donzhivago's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars, really, but since the overall ratings are way too low, I figure it's worth a 5.
About as good of a sports book as you can get, especially if you like the context of the era.
About as good of a sports book as you can get, especially if you like the context of the era.
smbragg's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished this one and it grew on me as it went along. I liked how the author wove in what the times were like then and what was going on in society. I only picked up two errors in the book which were both in the same sentence in the epilogue where he said that Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2013 (he did it in 2012) and that he was the first to do it since Frank Robinson when the previous TC winner was Carl Yastrzemski. It was a good read but it was a slow read.
ellisknox's review
2.0
This was a disappointing book. The author has done much research and all the information is there. It's the presentation I found distracting.
In chapter after chapter, he starts with an incident or character, only to veer off into something completely different, then circles back at the end of the chapter to that incident. We think we're learning something more about Gibson, most of the chapter is about Jackie Robinson or Lou Brock or Curt Flood, then we circle back. It's like the author was taught a technique and decided to use it without a care about navigating us through the year 1968.
There's also an assumption that the reader knows the story. For example, he builds up to the 1967 Series. He opens the chapter about the Series itself by telling us who won in the 7th!
There's much of interest in this book, but I couldn't help feeling that there were other books that would do a better job. This is baseball. I shouldn't have to *try* to finish a book about baseball.
In chapter after chapter, he starts with an incident or character, only to veer off into something completely different, then circles back at the end of the chapter to that incident. We think we're learning something more about Gibson, most of the chapter is about Jackie Robinson or Lou Brock or Curt Flood, then we circle back. It's like the author was taught a technique and decided to use it without a care about navigating us through the year 1968.
There's also an assumption that the reader knows the story. For example, he builds up to the 1967 Series. He opens the chapter about the Series itself by telling us who won in the 7th!
There's much of interest in this book, but I couldn't help feeling that there were other books that would do a better job. This is baseball. I shouldn't have to *try* to finish a book about baseball.
dickh's review
4.0
Excellent summary of a key year in baseball history - the last 30 game winner and Bob Gibson as the owner of a microscopic ERA.
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