fact, my book CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK is going into production. So I have interest in both teams.
I was a life-long New Yorker until about a dozen years ago. And then, I moved on to teach and write and live in New England. Back in the Big Apple, I had always been a keenly interested onlooker to the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox. But it wasn't until I was living in the mountains of New Hampshire that I realized via conversations at the gas pumps, and in the general store just how important "THE RIVALRY" is - - to the Red Sox Nation.
I have authored many books but the ones I have written with family members have a special place . . .like the ones written with my wife Myrna and RED SOX VS YANKEES written with my son Fred that traces the long historic feud between the two teams through oral history,narrative and images.
When it comes to Red Sox/Yankees baseball, there is never a dull moment, and those caught up in it are never at a loss for words. There are stories, asides, poignant memories, insights, game accounts, vulgarisms, quips and rejoinders that cut across generations and geography. As an oral historian all of these anecdotes have much appeal to me.
And now a new story was added to rivalry lore when Democrat Martha Coakley lost to Republican Scott Brown in the special US Senate election in Massachusetts. There are those who say Coakley’s dissing of Fenway Park and her off base comment that former Red Sox great Curt Schilling was a "Yankees fan" - helped bring her down.
That’s a big talk topic now (as part of the “Rivalry” and will certainly still be a talk topic on APRIL 4th 2010 @ Fenway Park and beyond when the Red Sox of Boston and the Yankees of New York, meet once again in a regular season game.
It will be the 2,065th meeting between them. The first time they met was way back on May 7, 1903 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston - - The teams weren't the Yankees and Red Sox then but instead had more geographically correct names: the Highlanders -- they played on the hilly terrain of upper Manhattan; and the Pilgrims -- in tribute to their New England heritage.
The first game at Fenway Park between them was April 20, 1912, just a few days after the sinking of the Titanic. Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, the grandfather-to-be of President John F. Kennedy, threw out the first ball, and the Red Sox eked out a 7-6 win in 11 innings.
The spark of all sparks was ignited by BoSox owner Harry Frazee, a show business wheeler-dealer with a home in Boston and a main residence on Manhattan’s Park Avenue, who liked to quip: “The best thing about Boston is the train ride back to New York."
On January 9, 1920, he committed “Harry Frazee’s Crime.” At a very cold morning press conference a very happy Yankee owner Jake Ruppert announced:
“Gentlemen, we have just bought Babe Ruth from Harry Frazee of the Boston Red Sox. I can’t give exact figures, but it was a pretty check – six figures, strictly a cash deal.”
It may have been the biggest mistake in baseball history.
The fallout from Harry Frazee’s infamous deed has become known as “the Curse of the Bambino.
From 1919 through 1933, the Sox dropped at least 100 games a season five times, at least 90 games a season five more times. The Red Sox lost Game 7 of the World Series in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986. They lost the pennant in playoffs in 1948 and 1978;
You might say – the “curse was working.” THE SOX stunk.
The golden age of Yankee baseball can be traced directly to the arrival of the Sultan of Swat.
In Boston, irate fans have screamed: "Yankees suck! Yankees suck!" even when the Yankees were not playing at Fenway.
-- The Yankees of New York versus the Red Sox of Boston is the greatest, grandest, strongest, longest rivalry in baseball history – a competition of images, teams, cities, styles, ballparks, fans, media, culture, dreams, bragging rights - all mixed in, mixed up.
The competition is so much more than a baseball team representing Boston -- going against a baseball team representing New York. It is a competition between the provincial capital of New England and the mega-municipality of New York City.
The New York Yankees are the glitz and glitter, the most successful franchise in baseball history, perhaps in all sports history. Through the years, winning has been as much a part of Yankee baseball as their monuments and plaques, as much as the pinstriped uniforms, the iconic intertwined “N” and “Y” on the baseball caps.
Less successful, more human, more vulnerable – the Bostons have seemed until recent success like the rest of us.
The rivalry is the Babe and Bucky and Butch. It is Carl Yastrzemski trotting out to left field at Fenway with cotton sticking out of his ears to shut out the boos of Sox fans.
The rivalry is Mickey Mantle slugging a 440-foot double at Yankee Stadium then tipping his cap to the Red Sox bench.
It is Carlton Fisk's headaches from the tension he felt coming into Yankee Stadium.
For the BoSox and their fans, winning at times has not seemed as important as beating the Yankees and then winning.
For the fans of the old Brooklyn Dodgers, the slogan used to be "Wait 'til Next Year." For Boston fans it always has seemed to be -"When are the Sox going to fold this year?"
The rivalry is Ted Williams spitting, Reggie Jackson jabbering, Luis Tiant hurling for NY and Boston and smoking those Cuban cigars. It is the Yankees' Mickey Rivers jumping out of the way of an exploding firecracker thrown into the visitors' dugout at Fenway.
LOU PINIELLA ( managed and played for the Yankees): There was always a lot of excitement in that small park that made it special. You might have 20,000 Red Sox fans at Fenway and 15,000 Yankee fans. Their rivalry helped our rivalry. It excited the players who had to respond to it.
Piniella may have enjoyed Fenway but a former Red Sox star hated Yankee Stadium.
DWIGHT EVANS: "When you have coke bottle go by your head from the third deck, you wonder what kind of people these are. When you have cherry bombs thrown at you or thrown into crowds, that's not fun and those are not fans. When they throw a penny or a dime from the third deck and it hits you, it's going to put a knot on your head. You knew you had to watch out if you came in wearing a Red Sox uniform.”
……On the field, inside the white lines, the rivalry has been characterized by some of baseball's wildest and most intense moments: There has been anger, rage, occasionally violence. Sometimes it has been triggered by personality clashes, at other times the trigger has simply been the "Blood Feud."
In 1938, players from both clubs stormed the mound at Yankee Stadium when New York’s Jake Powell and Boston's Joe Cronin started punching each other. Cronin was ejected from the game and moments later was assaulted by several Yankee players under the stands.
In 1951, a six year old was taken to his first game.
RUDY GIULIANI: It was between the Yankees and the Red Sox, with Joe DiMaggio playing for the Yankees and Dominic DiMaggio playing for the Red Sox. I found that fascinating -- that brothers would be on two different teams. I asked my father: “How come they’re playing for different teams- are they angry at each other?”
Perhaps no two players have symbolized the rivalry as much as Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Both Californians,both bigger than life. One was an outspoken iconoclast, the other a soft-spoken team man.
As the story goes, Sox owner Tom Yawkey and Yankee boss Dan Topping were at Toots Shor’s (famous NYC restaurant and hangout). They agreed that that Ted Williams would hit much better at Yankee Stadium and Joe DiMaggio would hit much better at Fenway Park. The two ended the evening on a handshake agreement to make a trade of DiMaggio for Williams.
When Topping arrived home in the early morning and realized what he had agreed to, he picked up the phone and called Yawkey in a panic.
"Tom,Tom" he cried, "I'm sorry but I can't go through with the deal."
"Thank God!" was Yawkey's reported reply.
Another version of the story has Tom Yawkey making the phone call. "Dan, I know it's very, very late, and I still want to make that trade we discussed. However, if you still want to make it you'll have to throw in that left-handed hitting outfielder. You know who I mean, that little odd-looking rookie."
"I can't,"Topping said. “We’re thinking of making him a catcher. I guess we’ll have to call off the deal."
So Joe DiMaggio remained a Yankee. Ted Williams played out his career with the Red Sox. And the little odd-looking rookie stayed with the Yankees and became a catcher. His name - - Yogi Berra.
Berra, DiMaggio, Williams were all on the scene in 1949 and so was Walter Mears, who went on to become a Pulitzer-prize winning political reporter for The Associated Press. He recalled the last two games of that season.
WALTER MEARS: The result was inevitable - Boston goes ahead, Yankees catch up and win. Tied. Same outcome the next day and New York wins the pennant. There was no TV to watch then, and I sat listening to the radio in Lexington as the Red Sox blew it. At 14, it seemed like the end of more than just a season. I remember saying to my father 'I think I'll just go for a walk,' which I did, so that he wouldn't see me cry. I think that's when I learned that there was no point in mourning the Red Sox. You just take it.
In 1952, excitable rookie Jimmy Piersall came onto the Red Sox scene. During a game Piersall shouted to Yankee infielder Billy Martin, “Hey, Pinocchio!" (in what was an overt reference to the size and contours of the Yankee second baseman's nose), “too damn yellow to fight?" "Put up," snarled Martin. “Let's settle this under the stands.” As the story goes Boston pitcher Ellis Kinder accompanied Piersall and Bill Dickey accompanied Martin as seconds. Martin sucker-punched, threw the first blow. They got into a clinch. That ended the “fight” as Piersall bled profusely from the nose.
JIMMY PIERSALL: It wasn’t a real fight, just pushing and shoving. The only guy that got hurt was Bill Dickey. Heck, the way the media played it up it was like a real brawl. You know writers would hang their mothers for the Pulitzer Prize.
That moment in Yankee-Red Sox history underscored the rivalry’s "bad blood." But it was not the most famous of the on-the- field altercations. One that qualifies for that title took place on August 1, 1973.
Boston catcher Carlton Fisk had led the American League All Star balloting for catcher. Munson was runner-up.
“Fisk hated Munson,” said Don Zimmer who was on the scene back then. “Munson hated Fisk.”
The game was tied, 2-2, top of the ninth. Munson doubled down the left-field line and wound up on third thru an infield groundout. Gene Michael missed the ball on a squeeze bunt attempt, but the solidly built Munson came tearing down the line attempting to score. He slammed into Fisk who had the baseball and was blocking the plate. Fisk tagged Munson hard and then shoved him off his body. Munson punched the Sox catcher in the face, bruising his left eye. The two got into -- clinching and clawing.
Next Fenway Park was swarming with pushing, shoving, cursing -- more than 60 players and coaches. When order was finally restored, Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson were ejected from the game. But an exclamation point had been added to the sometimes violent, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes odd, sometimes dramatic, sometimes poignant, nature of the rivalry.
The following abbreviated timeline provides a few more RIVALRY highlights or lowlights depending on which team one roots for.
May 6, 1915 – Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth hammered his first major league home run. And sure enough it came against the New York Yankees when they still called the Polo Grounds home.
April 18, 1923 Yankee Stadium opened. Before the game, Boston mogul Harry Frazee walked side-by-side with Yankees owner Jake Ruppert. A shot by Babe Ruth into the right field bleachers highlighted the Yankees' 4-1 triumph over the Red Sox - -the first Yankee Stadium homer.
1925, the Yanks sought to trade their first baseman to the Red Sox for Phil Todt. Boston blinked. The first baseman, Lou Gehirg,became one of the greatest players of all time. Phil Todt had a mediocre career.
1935 -In a Red Sox-Yankees doubleheader: 47,627 fans jammed into Boston’s little ballpark. The Yankees won the first game, 6-4. They slammed seven ground-rule doubles into the roped-off crowd to take the second game, 9-0.
September 6, 1960 in his final game at Yankee Stadium, Ted Williams rapped his 518th career homer, pacing Boston’s 7–1 win.
In 1961, last game of the season, Yankee Roger Maris stoked his 61st home run breaking Babe Ruth’s single-season record. The historic shot came off a 2-0 fastball from Boston pitcher Tracy Stallard.
October 2, 1978: A one-game playoff got underway inside Fenway Park. Yankees against Red Sox, the two teams with the best records in baseball after 162 games – winner take all for the American League East title.
Former Yankee Mike Torrez was on the mound for Boston; Ron Guidry, the best pitcher in baseball then, started for the Yanks.
(Red Sox Hurler )DENNIS ECKERSLEY: It was electric that day. I had pitched Saturday and won #20 and was glad I wasn’t pitching that playoff game. I was in the dugout. I was in the clubhouse. I was all over. I was more nervous watching than pitching. We were ahead 2-0 in the seventh. They were setting up this little stage for the celebration. Then all of a sudden . . .
BUCKY DENT: When I hit it, I knew that I had hit it high enough to hit the wall. But there were shadows on the net behind the wall and I didn't see the ball land. I was running from the plate because I thought I had a chance at a double. I didn't know it was a home run until the second-base umpire signaled. It was an eerie feeling because the ballpark was dead silent.
Red Sox manager Don Zimmer changed the Yankee shortstop's name to "Bucky F_____g Dent." Yaz had two hits in that game, including a homer off Ron Guidry, but he also made the last out.
DENNIS ECKERSLEY: Yaz was crying in the trainer’s room. It was not as crushing for me because when you’re 23 you think, well, we’ll do it next year. But if I knew what I know now, I would have been devastated. We never really got there again after that.
WALTER MEARS: Speaker of the House of Representative Tip O'Neill went to Rome that fall and saw the Pope. When he came back he was at some function with Yaz and told him the Holy Father had spoken of him. Yaz wanted to know what the Pope had said.
" Tip,” he said, “How COULD Yastrzemski pop out in the last of the ninth with the tying run on third? "
A frustrated fan, has the final word on the Dent homer:
DAN MACKEY: It was only a wind-assisted pop up that barely got out of the infield and then through a harmonic convergence - -the Jet stream, Babe Ruth in heaven, a minor earthquake in the Phillipines, gravity from Mars and Pluto, a kid stomping his foot in the Bronx, high pressure over the northeast, a jet landing at Logan Airport, a pigeon flapping its wings, a whale spouting off the coast of Finland, a heavy lady in the third row waving her program and yelling “Get OUT, GET OUT,” all these forces and more aligned , a little white ball floated further and further up and over the Green Monster, light as a feather, then fell like a stone into the net, the home run net. . .
I hit bottom them. I swore the Red Sox off. I said I’d turn my life over to a higher power. Unfortunately, the higher power turned out to be Roger Clemens. He was a false god.
Speaking of higher powers and stories . . .There’s was always been classic one that typified what it was like to be a Red Sox fan.
A Pirate fan, a Cubs fans and a Red Sox fan were bemoaning their team’s history. Grieving, they called on a higher authority .
The Pirate fan asked: “Oh, God, when will my team return to the World Series?” And God replied: “Not in your lifetime.”
The Cub fan asked: “Oh, God,when will my team return to the World Series?”
And God replied: “Not in your children’s lifetime.”
The Red Sox fan, who had listened quietly, finally worked up the nerve to ask:
“Oh, God, when will my beloved Red Sox return to the World Series?”
And God said: “Not in My lifetime”
But as we all know - -the RED SOX have won 2 world championships in OUR lifetime - -2004 and 2007. One more than the Yankees have won in the 21st century. So that classic story is just a story. And the reality is the Red Sox are alive and very well. Just as the RIVALRY is.
The Rivalry action was hot and heavy in October 2003 - American League Championship Series. Game 3. Top of the fourth inning. Boston’s Pedro Martinez popped Yankee outfielder Karim Garcia in the back of the shoulder with a pitch. Moments later Garcia slid hard into Boston’s Todd Walker at second base.Martinez made menacing gestures to the Yankees bench. Lots of shouting.
Bottom of the fourth, Manny Ramirez screamed at Roger Clemens for throwing too close to his body. Profanities were exchanged. Ramizez held his bat menacingly. Dugouts emptied.
Enter one time Red Sox manager/ now Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer. The man Bill Lee called a gerbil moved slowly around the pushing and milling about crowd. Then Zimmer threw a left hook in the direction of the Martinez. Pedro grabbed Zimmer around the neck and threw the 72-year-old to the ground where he tumbled over and over like a roly poly doll.
Boston police and Yankees gathered around their feisty coach making sure he was all right. Umpires huddled. No one was tossed from the game, but beer sales were suspended.
Three days later - - like a pair of heavyweight fighters, the rivals met in a winner take all seventh game at the Stadium on October 16th. It was again Pedro Martinez against Roger Clemens.
A win this night for the Red Sox would send them to the World Series for the first time in 85 years. Many members of Red Sox nation were at Yankeee Stadium to cheer the Olde Towne team on.
Bob Sullivan was one of them: I grew up in Boston. Yankee Stadium was always enemy territory. There were times when my girlfriend and I would be near some lout who would carry on over our wearing our Sox caps.
To the delight of Sox fans and the dismay of Yankee rooters, Boston racked Clemens for four runs in three-plus innings. Martinez seemed on cruise control and was leading in the top of the eighth, 5-2.
With a pitch count over 100, with Red Sox relievers at the ready, it seemed Pedro was done. But Grady Little, Sox manager, sent him out to pitch the bottom of the eighth.
One out.
“The Curse of the Bambino” was there for the taking, for the breaking. Five more outs for Boston to get into the World Series.
Derek Jeter doubled to right. Bernie Williams singled.
Jeter scored. Hideki Matsui was next.
Little exited the Sox dugout. He had a righty and a lefty at the ready in the bullpen.
BOB SULLIVAN: We were standing up when Grady left the mound. He was not taking Pedro out. Unbelievable.
Matsui pulled an inside fastball down the right field line. It bounced into the stands. Ground-rule double. Williams on third; Matsui at second. Martinez’ pitch count was 118.
Jorge Posada lifted the ball over second base. It dropped in, the fourth straight one out hit for New York. Williams scored. Matsui scored. The game was tied, 5-5.
Little finally pulled Martinez. Bottom of the eleventh inning. Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield against Yankee pinch hitter Aaron Boone.
It was 16 minutes past midnight, Friday morning. The ball jumped off Boone’s bat and went deep over the left-field wall.
Jubilant Yankees raced out of the dugout and bullpen onto the field. There were those who said Yankee Stadium shook and moved. The noise level was ear-splitting.
Rounding third, Boone jumped into the arms of teammates waiting at home plate. It was another triumph for the "Evil Empire,"a fifth pennant in six seasons.
DEREK JETER: I don't know about a curse, but I believe we have some ghosts in this stadium that have helped us out.
It was a low point for Red Sox Nation.
But 2004 lay ahead.
Spring training - -in the first Yankees-Red Sox game of 2004 in Fort Meyers, Florida scalpers sold 21 DOLLAR seats for $150 – a testament to the power of the Rivalry.
At mid season the Yankee lead over Boston was 8 1/2 games. But the Sox turned things around and faced off against the Yanks in the American League championship series one again.
On October 16, 2004 in a marathon Game Three of the ALCS, the Red Sox were gouged, 19-8 by the Yankees who went up 3-0 in the series.
(Boston globe columnist….. DAN SHAUGHNESSY: My son, a high school student then, gave up his ticket for Game Four. He didn’t want to see the Yankees win in Fenway.
(Red Sox Vice President)
LARRY CANCRO: It was just gloomy getting to the park the next day. President Lucchino said: “We are all going to have to think of something to get us back in this thing and win it.”
Most of us were looking at him like he was completely insane.
“Hey, you know Mike Eruzione, from the 1980 Miracle Olympic hockey team,” he says to me. “Call and see if he can come here and be part of the first pitch ceremony. He was part of a miracle; let’s see if he can inspire us.”
Mike came in that night; the players were excited to meet him and he participated in our pre-game ceremony.
In the bottom half of the seventh of that Game 4, the Sox were losing 4-2 to the Yankees. In the private box of Red Sox President Larry Lucchino, the mood was one of frustration and anger.
GEORGE MITROVICH ( Chair of The Great Fenway Park Writers Series) I was working on a statement for Mr. Lucchino that would graciously congratulate the Yankees while letting heartbroken Red Sox fans know this isn't the end. I was oblivious to the fact that the Sox had pulled within a run of the Yankees.
TERRY GUINEY, Managing Partner of Boston’s Hotel Commonwealth, That game seemed more like a wake.Then the rally started against Mariano Rivera, “Mr. Automatic”, the greatest stopper in baseball.
Kevin Millar walked. Dave Roberts, God love him, came in as a pinch runner. Everybody who knew anything about baseball could tell he was going to steal.
Roberts goes. He makes it. Then Billy Mueller hits one up the middle, and the game is tied!
People were hugging people they didn’t know; everybody high-fiving.
TERRY FRANCONA: Roberts’ steal was the most thrilling event I’ve been associated with. I doubt we could have done all that we did without that happening. The Sox won it in the twelfth on a towering home run by David Ortiz.
LARRY CANCRO: The movie "Miracle" had just come out; many of the players had not seen it. For Game 5, Mike came in and gave out blue hats and the word "Miracle" emblazoned on them.
On October 18th the fifth game of the ALCS started at 5:10 P.M. just 16 hours after Game 4 had ended early that morning.
It was Mike Mussina versus Pedro Martinez. In the bottom of the 14th inning with two outs Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez drew walks. David Ortiz, Big Papi, singled to center on the tenth pitch thrown to him. The Red Sox win 5-4.
LARRY CANCRO: Game Six, we go to New York. We win that.
Game Seven, Our team doesn’t show up for batting practice. They've voted to watch the movie “Miracle” in the clubhouse. They come out and clobber the Yankees.
DAN SHAUGHNESSY: 2004 is still the greatest sports story ever told. The Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years at the expense of the Yankees. The World Series was clearly anticlimactic.
The Sox swept the Cards four straight in the World Series.
And at last, the curse was broken.
And as you know, the Red Sox won another World Series in 2007.
Then the Yankees won it in 2009.
And the great rivalry rolls on . . .
Who knows what 2010 holds in store?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Book Review: The Open
There are sports books and there are sports books and then there is “THE OPEN: GOLF’S OLDEST MAJOR.” You don’t even have to be a fan of golf or know much about it to want to own and savor this wondrous tome.
“THE OPEN: GOLF’S OLDEST MAJOR” (Rizzoli, $60.00, 304 pages, 9” X 12”/ 240 color and black and white illustrations) with text by Donald Steel, a foreword by Arnold Palmer, afterword by Peter Dawson - -is quite a package. Published to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship, Rizzoli has partnered with R&A and Getty Images for this massive and significant undertaking.
The book is like a time machine as it goes back through the 14 iconic links along the coastline of Britain where the Open has been staged. A chapter focused on each course, highlights special moments, tradition, competitors are just a small part of the content. HIGHLY NOTABLE
From Arcadia Publishers comes a quartette of interesting books in their “Images of Baseball” series. There is “Chicago Cubs Baseball on Catalina Island,” “Eastern Shore League,” “Baseball in Birmingham” and “South Carolina Sports Legends.” All in in paper, all priced at $21.99, all with a regional slant.
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Book Review "100 Baseball Icons" & "Not Without Hope"
As Opening Day approaches it seems an avalanche of baseball tomes in all sizes, all shapes, all prices and all quality levels are there for the reading and for placing on your library shelf.
Herewith, some more . . .
"100 Baseball Icons" by Terry Heffernan, Kit Hinrichs and Delphine Hirasuna (Ten Speed, $19.95, 112 pages) is a high priced project with very little to read and a lot to look at as the trio responsible for the book were given unlimited access to the Hall of Fame's archives. Given the accees, they could have come up with many more unique items than they present in their book with the misleading title: "100 Baseball Icons."
"Not Without Hope" by Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman, $25.99, 246 pages) is the behind the scenes story of the death of three friends, NFL football players, and the personal trainer Nick Schuyler, left to tell the sad tale. The U.S. Coast Guard saved Schuyler's life but the others lost theirs in this tragedy when their 21-foot boat flipped 35 miles off the coast of Florida, February 28, 2009. A MUST READ
NOTABLE FOR CHILDREN: "Lucky: Maris, Mantle and My Best Summer Ever" (Simon & Schuster, $15.99, 192 pages) is geared to readers 8 years and up. This wondrous work is all about Louis and his summer of 1961 and a front row seat to the epic Mickey Mantle-Roger Maris battle for the home run crown.
"Sluggers" by award winning illustrator Loren Long and award winning author Phil Bildner (Simon & Schuster, geared to ages 8-12) is a series that mixes adventure and sports and is perfect for someone in your Little League set.
Books include: "Water, Water Everywhere," "Great Ball of Fire," "Blastin' The Blues," "Magic in the Outfield," "Horsin' Around." All are carefully crafted, enjoyable reads, cleverly illustrated and a treat for younger readers of all persuasions.
UPCOMING: "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" - - John Updike on Ted Williams" from the Library of America - a special edition on the 50th anniversary of the leave taking of "the Kid."
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Herewith, some more . . .
"100 Baseball Icons" by Terry Heffernan, Kit Hinrichs and Delphine Hirasuna (Ten Speed, $19.95, 112 pages) is a high priced project with very little to read and a lot to look at as the trio responsible for the book were given unlimited access to the Hall of Fame's archives. Given the accees, they could have come up with many more unique items than they present in their book with the misleading title: "100 Baseball Icons."
"Not Without Hope" by Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman, $25.99, 246 pages) is the behind the scenes story of the death of three friends, NFL football players, and the personal trainer Nick Schuyler, left to tell the sad tale. The U.S. Coast Guard saved Schuyler's life but the others lost theirs in this tragedy when their 21-foot boat flipped 35 miles off the coast of Florida, February 28, 2009. A MUST READ
NOTABLE FOR CHILDREN: "Lucky: Maris, Mantle and My Best Summer Ever" (Simon & Schuster, $15.99, 192 pages) is geared to readers 8 years and up. This wondrous work is all about Louis and his summer of 1961 and a front row seat to the epic Mickey Mantle-Roger Maris battle for the home run crown.
"Sluggers" by award winning illustrator Loren Long and award winning author Phil Bildner (Simon & Schuster, geared to ages 8-12) is a series that mixes adventure and sports and is perfect for someone in your Little League set.
Books include: "Water, Water Everywhere," "Great Ball of Fire," "Blastin' The Blues," "Magic in the Outfield," "Horsin' Around." All are carefully crafted, enjoyable reads, cleverly illustrated and a treat for younger readers of all persuasions.
UPCOMING: "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" - - John Updike on Ted Williams" from the Library of America - a special edition on the 50th anniversary of the leave taking of "the Kid."
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
BASEBALL NAMES AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY, PART XIV (G)
The words and phrases are spoken and written day after day, year after year - generally without any wonderment as to how they became part of the language. All have a history, a story. For those of you who liked Part I, Part II, Part III, X and all the others and wanted more, here is more, just a sampling of the all the “G’s out there. As always, reactions and suggestions always welcome
GASHOUSE GANG The St. Louis Cardinals of the mid1930's earned this nickname because of their unique individual personalities and their spirited performances on and off the field. Mingled together to make baseball history were such competitors as "the Dazzling Deans," Dizzy and his brother Paul; Pepper Martin, who as a third baseman used his chest to stop ground balls; Joe "Ducky" Medwick, also known as the Hungarian Rhapsody because of his verve and drive and Hungarian origins; and a young shortstop named Leo Durocher, who some were already calling Screechy because of his nonstop chatter. On the field they played with wild abandon—stealing bases, taking chances, fighting with each other and the opposition, covering their uniforms with dirt so that it "appeared as if they worked in a gashouse and not a ball park," as one observer declared. And that was how the nickname was born.
In the 1934 World Series, Joe Medwick did more than astonish thousands and thousands of Detroit Tiger fans. The Cardinals were on their way to a seventh game 11-0 romp over Detroit. In the sixth inning of that game, Medwick tripled and allegedly spiked Tiger third baseman Marv Owen. Taking his left-field position the next inning, Medwick was bombarded with rotten fruit, beer bottles, raw eggs, and other missiles. Ducky did not duck, but stuck out his jaw and called for more. Baseball Commissioner Landis called for Medwick and informed him that he was taking him out of the game for the good of baseball—and for the good of Medwick. The Gashousers earned their name for many things, but this was the first time one of them, one wit observed, was removed from a game because he smelled up the playing field.
GATOR Ron Guidry hailed from Louisiana alligator country.
GAY CABALLERO Yankee Hall of Famer hurler Lefty Gomez, for his Mexican roots and fun loving ways.
GAY RELIEVER Name given to former Yankee relief pitcher Joe Page for his night owl activity.
GEHRIGVILLE Bleachers in right-center at Yankee Stadium, a place where Lou Gehrig hit a few shots.
GEORGIA PEACH Tyrus Raymond Cobb, baseball immortal? played 22 seasons for the Detroit Tigers and two more for the Philadelphia Athletics. He also managed Detroit in the years 1921-26. Cobb compiled a lifetime batting average of .367, stole 892 bases, and won 12 batting titles in a span of 13 years. By the time he retired, he had set 90 individual records. Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia, and his nickname was partially derived from his native state, which is called the Peach State. His nickname is also rooted in the glorious but tempestuous talent of the man many claim to be the greatest baseball player of all time. Cobb was not one who fit the stereotype of the typical Southern gentleman. Once he almost demolished a baseball roommate as they jostled to get to the bathroom. "I just had to be first," was Cobb's response—and his way of life.
GERBIL For looks and behavior, the nickname fit Don Zimmer
GETTYSBURG EDDDIE Eddie Plank starred for the Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1914) and got his nickname from his time as a student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.
GIANTS One sultry summer's day in 1885, Jim Mutrie, the saber-mustached manager of the New York Gothams, was enjoying himself watching his team winning an important game. Mutrie screamed out with affection, "My big fellows, my giants." Many of his players were big fellows, and they came to be Giants. For that was how the nickname Giants came to be. And when the New York team left for San Francisco in 1958, Giants, Mutrie's endearing nickname, went along with it.
GO-GO SOX The 1959 Chicago White Sox won the team's first American League pennant in 40 years, as they excited Windy City fans and others throughout the United States with their distinctive style of baseball. As a team, the Sox batted only .250, but their 113 stolen bases paced the majors and they parlayed speed and daring into a playing pattern good for 94 wins. Where there was an opportunity to take an extra base, the White Sox took it. Where there was a chance to use their speed or their bunting ability, they capitalized on it. Seemingly always on the move and using what ability they had to maximum advantage, the White Sox earned the nickname of Go-Go Sox, whose assets they inflicted on the opposition. Their siege gun was Luis Aparicio ("Little Looie"), a 5'9", 160-pound speedster who led the majors in stolen bases with 56. Aparicio also batted .332, walked 52 times, and scored 98 runs to pace the "go" in the Go-Go Sox.
“GOING, GOING, GONE" Originated by former New York Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen, this phrase has become part of the popular language. Allen used the words to describe the suspense generated by balls hit to the distant reaches of Yankee Stadium, which traveled and traveled until they went out of the playing field and into home run territory. Sometimes just "Going, going" was uttered—as the ball would be caught before it was " gone. "
GOLDEN GREEK Harry Agganis, of Greek ancestry, was born on April 20,1930, and died, too young, on June 27, 1955. A powerfully built player, Agganis batted .251 his first year as a member of the Boston Red Sox, and .313 in his second and final year. The unrealized potential of Agganis makes his nickname especially poignant.
GOLDEN OUTFIELD Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, and Duffy Lewis formed the outfield for the Boston Red Sox in the years 1910-15. Speaker and Hooper are both in baseball's Hall of Fame. Lewis played Fenway Park's left field so well that the incline in front of the wall was known as "Duffy's Cliff." The trio, which earned its nickname because of its value to the Red Sox and its exceptional skills, really glittered in the 1915 World Series. Lewis batted .444, Hooper .350, Speaker .294, and collectively they accounted for 20 of Boston's 42 hits. The storied outfield was broken up after the 1915 season, when Tris Speaker was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
GOOD FIELD, NO HIT Mike Gonzalez played major league baseball for 17 years with a variety of teams. Born in Havana, Cuba, he had a lot of baseball knowledge but a not-too-effective command of English. It was during his time as a scout that a phrase that has become part of the popular language was first uttered by Gonzalez. He was asked to check on a minor league ball player and—as the story goes—to telegraph back his findings to the major league club that had shown interest. Gonzalez watched the young ball player for a few days and noted that he couldn’t swing the bat but had defensive skills. And then Gonzalez, saving time, money, type, and English, sent his scouting report: "Good Field, No Hit."
"Gooneybird" Hurler Don Larsen's teammates called him that for his late-night behavior.
GOOFY (EL GOOFO) Name earned by legendary pitcher Lefty Gomez for his wild antics.
GOOSE Pitcher Richard Michael Gossage, for loose and lively style.
GRAY EAGLE Hall of Famer Tris Speaker played 22 years in the majors and had a lifetime batting average of .344. His nickname came about because of the unique manner in which he played center field. Tris would play very shallow and race back to swoop down on fly balls hit over his head like some mighty eagle going after its prey.
GRIFFITH STADIUM Located in Washington, DC, it opened July 24, 1911 and closed September 21, 1961. The stadium was named for Clark Griffith who owned the team from 1920 until his death in 1955.
GREENBERG GARDENS Hank Greenberg closed out his illustrious major league career in 1947 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A power-hitting right-handed batter, he blasted 25 homers that year—most of them into a section of the outfield that was dubbed Greenberg Gardens.
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
GASHOUSE GANG The St. Louis Cardinals of the mid1930's earned this nickname because of their unique individual personalities and their spirited performances on and off the field. Mingled together to make baseball history were such competitors as "the Dazzling Deans," Dizzy and his brother Paul; Pepper Martin, who as a third baseman used his chest to stop ground balls; Joe "Ducky" Medwick, also known as the Hungarian Rhapsody because of his verve and drive and Hungarian origins; and a young shortstop named Leo Durocher, who some were already calling Screechy because of his nonstop chatter. On the field they played with wild abandon—stealing bases, taking chances, fighting with each other and the opposition, covering their uniforms with dirt so that it "appeared as if they worked in a gashouse and not a ball park," as one observer declared. And that was how the nickname was born.
In the 1934 World Series, Joe Medwick did more than astonish thousands and thousands of Detroit Tiger fans. The Cardinals were on their way to a seventh game 11-0 romp over Detroit. In the sixth inning of that game, Medwick tripled and allegedly spiked Tiger third baseman Marv Owen. Taking his left-field position the next inning, Medwick was bombarded with rotten fruit, beer bottles, raw eggs, and other missiles. Ducky did not duck, but stuck out his jaw and called for more. Baseball Commissioner Landis called for Medwick and informed him that he was taking him out of the game for the good of baseball—and for the good of Medwick. The Gashousers earned their name for many things, but this was the first time one of them, one wit observed, was removed from a game because he smelled up the playing field.
GATOR Ron Guidry hailed from Louisiana alligator country.
GAY CABALLERO Yankee Hall of Famer hurler Lefty Gomez, for his Mexican roots and fun loving ways.
GAY RELIEVER Name given to former Yankee relief pitcher Joe Page for his night owl activity.
GEHRIGVILLE Bleachers in right-center at Yankee Stadium, a place where Lou Gehrig hit a few shots.
GEORGIA PEACH Tyrus Raymond Cobb, baseball immortal? played 22 seasons for the Detroit Tigers and two more for the Philadelphia Athletics. He also managed Detroit in the years 1921-26. Cobb compiled a lifetime batting average of .367, stole 892 bases, and won 12 batting titles in a span of 13 years. By the time he retired, he had set 90 individual records. Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia, and his nickname was partially derived from his native state, which is called the Peach State. His nickname is also rooted in the glorious but tempestuous talent of the man many claim to be the greatest baseball player of all time. Cobb was not one who fit the stereotype of the typical Southern gentleman. Once he almost demolished a baseball roommate as they jostled to get to the bathroom. "I just had to be first," was Cobb's response—and his way of life.
GERBIL For looks and behavior, the nickname fit Don Zimmer
GETTYSBURG EDDDIE Eddie Plank starred for the Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1914) and got his nickname from his time as a student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.
GIANTS One sultry summer's day in 1885, Jim Mutrie, the saber-mustached manager of the New York Gothams, was enjoying himself watching his team winning an important game. Mutrie screamed out with affection, "My big fellows, my giants." Many of his players were big fellows, and they came to be Giants. For that was how the nickname Giants came to be. And when the New York team left for San Francisco in 1958, Giants, Mutrie's endearing nickname, went along with it.
GO-GO SOX The 1959 Chicago White Sox won the team's first American League pennant in 40 years, as they excited Windy City fans and others throughout the United States with their distinctive style of baseball. As a team, the Sox batted only .250, but their 113 stolen bases paced the majors and they parlayed speed and daring into a playing pattern good for 94 wins. Where there was an opportunity to take an extra base, the White Sox took it. Where there was a chance to use their speed or their bunting ability, they capitalized on it. Seemingly always on the move and using what ability they had to maximum advantage, the White Sox earned the nickname of Go-Go Sox, whose assets they inflicted on the opposition. Their siege gun was Luis Aparicio ("Little Looie"), a 5'9", 160-pound speedster who led the majors in stolen bases with 56. Aparicio also batted .332, walked 52 times, and scored 98 runs to pace the "go" in the Go-Go Sox.
“GOING, GOING, GONE" Originated by former New York Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen, this phrase has become part of the popular language. Allen used the words to describe the suspense generated by balls hit to the distant reaches of Yankee Stadium, which traveled and traveled until they went out of the playing field and into home run territory. Sometimes just "Going, going" was uttered—as the ball would be caught before it was " gone. "
GOLDEN GREEK Harry Agganis, of Greek ancestry, was born on April 20,1930, and died, too young, on June 27, 1955. A powerfully built player, Agganis batted .251 his first year as a member of the Boston Red Sox, and .313 in his second and final year. The unrealized potential of Agganis makes his nickname especially poignant.
GOLDEN OUTFIELD Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, and Duffy Lewis formed the outfield for the Boston Red Sox in the years 1910-15. Speaker and Hooper are both in baseball's Hall of Fame. Lewis played Fenway Park's left field so well that the incline in front of the wall was known as "Duffy's Cliff." The trio, which earned its nickname because of its value to the Red Sox and its exceptional skills, really glittered in the 1915 World Series. Lewis batted .444, Hooper .350, Speaker .294, and collectively they accounted for 20 of Boston's 42 hits. The storied outfield was broken up after the 1915 season, when Tris Speaker was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
GOOD FIELD, NO HIT Mike Gonzalez played major league baseball for 17 years with a variety of teams. Born in Havana, Cuba, he had a lot of baseball knowledge but a not-too-effective command of English. It was during his time as a scout that a phrase that has become part of the popular language was first uttered by Gonzalez. He was asked to check on a minor league ball player and—as the story goes—to telegraph back his findings to the major league club that had shown interest. Gonzalez watched the young ball player for a few days and noted that he couldn’t swing the bat but had defensive skills. And then Gonzalez, saving time, money, type, and English, sent his scouting report: "Good Field, No Hit."
"Gooneybird" Hurler Don Larsen's teammates called him that for his late-night behavior.
GOOFY (EL GOOFO) Name earned by legendary pitcher Lefty Gomez for his wild antics.
GOOSE Pitcher Richard Michael Gossage, for loose and lively style.
GRAY EAGLE Hall of Famer Tris Speaker played 22 years in the majors and had a lifetime batting average of .344. His nickname came about because of the unique manner in which he played center field. Tris would play very shallow and race back to swoop down on fly balls hit over his head like some mighty eagle going after its prey.
GRIFFITH STADIUM Located in Washington, DC, it opened July 24, 1911 and closed September 21, 1961. The stadium was named for Clark Griffith who owned the team from 1920 until his death in 1955.
GREENBERG GARDENS Hank Greenberg closed out his illustrious major league career in 1947 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A power-hitting right-handed batter, he blasted 25 homers that year—most of them into a section of the outfield that was dubbed Greenberg Gardens.
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Book Review : “Big League Ballparks,” “Fifty-Nine in ‘84” and more
It is March and the new baseball season is just over the horizon. Like spring bulbs popping up, an avalanche of worthwhile sporting reads crowd the shelves of bookstores and also my desk, the floor around it, and every nearby surface.
Priced just right by Sterling Publishers ,($29.98), 512 jam packed pages long and all in color, over-sized and hard to lift - -“Big League Ballparks” by Gary Gilette and Eric Enders with Stuart Shea and Matthew Silverman is a grand slam home run of a baseball book.
Complete, compelling, class – this is a terrific tome that in words, stats and pictures showcases and gives mini-histories of each major league ballpark. As the author of REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM and the forthcoming CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK, I know my way around the subject. So do the authors who should have asked me for a blurb.
“Fifty-Nine in ‘84” by Edward Achorn (Harper, $25.99, 384 pages) is a work that starkly contrasts with “Big League Ballparks” but is no less worthy of a place on your sports bookshelf. Achorn brings back as the book’s sub-title proclaims:“Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had.” We are there in 1884 in a world of baseball and a world very different from today – the game played without a fielder’s glove with a hard ball by some very hard guys.
“Baseball Prospectus 2010” edited by Steven Goldman and Christina Kahl (Wiley, $25.95, 306 pages, paper) has everything most would want to know about the upcoming season - essays, commentary on all the teams, managers, players – one of extraordinary interest is on Albert Pujols – “Can he be this awesome forever?” A mother lode of everything baseball.
From Lyons Press comes the paperback “Baseball’s Ultimate Power by Bill Jenkinson ($17.95, 335 pages) which ranks the all-time greatest distance home run hitters. Players photos and aerial ballpark images complement the author’s text as he ruminates and estimates and evaluates “tape measure home runs” and other big bops.
“Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall (Knopf, $24.95, 287 pages) is a fascinating book focused on so many obsessed and enriched by the running game. Superathletes, a hidden tribe and the greatest race the world has never seen are just a few of the amazing components of this highly readable book by the author who does his own running among the Amish farms around his home in rural Pennsylvania.
MOST NOTABLE: What an idea – from Dover Publications, often referred to as “The Little Book Publisher That Could.” This preservationist publisher seeks out titles that are often out-of-print and publishes them with very affordable prices in beautifully produced paperbacks. (More later)
Upcoming: In June May - - “Reggie Jackson” by Dayn Perry (William Morrow)
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
The Book Review : “Mark and Me” and more
As we come closer to the start of the 2010 baseball season, teams and publishers are gearing up for big prizes. Small houses and mega publishers are all part of the competition mix. More and more sports books keep hitting the market. So let us sample some more of the mix.
“Mark and Me” by Jay McGwire (Triumph,$24.95, 208 pages is brother Jay’s story about Mark McGwire. The sub-title proclaims it is a book about “the truth behind baseball’s worst kept secret. For those who cannot get enough of steroids and the former St. Louis Cardinal slugger – this is the book for you - hashing and rehashing the scandalous and seamy stuff that was paraded all over the media. It also has the angle that is told by one brother now pitted against another. We get Jay’s take on why Mark started using, what he used, how long his habit lasted. We get a lot of stuff that goes beyond the headlines.
As for Mark McGwire reactions: “"I don't plan on ever seeing him again. Jay had to do something to try to sell a book." Mark McGwire has vowed to never read the book and to never talk to his bro Jay again.
“Baseball Comes Home” by Dan Valenti (CR Custom Publishing, $24.95, 201 pages, paper) takes a look at a silver slice of baseball history – the Baseball Hall of Fame Game that began in 1940 and had its last hurrah in 2008. With more than 150 photos and veteran Valenti’s polished prose, this tome is terrific.
Also by Dan Valenti is “Under A Grapefruit Sun” (144 pages, $20 ppd from Valenti, PO Box 1268, Stockbridge, MA 01262). Prime reading for this time of year “Under A Grapefruit Sun” is like going back in a time machine to Red Sox spring training when Valenti covered the Sox in the 1980s. Yaz, Pesky, Evans, Boggs and more in full color and in their prime. If you are a member of Red Sox Nation – this is the tome for you.
I had the pleasure of being on a couple of Ed Randall’s shows. Now I have had the pleasure of reading his “Baseball for the Utterly Confused” (McGraw-Hill, $17.95, 232 pages, paper). For those who know their way around the national pastime, this is not required reading but for all others who want to know the whys and why nots, this work belongs on your bookshelf.
Upcoming: In May - - “Are We Winning” by Will Leitch (Hyperion, $24.99, 288 pages)
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
“Mark and Me” by Jay McGwire (Triumph,$24.95, 208 pages is brother Jay’s story about Mark McGwire. The sub-title proclaims it is a book about “the truth behind baseball’s worst kept secret. For those who cannot get enough of steroids and the former St. Louis Cardinal slugger – this is the book for you - hashing and rehashing the scandalous and seamy stuff that was paraded all over the media. It also has the angle that is told by one brother now pitted against another. We get Jay’s take on why Mark started using, what he used, how long his habit lasted. We get a lot of stuff that goes beyond the headlines.
As for Mark McGwire reactions: “"I don't plan on ever seeing him again. Jay had to do something to try to sell a book." Mark McGwire has vowed to never read the book and to never talk to his bro Jay again.
“Baseball Comes Home” by Dan Valenti (CR Custom Publishing, $24.95, 201 pages, paper) takes a look at a silver slice of baseball history – the Baseball Hall of Fame Game that began in 1940 and had its last hurrah in 2008. With more than 150 photos and veteran Valenti’s polished prose, this tome is terrific.
Also by Dan Valenti is “Under A Grapefruit Sun” (144 pages, $20 ppd from Valenti, PO Box 1268, Stockbridge, MA 01262). Prime reading for this time of year “Under A Grapefruit Sun” is like going back in a time machine to Red Sox spring training when Valenti covered the Sox in the 1980s. Yaz, Pesky, Evans, Boggs and more in full color and in their prime. If you are a member of Red Sox Nation – this is the tome for you.
I had the pleasure of being on a couple of Ed Randall’s shows. Now I have had the pleasure of reading his “Baseball for the Utterly Confused” (McGraw-Hill, $17.95, 232 pages, paper). For those who know their way around the national pastime, this is not required reading but for all others who want to know the whys and why nots, this work belongs on your bookshelf.
Upcoming: In May - - “Are We Winning” by Will Leitch (Hyperion, $24.99, 288 pages)
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Baseball Names - and How They Got That Way! Part XIII (F)
The words and phrases are spoken and written day after day, year after year - generally without any wonderment as to how they became part of the language. All have a history, a story. For those of you who liked Part I, Part II, Part III, X and all the others and wanted more, here is more. As always, reactions and suggestions always welcome.
F ROBBY ("THE JUDGE) Hall of Famer Frank Robinson played for the Cincinnati Reds (1956-1965), Baltimore Orioles (1966-1971), Los Angeles Dodgers (1972), California Angels (1973), etc. His nicknames indicated an abbreviation of his name and some deference to his forceful ways. fallaway slide Used to avoid a tag, a slide to one side of a base, catching the base with the foot of a bent leg. (fall-away slide, fadeaway slide, fadeaway) FATHER OF THE EMORY BALL Rookie right-hander Russ Ford posted a 26-6 record with 8 shutouts, 1910 FENWAY PARK The Boston Red Sox moved into their new home in 1912 on the property of the Fenway Realty Company at Landsdowne and Jersey streets. Although it was rebuilt in 1934, it is essentially the way it was at the time of its birth. Its "Green Monster"—the 37-foot-high wall extending from the foul pole in left field 315 feet from home plate to the flagpole 388 feet from home well past left-center—is its most distinctive feature.
FIREBALLER A fastball-throwing pitcher (HARD CHUCKER; FIREMAN Johnny Murphy, the first great relief pitcher, who put out fires. Joe Page picked up this nick-name for his top relief work later on.
FIVE O’CLOCK LIGHTNING Back in the 1920s to attract school kids and the Wall Street crowd, baseball games at Yankee Stadium began at 3:30 P.M. At five o'clock, a whistle from a nearby factory blew signaling the end of the workday and often a typical late-inning home team rally and triumph, earning the Yankees that colorful nickname
FIRST TELEVISED SPORTS EVENT On May 17, 1939, over station W2XBS, a 16-man NBC crew with equipment costing $ 100,000 sent out the first televised sports coverage. The subject was the Princeton - Columbia baseball game from Baker Field in New York. A single camera was used, and the total cost of transmittal was $3,000. There were no close-ups of action. The players on the television screen looked like white flies. The single camera was stationed near the third-base line, and it swept back and forth across the diamond. Instant replay, "slo-mo," split screen, Zoomar lens, hand-held cameras, instant isolates, overhead blimps, graphics, Monday Night Football, and Super Bowl were not even dimly perceived by the average fan, but on June 5, 1939, an editorialist for Life magazine showed some vision: No fuzziness (in the telecast) could hide what television will mean for American sports.... Within ten years an audience of 10,000,000 sitting at home or in the movie theaters will see the World Series or the Rose Bowl game.... Thousands of men and women who have never seen a big-time sports event will watch the moving shadows on the television screen and become excited fans...."
FIRST WORLD SERIES Back in the 1880s for a period of seven years there had been play-offs between the winners in the National League and the American Association. Once the play-offs went to 15 games - 1887 between St. Louis and Detroit. Pittsburgh won its third straight National League pennant in 1903. Boston won the brand new American League title by 14 l/2 games over the Philadelphia Athletics. The Pirates bragged about Honus Wagner whose .355 average earned him the batting title. Their swashbuckling manager Fred Clarke was runner-up with a .351 average. Boston boasted about two 20-game winners in Deacon Phillippe and Sam Leever.
The first modern World Series came about at the suggestion of Boston owner Henry J. Killilea and Pittsburgh's owner Barney Dreyfuss. It was called "Championship of the United States" and it was a five of nine games affair. The first game was October l, 1903 at Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds before 16,242. Deacon Phillippe pitched Pittsburgh to a 7-3 win over Boston's Cy Young.
Throughout the game and the series Boston's rabid fans serenaded Pittsburgh players with a popular song of the day, "Tessie," but they substituted their own vulgar words for the regular lyrics. The routine definitely had a negative impact on the Pittsburgh players. "It was that damn song that caused us problems," grumbled Buc player Tommy Leach afterwards.
Deacon Phillippe won three of the first four games of the series for Pittsburgh but then faltered. Boston then swept the next four games. Bill Dinneen and Cy Young won all five games for Boston in the series On October 13, only 7,455 showed up - the smallest crowd of the series. Phillippe pitched his fifth complete game of the series but lost, 3-0 to Dinneen and Boston had the championship.
Right after the game ended players from both clubs lined up for a combination team photo. It was a remarkable display of good sportsmanship considering the bitterness that had existed between the junior American League and senior National League.
An oddity of the World Series was that the losing players received more money that than the winners. Owner Dreyfuss put his club's share of the gate receipts into the players' pool. Each Pittsburgh player netted $1,316 while each Boston player netted $1,182.
Deacon Phillippe - heroic in his efforts in the series with five decisions and 44 innings pitched, still World Series records, was given a bonus and 10 shares of stock in the Pirates.
FLORIDA MARLINS Named after the large fish, found off the Florida coast and also a minor league AAA team, the Miami Marlins. It was H. Wayne Huizenga, Blockbuster Video founder and owner of the team, who chose the name. “I chose Marlin,” he said, “because the fish is a fierce fighter and an adversary that tests your mettle.”
FLYING DUTCHMAN Honus Wagner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 21 years, winning eight batting titles, collecting 3,430 hits, and establishing team records for most doubles, triples, and extra-base hits. He played every position except catcher, but he earned his fame as a shortstop. Of Dutch origin, he was a speedy base runner, leading the National League five times in stolen bases and recording a career total of 722 stolen bases. His speed and his Dutch heritage blended together to form his nickname, the Flying Dutchman.
FORDHAM FLASH Former New York Giant stalwart, Frankie Frisch, was all of that.
FORDHAM JOHHNY Ace former Yankee relief pitcher Johnny Murphy attended Fordham University in the Bronx.
FOUR HOUR MANAGER A negative slap at former Yankee manager Bucky Harris, who put his time in at the game and was finished.
THE FRESHEST MAN ON EARTH ("Clown Prince of Baseball of 19th Century Baseball" Arlie Latham played 17 fun-filled major league seasons beginning in 1880? He delighted in setting off firecrackers and lighting candles in the dugout – a signal to the umpire of impending darkness.
FRIDAY NIGHT MASSACRE On April 26, 1974, Yankees Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline, Fred Beene, Tom Buskey, and half the pitching staff were traded to Cleveland for Chris Chambliss, Dick Tidrow, and Ceil Upshaw.
Harvey Frommer is in his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION is next.
HARVEY FROMMER ON SPORTS (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Frommer's newest work
Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2011.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Baseball Names - and How They Got That Way! Part XII (E)
The words and phrases are spoken and written day after day, year after year - generally without any wonderment as to how they became part of the language.
All have a history, a story. For those of you who liked Part I, Part II, Part III and all the others and wanted more, here is more.
As always, reactions and suggestions always welcome.
EBBETS FIELD On April 9, 1913, the Brooklyn Dodgers played their first game in their new ball park against the Philadelphia Phillies. An account of the event read: "A cold, raw wind kept the attendance down to about 12,000 but did not affect the players, who put up a remarkable battle. Both Tom Seaton (Philadelphia) and Nap Rucker (Brooklyn) pitched brilliant ball, the former just shading the noted southpaw in a I to 0 shutout. The opening ceremonies were impressive, the two teams parading across the field headed by a band. ... Casey Stengel made a sensational catch.... "
The site of the ball park was four-and-a-half acres on the lower slope of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, a filled-in tract of marshy land that the neighborhood people called Pigtown. Ebbets Field originally seated 18,000, with another 3,000 standees able to watch the games. The park had a double-decked grandstand that extended around the right-field foul line virtually to the fence in left field. A small, open bleacher section with concrete seats was located in left between the stands and the field. Beyond right field was Bedford Avenue. It was a confined, intimate, tiny, odd-shaped ball park--and it was a place that on the day it opened became obsolete and needed architectural and seating changes. The man the park was named for was Charles H. Ebbets, who moved from selling peanuts and scorecards to the presidency and primary ownership of the Brooklyn National League franchise. It was his vision that created the fabled ball park.
EEPHUS BALL (EEPHUS PITCH) A specialty of Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Truett "Rip" Sewell, this pitch sort of sailed to the plate in a high, lazy arc that tantalized overeager hitters. With his trick pitch, Sewell won a grand total of 42 games in 1943 and 1944. Sewell explained that he developed the pitch after a war injury made him change his wind-up. He adopted an overhand delivery because he was no able to pivot on his right foot.
EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD On what was once Texas swampland and a wind-swept prairie, the Houston Astros once played baseball in the Astrodome, which many nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World. Built at a cost of $38 million, the colossal complex sprawled over 260 acres six miles from downtown Houston. The facility had the biggest electric scoreboard and the largest dome ever constructed. It was the largest clear-span building ever built and the largest air-conditioned stadium ever. The Astrodome had 45,000 plush opera-type seats, from which fans viewed athletic events in the additional comfort supplied by a 6,000-ton air-conditioning system that maintained the temperature in the stadium at 72 degrees. The inspiration for the Astrodome was the Roman Coliseum, built circa 80 A.D., which prodded Judge Roy Hofheinz, president of the Houston Sports Association, the owners of the team, to press for the creation of a domed stadium.
"I knew with our heat, humidity and rain, the best chance for success was in the direction of a weatherproof, all-purpose stadium," said Hofheinz. Buckminster Fuller, media-famed ecologist and inventor of the geodesic dome, served as consultant to the project. Hofheinz said, "Buckminster Fuller convinced me that it was possible to cover any size space so long as you didn't run out of money." They didn't run out of money and even had $2 million to spare for the 300-ton scoreboard, with 1,200 feet of wiring, that stretches 474 feet across the brown pavilion seats in center field.
"El Duque" Pitcher Orlando Hernandez, for his lordly ways.
"El Duquecito" Adrian Hernandez because of a pitching style similar to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, the younger Cuban, is not related to his elder countryman.
"El Maestro" Martin Dihigo, played all nine positions well. The native of Cuba was a star in leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico as well as a 12-year veteran of the Negro Leagues.
"El Presidente" Dennis Martinez, pitcher, played For Baltimore Orioles (1976-1986), Montreal Expos (1986-1993). He had a commanding manner about him.
"El Tiante" Luis Tiant, a tribute to his Cuban roots and to him.
$11,000 LEMON In 1908, Rube Marquard was purchased by John McGraw of the New York Giants from the minor league Indianapolis team. The $11,000 paid for Marquard was a record sum paid for a minor leaguer at that time. Since Marquard's record during his first three years with the Giants was nine wins and 18 losses, McGraw's judgment was criticized and Marquard was labeled the "$11,000 Lemon." However, in l9l l the left-handed pitcher rewarded McGraw's patience and showed that the Giant manager's judgment was correct by achieving a record of 24-7. The next year his record l 9 consecutive victories powered the Giants to the National League pennant. And there were those who then called him the "$11,000 Wonder."
"Ellie" Affectionate abbreviation of former Yankee catching great Elston Howard's first name.
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
All have a history, a story. For those of you who liked Part I, Part II, Part III and all the others and wanted more, here is more.
As always, reactions and suggestions always welcome.
EBBETS FIELD On April 9, 1913, the Brooklyn Dodgers played their first game in their new ball park against the Philadelphia Phillies. An account of the event read: "A cold, raw wind kept the attendance down to about 12,000 but did not affect the players, who put up a remarkable battle. Both Tom Seaton (Philadelphia) and Nap Rucker (Brooklyn) pitched brilliant ball, the former just shading the noted southpaw in a I to 0 shutout. The opening ceremonies were impressive, the two teams parading across the field headed by a band. ... Casey Stengel made a sensational catch.... "
The site of the ball park was four-and-a-half acres on the lower slope of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, a filled-in tract of marshy land that the neighborhood people called Pigtown. Ebbets Field originally seated 18,000, with another 3,000 standees able to watch the games. The park had a double-decked grandstand that extended around the right-field foul line virtually to the fence in left field. A small, open bleacher section with concrete seats was located in left between the stands and the field. Beyond right field was Bedford Avenue. It was a confined, intimate, tiny, odd-shaped ball park--and it was a place that on the day it opened became obsolete and needed architectural and seating changes. The man the park was named for was Charles H. Ebbets, who moved from selling peanuts and scorecards to the presidency and primary ownership of the Brooklyn National League franchise. It was his vision that created the fabled ball park.
EEPHUS BALL (EEPHUS PITCH) A specialty of Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Truett "Rip" Sewell, this pitch sort of sailed to the plate in a high, lazy arc that tantalized overeager hitters. With his trick pitch, Sewell won a grand total of 42 games in 1943 and 1944. Sewell explained that he developed the pitch after a war injury made him change his wind-up. He adopted an overhand delivery because he was no able to pivot on his right foot.
EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD On what was once Texas swampland and a wind-swept prairie, the Houston Astros once played baseball in the Astrodome, which many nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World. Built at a cost of $38 million, the colossal complex sprawled over 260 acres six miles from downtown Houston. The facility had the biggest electric scoreboard and the largest dome ever constructed. It was the largest clear-span building ever built and the largest air-conditioned stadium ever. The Astrodome had 45,000 plush opera-type seats, from which fans viewed athletic events in the additional comfort supplied by a 6,000-ton air-conditioning system that maintained the temperature in the stadium at 72 degrees. The inspiration for the Astrodome was the Roman Coliseum, built circa 80 A.D., which prodded Judge Roy Hofheinz, president of the Houston Sports Association, the owners of the team, to press for the creation of a domed stadium.
"I knew with our heat, humidity and rain, the best chance for success was in the direction of a weatherproof, all-purpose stadium," said Hofheinz. Buckminster Fuller, media-famed ecologist and inventor of the geodesic dome, served as consultant to the project. Hofheinz said, "Buckminster Fuller convinced me that it was possible to cover any size space so long as you didn't run out of money." They didn't run out of money and even had $2 million to spare for the 300-ton scoreboard, with 1,200 feet of wiring, that stretches 474 feet across the brown pavilion seats in center field.
"El Duque" Pitcher Orlando Hernandez, for his lordly ways.
"El Duquecito" Adrian Hernandez because of a pitching style similar to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, the younger Cuban, is not related to his elder countryman.
"El Maestro" Martin Dihigo, played all nine positions well. The native of Cuba was a star in leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico as well as a 12-year veteran of the Negro Leagues.
"El Presidente" Dennis Martinez, pitcher, played For Baltimore Orioles (1976-1986), Montreal Expos (1986-1993). He had a commanding manner about him.
"El Tiante" Luis Tiant, a tribute to his Cuban roots and to him.
$11,000 LEMON In 1908, Rube Marquard was purchased by John McGraw of the New York Giants from the minor league Indianapolis team. The $11,000 paid for Marquard was a record sum paid for a minor leaguer at that time. Since Marquard's record during his first three years with the Giants was nine wins and 18 losses, McGraw's judgment was criticized and Marquard was labeled the "$11,000 Lemon." However, in l9l l the left-handed pitcher rewarded McGraw's patience and showed that the Giant manager's judgment was correct by achieving a record of 24-7. The next year his record l 9 consecutive victories powered the Giants to the National League pennant. And there were those who then called him the "$11,000 Wonder."
"Ellie" Affectionate abbreviation of former Yankee catching great Elston Howard's first name.
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Book Review - “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend”
When I was researching and interviewing for my ”New York City Baseball,1947-1957, the Last Golden Age,” I naturally attempted to interview Willie Mays. He belonged in the book as one of the great figures in the national pastime in that era. To my dismay I made contact with him and learned he was not interested in being interviewed. He was surly, too.
I found out from other authors and sports journalists that he sometimes could be that way, especially if he did know the person who approached him. I did try a couple of times later to get Willie Mays for an interview for other baseball books I wrote. Same story, Same surliness.
Now there is “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend” by James S. Hirsch, (Scribner, $30.00, 624 pages), a book that proclaims on its cover “Authorized By Willie Mays.” I have never seen that before.
But the book does contain a mother lode of material covering many of the key events in the life and times of Willie Mays – although the territory is covered just as well in other books and with a less fawning approach. There are many interviews with most of the usual suspects (Monte Irvin as always is terrific) and even with Mr. Mays. A good deal of research is evident.
We get the hits and the runs. We get few errors. We get the great over-the-shoulder catch that Mays made in the ’54 World Series, almost eight pages on it although we still do not know much more about “the Catch” from this book than is already a matter of public record.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to like about “Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend.” Plenty of baseball stories, lots of insights into his life off the playing field and time spent in various ventures. If you are a fan of Willie, this is the book for you.
For others, you make the call. For after forking over thirty dollars and spending a lot of time going through a book that tallies 624 pages and could have been half that length and worked as well – the man behind “The Life, The Legend” is still not captured in this authorized bio. What we ultimately wind up with is not a home run, but a solidly hit double.
Two interesting New York City sports centered books are "Summers in the Bronx" by Ira Berkow (Triumph, 235 pages, $15.95, paper) and Jeffrey Kroessler's "The Greater New York Sports Chronology" (Columbia University Press, $74.50 cloth, $24.95, paper, 336 pages).
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Monday, February 08, 2010
The Super, Super Bowl! Or “Who Dat?”
The triumph of the New Orleans Saints over the Colts of Indianapolis in Super Bowl 44 was watched by more than 106 million people, the biggest audience for a television event – ever.
The hype, the hoopla, histrionics and the attendance and global village on parade all underscored just how far the event has come from what now seems like a modest start on January 15, 1967.
The merger of the American Football League and the National Football League led to the need for a championship game. The Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
And, although the contest was officially known as the AFL-NFL World Championship, its unofficial name - the Super Bowl - was used in the media, the fans and the players, and the name stuck.
One theory for how the high flying name came about is that at an owner's meeting centered on what to call the game, one of the moguls had a "super ball" in his pocket that he had taken away from his youngster earlier in the day. The owner, not bemused enough by the long and ordinary sounding suggestions for what would become professional football's ultimate game, squeezed the bal and suggested the name Super Bowl. His suggestion was not greeted with much enthusiasm by the assembled group. Nevertheless, he mentioned the name to a reporter who loved it and, as they say, the rest is history.
The first Super Bowl witnessed the first dual-network, color-coverage simulcast of a sports event in history, and attracted the largest viewership to ever see a sporting event up to that time. The Nielsen rating indicated that 73 million fans watched all or part of the game on one of the two networks, CBS or NBC.
In actuality, the game was a contest between the two leagues and the two networks. CBS' allegiance was to the NFL. NBC's loyalty was to the AFL - a league it had virtually created with its network dollars.
From the start there were special features to the Super Bowl including its designation with a Roman numeral rather than by a year - a move on the part of NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to give the contest a sense of class.
That first Super Bowl was played at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles before 61,946. Quarterback Bart Starr was the first Most Valuable Player, leading the Packers to a 35-10 victory over Kansas City. Starr completed 16-of-23 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Max McGee of the Packers became an interesting footnote to Super Bowl history. "I knew I wouldn't play unless (Boyd) Dowler got hurt," he said in later years.
So McGee went out on the town the days (and nights) prior to the game. Curfews, it seems, were there for him to break. He stayed out until 7:30 a.m. on the day of the game. Then, the unimaginable happened. Dowler suffered a separated shoulder throwing a block on the opening series.
In came the 11-year veteran McGee who had caught only four passes all season. He snared 7 passes for 138 yards. McGee and Starr hooked up in the first quarter for a 37-yard score, and again at the end of the third quarter for a 13-yard touchdown. Elijah Pitts ran for two other scores. The Chiefs' 10 points came in the second quarter, their only touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Len Dawson to Curtis McClinton.
But Max McGee stole the show and set a pattern in that first Super Bowl that would be part of the ultimate game's history of unlikely heroes, strange twists of fate, footballs taking a wrong bounce for some teams and the right bounce for others. Witness what happened in Super Bowl last.
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
The hype, the hoopla, histrionics and the attendance and global village on parade all underscored just how far the event has come from what now seems like a modest start on January 15, 1967.
The merger of the American Football League and the National Football League led to the need for a championship game. The Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
And, although the contest was officially known as the AFL-NFL World Championship, its unofficial name - the Super Bowl - was used in the media, the fans and the players, and the name stuck.
One theory for how the high flying name came about is that at an owner's meeting centered on what to call the game, one of the moguls had a "super ball" in his pocket that he had taken away from his youngster earlier in the day. The owner, not bemused enough by the long and ordinary sounding suggestions for what would become professional football's ultimate game, squeezed the bal and suggested the name Super Bowl. His suggestion was not greeted with much enthusiasm by the assembled group. Nevertheless, he mentioned the name to a reporter who loved it and, as they say, the rest is history.
The first Super Bowl witnessed the first dual-network, color-coverage simulcast of a sports event in history, and attracted the largest viewership to ever see a sporting event up to that time. The Nielsen rating indicated that 73 million fans watched all or part of the game on one of the two networks, CBS or NBC.
In actuality, the game was a contest between the two leagues and the two networks. CBS' allegiance was to the NFL. NBC's loyalty was to the AFL - a league it had virtually created with its network dollars.
From the start there were special features to the Super Bowl including its designation with a Roman numeral rather than by a year - a move on the part of NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to give the contest a sense of class.
That first Super Bowl was played at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles before 61,946. Quarterback Bart Starr was the first Most Valuable Player, leading the Packers to a 35-10 victory over Kansas City. Starr completed 16-of-23 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Max McGee of the Packers became an interesting footnote to Super Bowl history. "I knew I wouldn't play unless (Boyd) Dowler got hurt," he said in later years.
So McGee went out on the town the days (and nights) prior to the game. Curfews, it seems, were there for him to break. He stayed out until 7:30 a.m. on the day of the game. Then, the unimaginable happened. Dowler suffered a separated shoulder throwing a block on the opening series.
In came the 11-year veteran McGee who had caught only four passes all season. He snared 7 passes for 138 yards. McGee and Starr hooked up in the first quarter for a 37-yard score, and again at the end of the third quarter for a 13-yard touchdown. Elijah Pitts ran for two other scores. The Chiefs' 10 points came in the second quarter, their only touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Len Dawson to Curtis McClinton.
But Max McGee stole the show and set a pattern in that first Super Bowl that would be part of the ultimate game's history of unlikely heroes, strange twists of fate, footballs taking a wrong bounce for some teams and the right bounce for others. Witness what happened in Super Bowl last.
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
From the Vault Harvey Frommer on Sports
Football Names and How They Got That Way
The words and phrases are spoken and written day after day, year after year, decade after decade - generally without any wonderment as to how they became part of the language. All have a history, a story. With another Super Bowl fast approaching, here’s the scoop on how that name can to be and the origins behind a few others.
SUPER BOWL The merger of the American Football League and the National Football League led to the need for a championship game. The first contest was played on January 15, 1967, and although officially it was known as the National Football League championship game, its unofficial name, the Super Bowl, was used in the media, by the fans, and by the players-and the name has stuck.
One theory for how the high-sounding name came about is that at an owner's meeting centering on a discussion of what to call the game, one of the moguls had in his pocket a super ball that he had taken away from his youngster earlier that day. The owner was not too taken with the long and ordinary-sounding suggestion for what would become pro football's ultimate game. Squeezing the ball, he suggested the name Super Bowl, but the name was not received with much enthusiasm. Nevertheless, he mentioned the name to a reporter and as they say in sporting circles, "The rest is history."
The first Super Bowl saw the first dual-network color-coverage simulcast of a sports event in history, and attracted the largest viewership ever to witness a sporting event up to that time. The Nielsen rating indicated that 73 million fans watched all or part of that game on one of the two networks, CBS or NBC. In actuality, the game was a contest between the two leagues and the two networks, for the CBS allegiance was to the NFL, and the NBC allegiance was to the American Football League, which it had virtually created with its network dollars.
The Super Bowl from the start has been designated with a Roman numeral rather than by year-a move on the part of NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to give the contest a sense of class, and at the same time, of continuity.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS A group of New England sportswriters picked Patriots as a tribute to Patriot Day, which celebrates Paul Revere's ride. The team originally located in Boston, was named the Patriots because of the area's heritage as the birthplace of the American Revolution.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Bert Bell established his NFL franchise in Philadelphia in 1933 at a time the United States was suffering through the Great Depression. New president Franklin D. Roosevelt had introduced his "New Deal" program through the National Recovery Administration, which had the Blue Eagle as its symbol. Since Bell hoped his franchise also was headed for a new deal, he picked Eagles as the team name.
STEEL CURTAIN The term "Steel Curtain" was used to describe the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive unit for almost a decade, starting in the mid 1970s. Four players from those teams are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: "Mean" Joe Greene, Jack Ham , Jack Lambert and Mel Blount. Others linked in the public eye associated with the "Steel Curtain"include: L.C. Greenwood , Dwight White , and Ernie Holmes .
ROCKY Footbal star Robert Patrick Bleier was always better known as Rocky. The son of an Appleton, Wisconsin bar owner, Bleier explained how he got his nickname: "Our living quarters were in the back section of the ground floor, just off the dining room ... In my first few weeks, Dad would bring some of his customers back to the bedroom to take a peek at his son ... "' ... Son of a bitch looks like a little rock,' my dad would whisper proudly. "So I was Rocky before I ever departed the crib." Bleier was the 417th player drafted in the 1968 draft out of Notre Dame and went on to become Pittsburgh's inspirational leader and their "rock.
"TAXI SQUAD Art McBride, original owner of the Cleveland Browns, owned several Cleveland-area taxicab companies in the 1940s, a time NFL rosters were set at 33 players. Players cut by the Browns drove McBride taxis allowing him to replace injured players immediately with well-skilled taxi drivers. The term has become interchangeable for players on a reserve list.
TERRIBLE TOWELS Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers wave the golden "schmatas" celebrating their team and taunting opponents.
Harvey Frommer / Players
What's in an NBA Nick-Name? Part IV, A-D - Part IV, E-H
Harvey Frommer on Sports
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball."
Frommer's next work is an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park. Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed. FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
What's in an NBA Nick-Name? Part V, I-L
For those who liked Parts I, II, III, IV - - here is Part Five of the always
interesting, always memory stoking, always talking point relevant – NBA NICK-NAMES.
Case in point: Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis is looking to change his image and he sees a first step in that direction - - changing/dropping his nickname. What follows are nick-names (and expressions) that have never changed
"I love Waltah" Tommy Heinsohn, Celtic broadcaster, started the unofficial Walter McCarty fan club, coining the catch phrase and creating a national fan club for the likable reserve Celtic forward who now is an assistant coach at Louisville.
"The Iceman" George Gervin was locked into this name for his cool and calm demeanor on the NBA court. One thing he could do was finger roll. The Iceman was the man in the ABA. He was so good that the Spurs stole him from the Virginia Squires through a harsh court battle.
“Indiana Pacers” When the Indiana franchise came into existence in 1967 in the American Basketball Association, the owners said they named the team Pacers because they intended to set the pace in professional basketball. There was also the matter of the famous Indianapolis 500 Raceway. And when Indiana joined the NBA in 1976, the name Pacers went along.
“Jellybean” Joe Bryant is the father of Kobe. He played eight seasons in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and other teams. The elder Brant had a fondness for jelly beans.
“Jones boys" K.C. & Sam Jones were the great Celtic backcourt in the 60s. K.C. was “Mr. Defense,” while Sam was “Mr. Offense.”
“Kobe” LA star Kobe Bryant was named after a "Kobe" steak listed on the menu of a Japanese restaurant or as the story goes for a Japanese restaurant itself.
"Larry Legend" Boston Celtic superstar Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball floor and was most deserving of this nickname.
“Los Angeles Clippers” In 1971, the City of San Diego lost its NBA franchise when its team moved to Houston and became the Rockets. The franchise that was originally the Buffalo Braves, from 1970-1978, moved to San Diego. The owners weren't too thrilled with San Diego Braves as a name. So one of those name-the-team contests was staged, and the winning entry was, you guessed it, Clippers. That was because, once upon a time, lots of beautiful clipper ships passed through the great harbor of San Diego. In fact, the Star of India was still harbored in San Diego. In 1984. the franchise moved to Los Angeles from San Diego and the name Clippers came along.
“Los Angeles Lakers” The Minneapolis Lakers made the move to L.A. before the 1960 season and took with it its nickname that comes from the state of Minnesota's motto: "the land of 10,000 lakes".
(to be continued)
Harvey Frommer is his 34th consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball."
Frommer's next work is an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
What's in an Nick-Name? The NBA Part IV, E-H
There were so many responses to the last piece on NBA nick-names that here is another batch. Some names come from the physical look of athletes, others from their place of origin, others still from their accomplishments on the court. Nowadays, NBA nick-names are not as colorful and definitely much less in evidence. Kevin Garnett, (”the kid, and the “big ticket” ) for example, has a few but they don’t seem as much in use. Here we go – and as always – reactions always welcomed.
“EASY ED” A lean 6'8", 1 90-pounder, Ed Macauley ranks as one of the top centers in NBA history. A three-time All-Star in a nine-year playing career during the 1950's, Macauley specialized in a smooth, almost unstoppable hook shot and driving layups. His temperament and his performing skills were characterized by an ease and a grace that was reflected in his nickname.
“ERASER, THE HUMAN” Marvin Webster of the New York Knickerbockers in the NBA on earned his nickname for his shot-blocking ability. At seven-feet-plus, Webster's size and timing enabled him to wipe out scoring efforts of opponents by simply batting the ball away from the hoop.
“THE GLIDE” Clyde Drexler’s role model was Julius Erving. “He seemed to fly. I wanted to be like him,'' said Drexler, who earned the nickname “Clyde the Glide'' for his own swooping moves.
"THE GLOVE” Gary Payton, the all-time scoring leader at Oregon State, Payton made a name for himself with the Seattle Supersonics on the other side of the ball - as a defender.
“GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS” In 1925, there was a Philadelphia Warriors team in the American Basketball League. In 1946, when Philadelphia joined the NBA, it took its nickname from that old team. The Golden State Warriors are a descendant of the old Philadelphia Warriors. They've gone through a couple of geographical shifts. Philly became the San Francisco Warriors, San Francisco became the Oakland Warriors and Oakland became the Golden State Warriors.
“GRANMAMA” Larry Johnson, who played for the Knicks and other teams in the NBA – even when he was young he looked grandmotherly.
“HACK- A- SHAQ” Primitive defensive scheme designed to try and stop the ONE-TIME most unstoppable man in the NBA – Shaquille O’Neal. Fouling him put him on the foul line where his skills were sub-par.
“HIS AIRNESS” Michael Jordan seemed to fly in the air and also his play had a touch of royalty about it for some, hence the nickname.
“HORSE, THE” Harry Gallatin starred for the National Basketball Association New York Knickerbockers during the 1950's. Though just 6'6", his bulk and power enabled him to out rebound much taller opponents. In the 1953-54 season Gallatin pulled down 1,098 rebounds, an average of 15.3 per game. His strength and stamina earned him his nickname.
“HOT DOG” Dennis Rodman, master rebounder and man of many hair colors and show off ways.
“HOUSTON ROCKETS “ The Houston Rockets were once the San Diego Rockets (1967-1971). When the franchise moved to Houston in 1971, the nickname went along and fit in a city linked to space programs and industries.
"HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL" Dominique Wilkins, passing was not his game but spectacular offensive moves were.
(to be continued)
Sunday, January 03, 2010
What's in an NBA Nick-Name? Part IV, A-D
Once upon a time in all sports, nick-names were the thing. Some came from the physical look of athletes, others from their place of origin, others still from their accomplishments on the court. Nowadays, NBA nick-names are not as colorful and definitely much less in evidence. Herewith, a trip down memory lane on a nomenclature ride.
“THE ADMIRAL” Former San Antonio Spur star David Robinson was called this because of his Naval Academy roots and leadership skills on the court.
ALL-WORLD Lloyd Free, National Basketball Association free soul, who learned his basketball on the sidewalks of New York, gave himself this nickname. Free was a little man in a world of giants who considered his "rainbow shot," which went high in the air and down at the basket, worthy of the nickname he dreamed up.
“BAD BOYS” The rough and tough style of play of the Detroit Pistons coached by Chuck Daly in the late 1980s-early '90s that included Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, John Salley, and Dennis Rodman earned the team that name.
BARON, THE A strong-minded individual whose Kentucky teams rank among the greatest in the history of college basketball, Adolph Rupp's nickname came from his imperial manner and his record of success. "I know I have plenty of enemies," he once said, "but I'd rather be the most hated winning coach in the country than the most popular losing one." Rupp's teams made more appearances in the NCAA tournament than any other coach's; he produced more than two dozen All Americans.
"BIG DIPPER" His full name was Wilton Norman Chamberlain. He was born in 1936 in Philadelphia and grew up to be 7-1 and 275 pounds. Voted in as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. His nickname was the Big Dipper, and he named his Los Angeles mansion Ursa Major, the astronomic term for the Big Dipper constellation. There was a retractable roof over Chamberlain’s bed - Big Dipper watching Big Dipper.
“BIG "E" At 6'9" and 230 pounds, Elvin Hayes was an intimidating performer in the NBA. The former University of Houston All-American, a fine shooter and rebounder, earned his nickname for his size, performance, and appeal.
“BIG FELLA” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had this nickname because of his size. Others were “Cap” and “The Captain” for his leadership.
“BIG GAME JAMES” The former LA Laker star James Worthy rose to the occasion
in prime time moments.
BIG "O" THE Oscar Robertson was big at 6'5" and 205 pounds, but the nickname all of basketball knew him by came more from his big skills than his size. Robertson was a great shooter, a great passer, and a tremendous defensive player. Former Boston Celtic coach Red Auerbach once remarked, "He's so great he scares me. He can beat you all by himself and usually does." Robertson was selected to the All-Star team each year of his playing career and that was just another reason for his nickname—the Big "O" stood not for zero, but for oh!
“BIG SMOOTH” The large Sam Perkins played for several NBA teams – always with grace and ease.
“BIG TICKET” Kevin Garnett came into the NBA as a teenager and was called “Da Kid.” His more permanent nickname derived from the skills and showmanship he displayed over the decades.
“THE CHIEF” Robert Parrish starred for the Celtics and took charge, hence the nickname. He had a stern, no-nonsense look on his face reminding teammates of the Indian Chief from the movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
“CLARK KENT” Kurt Rambis wore safety type glasses a la Superman’s alter ego, hence the nickname. He was also called “blue-collar Kurt,” for his lunch pail work ethic.
CLYDE During the late 1960's and early 1 970's Walt Frazier of the New York Knickerbockers epitomized the cool, calculated precision of a daring basketball player. During his prime, the movie “Bonnie and Clyde,” about a bankrobbing duo, was popular. Frazier's facial hair, his elegant dress off the basketball court, his flashy car and mod ways, earned for him the nickname Clyde. He would steal the basketball, pass brilliantly, perform best under pressure, display an unruffled manner—all of which were the sporting counterparts to the characteristics of the movie antihero Clyde.
“DR. J.” Agile and talented Julius Erving, one of the premier stars first of the American Basketball Association and then in the NBA, could do tricks with a basketball. Neither his first nor his last name conjures up images of a driving, talented, cool basketball player. Thus, the "Dr." stems from what he did with a basketball.
“DOLLAR BILL” Born July 28, 1943 in Crystal City, Missouri, Bill Bradley was a fine athlete almost from the start. An incredible high school basketball player, he could have probably gone to any college in America on a basketball scholarship. But he chose Princeton and paid his own way since Ivy League schools did not offer athletic scholarships. He led Princeton to three Ivy League titles, averaged 30.1 points a game and was a two-time All-American. The only junior, he was the captain of the 1964 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic team.
His contract with the New York Knickerbockers called for $500,000 for four year’s work, but the nickname given Bill Bradley was not for the money he earned but for the money he saved. While other NBA stars drove flashy cars and sported ever more lavish wardrobes, Bradley lived simply and dressed even more simply. His apartment, one friend said, "looked like a Holiday Inn room before the maid shows up."
Bradley reportedly used paper clips when his cuff buttons gave out. There was a precedent for his behavior. While a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford for two years, Bradley lived out of what was called "a large and appallingly messy suitcase." He had more important things on his mind than style and consumer comforts. Bradley led New York to NBA titles and was the toast of New York. But in his time as a Knick, Bradley never did a commercial. He was very conscious even then of his image. He even had a special clause in his contract that said he did not have to do any endorsements.
"THE DREAM” Hakeem Olajuwon starred for the Houston Rockets, a big man who dominated on both sides of the court with a combination of power and finesse. He is the all-time leader in blocked shots.
“DUNKIN’ DUTCHMAN Rik Smits, former NBA star, earned the nick-name, for his Dutch roots and seven foot plus size.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Nolan Ryan - -The Way to Go!
Harvey Frommer on Sports (From the Vault)
The news that Nolan Ryan will be running the show for the Texas Rangers and also be part owner of the team is good news all the way around - -for him, for fans of the Rangers, for baseball fans in general. The former power pitcher is now properly positioned to make things happen.
As an author who was privileged to have the opportunity to get to know him and his family while writing "Throwing Heat," his autobiography, I became intimately aware of how he began and what he has accomplished. The life and times of Nolan Ryan is truly the story of the realization of the American dream.
He grew up in the small town of Alvin, Texas, and still makes his home there. As a teenager Nolan delivered the Houston Post. In "Throwing Heat," he said, "Some people claimed that I developed my arm throwing the Houston Post. That was not the case. It was a short throw from a car, and I made the throw back-handed with my left hand while I steered my '52 Chevy with my right hand. But I did develop the knack of being able to roll and tie fifty newspapers in just about five minutes, and that probably helped me develop strong fingers and wrists."
The strong fingers and wrists were part of the reason for Ryan's great success. A tremendous work ethic was another. Nolan had 992,040 votes to rank first among all pitchers on the All-Century team. He was followed by Sandy Koufax (970,434), Cy Young (867,523), Roger Clemens (601,244), Bob Gibson (582,031). That's elite company.
One can only wonder what went through Nolan's mind out there on the field next to Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron, and Sandy Koufax. Aaron was one of Ryan's idols in his growing up years, and Koufax was a pitcher he truly admired.
"One Sunday between my junior and senior years in high school we went to see the Houston Colt .45's play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandy Koufax was pitching, and I was a big Koufax fan. It was the first time I had ever seen Sandy pitch. I was truly amazed at how fast he was and how good a curveball he had. I think he was the most overpowering pitcher I had ever seen."
The all time strikeout record has belonged to Ryan for quite a while now. But once upon a time, and for a long period, it belonged to Walter Johnson.
One day early in the 1969 season, Nolan was sitting in the Mets' dugout when Jim Bunning recorded his 2,500th strikeout. He asked Tom Seaver what the all-time record for strikeouts was and was told that it was 3,508 and held by Walter Johnson.
"That Johnson record will probably stand forever," Ryan told Seaver. Baseball fans know it didn't. Nolan broke it, and is the all-time strikeout leader with 5,714. That Ryan record will probably stand forever, as will a few other records Nolan picked up along the way.
He holds the record for most strikeouts in a major league season with 383, which he set while playing for the Angels in 1973. He struck out 100 in a season 24 times, another record. He also set the record for most consecutive seasons with 100 or more strikeouts, doing it 23 times in a row. He also holds the record for most career no-hitters with seven.
It is the records that are most associated with the man they called "The Ryan Express." For me it will always be his character. He's a great family man, a person who extends kindness to strangers, a guy who always remembers his friends.
Bravo, Nolan!
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
The news that Nolan Ryan will be running the show for the Texas Rangers and also be part owner of the team is good news all the way around - -for him, for fans of the Rangers, for baseball fans in general. The former power pitcher is now properly positioned to make things happen.
As an author who was privileged to have the opportunity to get to know him and his family while writing "Throwing Heat," his autobiography, I became intimately aware of how he began and what he has accomplished. The life and times of Nolan Ryan is truly the story of the realization of the American dream.
He grew up in the small town of Alvin, Texas, and still makes his home there. As a teenager Nolan delivered the Houston Post. In "Throwing Heat," he said, "Some people claimed that I developed my arm throwing the Houston Post. That was not the case. It was a short throw from a car, and I made the throw back-handed with my left hand while I steered my '52 Chevy with my right hand. But I did develop the knack of being able to roll and tie fifty newspapers in just about five minutes, and that probably helped me develop strong fingers and wrists."
The strong fingers and wrists were part of the reason for Ryan's great success. A tremendous work ethic was another. Nolan had 992,040 votes to rank first among all pitchers on the All-Century team. He was followed by Sandy Koufax (970,434), Cy Young (867,523), Roger Clemens (601,244), Bob Gibson (582,031). That's elite company.
One can only wonder what went through Nolan's mind out there on the field next to Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron, and Sandy Koufax. Aaron was one of Ryan's idols in his growing up years, and Koufax was a pitcher he truly admired.
"One Sunday between my junior and senior years in high school we went to see the Houston Colt .45's play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandy Koufax was pitching, and I was a big Koufax fan. It was the first time I had ever seen Sandy pitch. I was truly amazed at how fast he was and how good a curveball he had. I think he was the most overpowering pitcher I had ever seen."
The all time strikeout record has belonged to Ryan for quite a while now. But once upon a time, and for a long period, it belonged to Walter Johnson.
One day early in the 1969 season, Nolan was sitting in the Mets' dugout when Jim Bunning recorded his 2,500th strikeout. He asked Tom Seaver what the all-time record for strikeouts was and was told that it was 3,508 and held by Walter Johnson.
"That Johnson record will probably stand forever," Ryan told Seaver. Baseball fans know it didn't. Nolan broke it, and is the all-time strikeout leader with 5,714. That Ryan record will probably stand forever, as will a few other records Nolan picked up along the way.
He holds the record for most strikeouts in a major league season with 383, which he set while playing for the Angels in 1973. He struck out 100 in a season 24 times, another record. He also set the record for most consecutive seasons with 100 or more strikeouts, doing it 23 times in a row. He also holds the record for most career no-hitters with seven.
It is the records that are most associated with the man they called "The Ryan Express." For me it will always be his character. He's a great family man, a person who extends kindness to strangers, a guy who always remembers his friends.
Bravo, Nolan!
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Holiday Reads - -“When the Game Was Ours,” “Where Men Win Glory,” and more
The Book Review
How many times through the years did we watch, absorbed and marveling at the skills of Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson, the things they could do on the basketball court for their teams was a consciousness raiser.
Now there is “When the Game Was Ours” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.00, 352 pages). And as I marveled at what the two superstars did on the court, I marvel even more at their analytical ability, their story telling skills, their keen perceptions of the game - -then and now.
But the book is not just Larry Legend and Magic – there are about 100 others whose voices so exceptionally fill these pages. All praise is due Jackie MacMullan. A job very well done.
NOTABLE
“Where Men Win Glory” by John Krakauer, (Doubleday,$27.95, 383 pages) is the poignant portrait of as its sub-title proclaims: “The Odyssey of Pat Tillman.” More than just the story of a man who walked away from a multi-million dollar NFL deal to join the Army, more than the true facts about his tragic death in Afghanistan, “Where Men Win Glory” is as timely as today’s headlines. This is an important book and one that belongs in your sports library!
“Hard Work” by Roy Williams with Tim Crothers (Algonquin,$24.95, 286 pages) is especially for college hoop fans who want the story behind the legendary coach who has led the way for Kansas and North Carolina. Self effacing yet open, detailed and filled with drama, it is a book about one of the winners in sports, also one of the good guys.
“The President’s Team” by Michael Connelly (MVP Books, $25.00. 304 pages) is history brought to life - -the 1963 Army-Navy game and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that took place two weeks before. Connelly, a Boston Herald writer, has covered all the bases in this briskly paced account of the events. With amazing photographs, with amazing commentary by members of that ’63 Navy team and others, the time comes back in a rush. A MUST READ
“Graphical Player 2010” (Acta Sports, $21.95, 256 pages, paper) will appeal to fantasy leaguers with its at a glance dashboards for over 1,000 players in the bigs and the minors. And there is a lot more!
NOTABLE: A pair of winners from Universe Publishing/Rizzoli - -“Fenway Park America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” ($25.00, 15 pages, over-sized with pop-up feature) and “Citi Field The Mets’ New World-Class Ballpark” ($25.00, 15 pages, over-sized with pop-up feature. These are books to enjoy, to play with, to marvel at the concise facts (including chronologies) and entertaining and to the smallest detail pop- ups.
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
How many times through the years did we watch, absorbed and marveling at the skills of Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson, the things they could do on the basketball court for their teams was a consciousness raiser.
Now there is “When the Game Was Ours” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.00, 352 pages). And as I marveled at what the two superstars did on the court, I marvel even more at their analytical ability, their story telling skills, their keen perceptions of the game - -then and now.
But the book is not just Larry Legend and Magic – there are about 100 others whose voices so exceptionally fill these pages. All praise is due Jackie MacMullan. A job very well done.
NOTABLE
“Where Men Win Glory” by John Krakauer, (Doubleday,$27.95, 383 pages) is the poignant portrait of as its sub-title proclaims: “The Odyssey of Pat Tillman.” More than just the story of a man who walked away from a multi-million dollar NFL deal to join the Army, more than the true facts about his tragic death in Afghanistan, “Where Men Win Glory” is as timely as today’s headlines. This is an important book and one that belongs in your sports library!
“Hard Work” by Roy Williams with Tim Crothers (Algonquin,$24.95, 286 pages) is especially for college hoop fans who want the story behind the legendary coach who has led the way for Kansas and North Carolina. Self effacing yet open, detailed and filled with drama, it is a book about one of the winners in sports, also one of the good guys.
“The President’s Team” by Michael Connelly (MVP Books, $25.00. 304 pages) is history brought to life - -the 1963 Army-Navy game and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that took place two weeks before. Connelly, a Boston Herald writer, has covered all the bases in this briskly paced account of the events. With amazing photographs, with amazing commentary by members of that ’63 Navy team and others, the time comes back in a rush. A MUST READ
“Graphical Player 2010” (Acta Sports, $21.95, 256 pages, paper) will appeal to fantasy leaguers with its at a glance dashboards for over 1,000 players in the bigs and the minors. And there is a lot more!
NOTABLE: A pair of winners from Universe Publishing/Rizzoli - -“Fenway Park America’s Most Beloved Ballpark” ($25.00, 15 pages, over-sized with pop-up feature) and “Citi Field The Mets’ New World-Class Ballpark” ($25.00, 15 pages, over-sized with pop-up feature. These are books to enjoy, to play with, to marvel at the concise facts (including chronologies) and entertaining and to the smallest detail pop- ups.
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
"Baseball Americana" and other Reads The Book Review
Holiday books galore for all kinds of sporting tastes are in stores, on-line and in libraries all for the reading. They range from big and beautiful coffee table clutterers to standard fare to paperback treats. A sampling follows:
"Baseball Americana," by Frank Ceresi and Harry Katz, with a nifty foreword by George F. Will (Harpercollins, $29.99, 256 pages) is a treat for the eyes. Filled with 350 illustrations as the sub-title of the book proclaims "Treasures From the Library of Congress," - the terrific tome is a tour through the decades presenting baseball in all its different tones and times.
Still in a coffee table frame of mind from MVP Books comes "The Pittsburgh Steelers" by Lew Freedman ($30,00, 192 pages) and "The New York Giants" by Lew Freedman ($30,00, 192 pages). Both books pack a punch filled as they are with hundreds of images, stats, insights and memories about each team. Highly recommended for football fans and especially those who root for the Steelers and Giants.
"Baseball Annual 2010" by the Hardball Times (Acta Sports, $21.95, 364 pages) is a mother lode of facts, figures, analyses. As usual, this is cutting edge, top of the heap stuff. The world champ of baseball annuals.
"Barney Ross" by Douglas Century (Schocken Books, $12.95, 215 pages) is paperback version of this moving and detailed account of one of the great boxers whose real name was Barnet Rasofsky. Some may remember the movie, but this book goes way beyond the stripped down story that cinema treatment presented. A WONDERFUL READ
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Remembering Tommy Henrich
"I was always a Yankee fan."
The oldest living Yankee, the final survivor of their great teams of the 1930s, Thomas David Henrich has passed away at the age of 96.
Born in Massillon, Ohio February 20, 1913, Henrich took to playing baseball often and well at an early age. In April 1937, Commissioner Landis ruled Henrich a free agent after he had been illegally hidden in the Cleveland farm system. He signed with the Yankees for a reported $25,000 and made his New York debut on May 11, 1937.
In an eleven year Yankee career Henrich batted .282. In 1948, he led the league in triples and runs scored, batted .308 with 25 homers and 100 RBIs. In 1949, his consistent clutch hitting helped keep the injury-racked Yankees in the pennant race. In 115 games, he hit 24 homers, drove in 85 runs, scoring 90 more.
Along with Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller, Henrich formed one of baseball's most celebrated outfields for the Yankees before and after WWII. Although Henrich played in only four World Series because of injuries and three years of military service, he was a key figure in two of the most famous Series games.
In 1949, his ninth inning homer off Don Newcombe of the Dodgers in Game One gave the Yankees the win and created the atmosphere for a Yankee world championship. Moments like those inspired Mel Allen to nick-name the four time All Star "Old Reliable" for a railroad train that was always on time that ran from Cincinnati through the Yankee announcer's Alabama birthplace state.
But Henrich will always be remembered most for his role in Game 4 of the 1941 World Series. It was Sunday baseball at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn before 33,813, standing room only. Yankees against Dodgers.
The first ball was thrown out by New York Mayor LaGuardia. The match-up pitted Brooklyn's Kirby Higbe against New York's Atley McDonald in the first Subway Series between the two teams. Higbe and McDonald were long gone as the game moved to the ninth inning and Brooklyn's Hugh Casey and Yankee reliever Johnny Murphy held forth with "Dem Bums" leading 4-3.
Tommy Henrich faced the burly Casey. There were two out. The count was three and two.
MEL ALLEN (GAME CALL) "Casey goes into the windup. Around comes the right arm, in comes the pitch. A swing by Henrich . . . he swings and misses, strike three! But the ball gets away from Mickey Owen. It's rolling back to the screen. Tommy Henrich races down toward first base. He makes it safely. And the Yankees are still alive with Joe DiMaggio coming up to bat."
"That ball broke like no curve I'd ever seen Casey throw," Henrich remembered. "As I start to swing, I think, 'No good. Hold up.' That thing broke so sharp, though, that as I tried to hold up, my mind said, 'He might have trouble with it.'"
Catcher Owen that 1941 season set the National League record of 476 consecutive errorless chances accepted was the goat. But there were those who thought a bit too much spit or other substance came along with the ball to home plate.
Whatever, the passed ball shook up Casey. The Yanks scored four times and won the game 7-4 and the next day won the world championship.
And "Old Reliable" Tommy Henrich, once again in the right place at the right time, helped the Yankees to another win.
The man from Massillon, Ohio was one of a kind. He will be missed.
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Remembering Bob Sheppard
Back in the late 1980s on assignment for “Yankees Magazine,” a stint I held down for almost 18 years, I entered the tiny public address booth high up and behind home plate at Yankee Stadium.
My objective was to do an interview with the legendary Bob Sheppard.
A cordial and elegant man, Sheppard took both my hands in his and smiling told me to take a seat and we would talk. The game was in progress. He was at work. I was concerned that my questions would interfere with his game announcements.
“No problem,” he said, “Go right ahead. I have been doing this for a while now.”
He had. His first game was on April 17, 1951, Opening Day. The lineup at Yankee Stadium that day was:
Jackie Jensen lfPhil Rizzuto ss
Mickey Mantle rf
Joe DiMaggio cf
Yogi Berra c
Johnny Mize 1b
Billy Johnson 3b
Jerry Coleman 2b
Vic Raschi p
Looking back at that long ago profile I did with the former St. John's quarterback and first baseman, I see that his favorite Yankee moments included: Larsen's Perfect Game, Maris hitting 61 home runs, Reggie's three home runs against the Dodgers and Mantle's shot almost over the roof.
Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle are on Sheppard's all time favorite list. "DiMaggio's name was symbolic of the early Yankees," Sheppard said, "and "Mickey Mantle has a nice ring to it because the two 'Ms' make it alliterative. "I just loved announcing his name. And one day, shortly before he died, we were both being interviewed on a television program. All of a sudden, he turned to me and said - right there on the air - that every time he heard me announce his name, he got goose bumps. And I felt the same way about announcing him."
Hundreds of eulogies have been written and delivered by Sheppard. "They ask me to do a eulogy. I try to tailor my remarks to the person I am eulogizing. Thurman Munson, Dick Howser, Billy Martin. Mickey Mantle's seemed to strike a cord because he died the night before."
Now the man some call "The Voice of God" will no longer grace the Yankee mystique with his voice. Over Thanksgiving the 99-year-old announced his retirement as Public Address announcer for the New York Yankees:
Now the man some call "The Voice of God" will no longer grace the Yankee mystique with his voice. Over Thanksgiving the 99-year-old announced his retirement as Public Address announcer for the New York Yankees:
"I have no plans of coming back," Sheppard said. "Time has passed me by, I think. I had a good run for it. I enjoyed doing what I did. I don't think, at my age, I'm going to suddenly regain the stamina that is really needed if you do the job and do it well."
Bob Sheppard surely did his job well. He was honored with a plaque in Monument Park on May 7, 2000, commemorating his 50th season with the Yankees: "For half a century,” the plaque reads, “he has welcomed generations of fans with his trademark greeting, 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Yankee Stadium.' His clear, concise and correct vocal style has announced the names of hundreds of players - both unfamiliar and legendary - with equal divine reverence, making him as synonymous with Yankee Stadium as its copper façade and Monument Park."
When I began work on my “Remembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral and Narrative History of the House That Ruth Built,” the first one I thought of to interview and to write the book’s foreword was Bob Sheppard. How fortunate and honored I was that he agreed to do both.
Here is the foreword:
Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to Yankee Stadium.
By Bob Sheppard
It's hard to believe that almost 60 years have past since I first delivered this greeting to Stadium fans. I could never have imagined when I joined the Yankees that I would be the public address announcer for almost 5,000 games of baseball played on these hallowed grounds. Although I wasn't a part of the Yankees during the Ruth-Huggins-Gehrig era, I've been privileged to announce the names of almost all of the great baseball stars of the past half century. Considering that my public address announcing career as merely been an avocation to my decades as a professor of public speech, I find this most remarkable indeed.
From the old days of the Stadium's visage wrapped with a copper façade and the sounds of Bronx cheers to the recent days of the Stadium's visage wrapped with Diamond Vision and the sounds of "We Will Rock You," the Yankee Stadium has been the citadel of sport. Where in one place could so many baseball icons display their rare talents with such regularity? Where could I have viewed the transformation of Yankee fans from the jacket and tie required cognoscenti of the 50s to today’s bleacher creatures. The public address announcer's chair has afforded me a virtual front row seat to Mickey Mantle’s s and Reggie Jackson's' towering home runs, Joe DiMaggio's final year of his brilliant career, the magic of Don Larsen's and David Cone's perfect games, 23 World Series & dozens of playoff contests, Roger Maris' 61st homer clouted under tremendous pressure from the press and the fans, the nimble play of Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Richardson, Elston Howard, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles & Scott Brosius, the crackling sliders of Whitey Ford & Sparky Lyle, the dazzling sinkers of Mel Stottlemyre, the sublime fastballs of Ron Guidry, Rich Gossage, & Mariano Rivera, the determined perseverance of Yogi Berra, Gil McDougald, Lou Pinella & Paul O’Neill, the steady leadership of Thurman Munson & Don Mattingly, and the recent sheer pleasure of watching Derek Jeter blossom from raw rookie into classic Yankee champion. And what other chair could have given me the opportunity to observe the strategic and individual brilliance of Casey Stengel, George Weiss, Ralph Houk, Lee MacPhail, Gabe Paul, Billy Martin, Gene Michael, and Joe Torre?
From my cat-bird seats, first in the loge along the third base line and now from the press box behind home plate, I've witnessed the Stadium go from brown & green to white & blue and now to brand new. Bounties of treasured events and memories have sprung forth from this grand cathedral for me and for several generations of Yankee fans. I extend my thanks and gratitude to Yankee owners Dan Topping & Del Webb, CBS & Mike Burke, and George Steinbrenner for allowing me this opportunity.
As author Harvey Frommer, in these pages, brings the Yankee Stadium past back to us in its full and vivid glory, I'll reflect upon my privileged past and present herein: I wish to be remembered as an announcer who carried the dignity and the style of the Yankee organization and tradition of this magnificent Stadium through the spoken word. My clear-concise-correct point-of-view has never allowed me to be a barker, a rooter, a screamer or a cheerleader. I've always aspired to be in harmony with the Yankee gestalt.
Not a bad aspiration and accomplishment for a professor of public speech who arrived at the Yankee Stadium as a New York baseball Giants' fan!
My greatest wish is that the new Yankee Stadium brings yet another four score and five years of cherished and exciting memories to new generations of Yankee fans.
Bob Sheppard added a grace, an intelligence, an elegance to the New York Yankee experience. He was one of a kind.
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work CELEBRATING FENWAY PARK, an oral and narrative history, will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.===
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Book Review: “The First Fall Classic,” Heroes & Ballyhoo,” Ron Darling’s “The Complete Game” and more . . .
The economy is bad. The complaints abound that book publishing is in trouble. All kinds of other media seems to be parading to center stage. With all of this, sports books of all kinds - - historical, autobiographical, anaylitical, inspirational - -keep on coming. And for the most part, we are all the better for it.
“The First Fall Classic” by Mike Vaccaro (Doubleday, $26.95, 290 pages) was of special interest to me having just completed my REMEMBERING (or CELEBRATING, title is still being discussed) FENWAY PARK due out in 2010 and having devoted a segment of it to the 1912 World Series between the Red Sox and NY Giants. My mission was not to go into depth on that landmark series, but we are fortunate that it was the mission of NY Post sports columnist Vaccaro. We are there with John J. McGraw, Christy mathewson, Tris Speaker, Smoky Joe Wood and the others in a riveting read. If you like careful research and old time baseball, go for “The First Fall Classic”
Spaking of old time sports, another winner is “Heroes and Ballyhoo” by Michael K. Bohn (Potomac, $27.50, 320 pages). I read the book before it was a book and praised it thusly with these words which now appear on the back cover. “Hype, hoopla, and histrionics characterized American sports in the 1920s, as well as all kinds of talented and unusual characters. Michael Bohn’s “Heroes and Ballyhoo” is a treatise, a tribute and a tip of the cap to that special time. Carefully researched and written, this book belongs on your sports bookshelf.”
Bill James iis still out there cranking out a lot of the same stuff he has been giving us for many years now – his “Handbook,” 2010 edition (Acta, $23.95, 514 paperback pages) is a niagara of baseball nuggets.
Ron Darling’s “The Complete Game,” Knopf, $24.95, 272 pages) is part memoir, part rumination on the rigors and rewards of pitching, part self indulgent “and then I did that…” If you are a fan of the NY Mets and /or Darling you will enoy the “The Complete Game,” completely. For others, the book is highly optional
“Heart of the Game” by S. L. Price (Ecco, $24.99, 306 pages) traces the lives of two minor leaguers in a heart breaking account of hope and disappointment, pain and prevailing, resiliency and reward. Thr book’s sub-title is “Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America” and it all about that. Price has created a very worthy read.
For all the Andre Agassi fans out there and they add up to a multitude – “OPEN” by the tennis legend (Knopf, $27.95, 386 pages) is an ace! Front stage, back stage, on the court and off the court, “OPEN” is all we would expect from the outspoken, thoughtful, talented crowd pleaser. There is gossip and there is game; there is the very young Agassi (a heart wrenching childhood) and the older Agassi like Frank Sinatra replaying romantic get togethers. No one is spared in the book, least of all its author, and we are all the better for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
FROMMERSPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.
Harvey Frommer is his 33rd consecutive year of writing sports books. The author of 40 of them including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history (Abrams, Stewart, Tabori and Chang) was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer’s newest work an oral and narrative history of Fenway Park will be published in 2010.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
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