thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
Written in late 2003, this book details much of what happened around one game in late August of that year between the Red Sox and Yankees. Many big personalities from both teams are involved, along with a few outsiders (e.g. Spike Lee and Bob Adair). While enjoyable to read, it is not without flaws.
The first half introduces many of those personalities and covers what they do between the previous night game (a Sox win) and this one. The second half of the book is an inning-by-inning breakdown of the game, which is an interesting read. The book ends with a postscript saying that these Red Sox seem to be ready to shake up baseball, and predicts a world series in in the near future. As this book was released in August of 2004, it was a very near future indeed.
While Fenway provides the backdrop, little is said about the old park. Some of the personalities fill no more than a walk-on role, author [a:Robert K. Adair|406137|Robert K. Adair|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] unfortunately among them. The book is extensively researched, and most likely very accurate. The slight lean of the book indicates the author is likely a Yankee fan, or at least from New York.
Other books covering just a single game include [b:Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game|23848135|Pitch by Pitch My View of One Unforgettable Game|Bob Gibson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426664359s/23848135.jpg|43458114] by pitcher Bob Gibson; [b:Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History|10277577|Nobody's Perfect Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History|Armando Galarraga|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328824053s/10277577.jpg|15178185] by umpire Jim Joyce and pitcher Armando Galarraga, and [b:Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game|10410420|Bottom of the 33rd Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game|Dan Barry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348201660s/10410420.jpg|15314551]. I would include this and recommend them all to any baseball fan.
The first half introduces many of those personalities and covers what they do between the previous night game (a Sox win) and this one. The second half of the book is an inning-by-inning breakdown of the game, which is an interesting read. The book ends with a postscript saying that these Red Sox seem to be ready to shake up baseball, and predicts a world series in in the near future. As this book was released in August of 2004, it was a very near future indeed.
While Fenway provides the backdrop, little is said about the old park. Some of the personalities fill no more than a walk-on role, author [a:Robert K. Adair|406137|Robert K. Adair|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] unfortunately among them. The book is extensively researched, and most likely very accurate. The slight lean of the book indicates the author is likely a Yankee fan, or at least from New York.
Other books covering just a single game include [b:Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game|23848135|Pitch by Pitch My View of One Unforgettable Game|Bob Gibson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426664359s/23848135.jpg|43458114] by pitcher Bob Gibson; [b:Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History|10277577|Nobody's Perfect Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History|Armando Galarraga|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328824053s/10277577.jpg|15178185] by umpire Jim Joyce and pitcher Armando Galarraga, and [b:Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game|10410420|Bottom of the 33rd Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game|Dan Barry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348201660s/10410420.jpg|15314551]. I would include this and recommend them all to any baseball fan.
somechelsea's review
2.0
Great premise - the story of one day at Fenway Park (as the title suggests), following everyone involved, from the players and managers to the press and fans and including the guys who run the scoreboard. Unfortunately, the actual book did not hold up to this, and ended up being pretty boring. Shame.
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