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A review by thomcat
The Summer Game by Roger Angell
5.0
A collection of essays about baseball, from 1962 to 1971. This era saw expansion, a new round of playoffs, dominating performance from pitchers or hitters, and the first hints of free agency. His prose is often poetic. The last essay is the best, looking back at baseball in his father's era and describing the true timelessness of the game.
Much of this book focuses on the Mets, from an expansion cellar dweller to the amazing season of 1969. Baltimore, a dominant team in this era, also receives plenty of ink. This book is not just about the teams, though - he looks at the fans, the stadiums, the media, and even sport in general. His comments on growing homogenization and increasing playoffs also ring true in our era.
Already a writer, these essays represent his first foray into baseball, and start (appropriately enough) with spring training. His observations are from a perspective that Ring Lardner and others didn't have, as embroiled as they were in the game. The last essay was partially about what the 70s would bring, and also reflected on what the 20s held for his father's generation. This is a quote from that essay:
“Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young. Sitting in the stands, we sense this, if only dimly. The players below us—Mays, DiMaggio, Ruth, Snodgrass—swim and blur in memory, the ball floats over to Terry Turner, and the end of this game may never come.”
I look forward to reading (and rereading) more from this author.
Much of this book focuses on the Mets, from an expansion cellar dweller to the amazing season of 1969. Baltimore, a dominant team in this era, also receives plenty of ink. This book is not just about the teams, though - he looks at the fans, the stadiums, the media, and even sport in general. His comments on growing homogenization and increasing playoffs also ring true in our era.
Already a writer, these essays represent his first foray into baseball, and start (appropriately enough) with spring training. His observations are from a perspective that Ring Lardner and others didn't have, as embroiled as they were in the game. The last essay was partially about what the 70s would bring, and also reflected on what the 20s held for his father's generation. This is a quote from that essay:
“Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young. Sitting in the stands, we sense this, if only dimly. The players below us—Mays, DiMaggio, Ruth, Snodgrass—swim and blur in memory, the ball floats over to Terry Turner, and the end of this game may never come.”
I look forward to reading (and rereading) more from this author.