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Liked It “Absolutely fascinating! 100 years since the Cubs win! Amazing how times change, yet stay the same.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It“This book was quite boring, for a baseball lover this author put me to sleep.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Absolutely fascinating! 100 years since the Cubs win! Amazing how times change, yet stay the same.”
Dan R wrote this review Thursday, September 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No![Sam [also known as Harry]](http://shelfari-userimages.s3.amazonaws.com/usr2060283633732227049149900.jpg)
“Absolutely fascinating, detailed, well-researched account of the 1908 National League pennant race. What's particularly illuminating is exactly how much the world--and America-- has changed in what really is a scant 100 years. No radio, no television, no internet: We all know that. Adding to the historic fun is a veritable menagerie of profit-obsessed 'syndicates' ruling the economy, horrific fan violence, barbaric racism, graft-ridden police, rampant-yet-fun-loving prostitutes, ubiquitous gamblers, murderous Anarchists, oppressed workers, daffy ballplayers, archaic medical techniques, lack of antibiotics, and even a charmingly bloodthirsty Scandinavian serial killer who collects dead husbands faster than banks can collect bailout money today. This unforgettable world of "bugs" and "cranks" and poetry in the evening paper is equal parts fact, myth, and legend, but always a well-told tale!”
Sam [also known as Harry] wrote this review Saturday, March 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Awesome book. Covers so many aspects of baseball and the era that you feel like you were there experiencing this. So many inside stories about the famous players I wish had baseball cards for!”
Chad S wrote this review Wednesday, November 19 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book was quite boring, for a baseball lover this author put me to sleep.”
Skip Rogers wrote this review Tuesday, November 11 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“As a baseball nut, I really appreciated the eccentricities that Ms. Murphy took to tell her story. Every baseball nut knows about the "Merkle Boner" and the players who took center stage in baseball at the turn of the century. However, Murphy goes deeper into the persona of the individual.
Todd K wrote this review Monday, November 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I also enjoyed hearing about the state of society during this era. It's not JUST a baseball book folks! ”
“Murphy is the assistant managing editor at Fortune magazine. She has a background working in other financial publications. She's a smart woman and writes like a good NPR corespondent. The problem is that she writes like a good NPR correspondent. The prose gets a little too heavy. There are four pages about a female serial killer from Indiana pre-1908. While this data is supposed to help the reader paint a picture of what it was like to live in Chicago in 1908, it doesn't. Instead, we get four pages of well-written but heavy handed information that takes the reader out of the diamond and into the history lesson.
Brandon W wrote this review Sunday, September 28 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1908 was a crazy season. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series. They played a game that didn't really count but changed the history of the game. Most games were called by only one umpire, allowing teams to run easily. Jerseys didn't include numbers so managers could hit out of order with small chances of being reprimanded. Games were played with one ball. Pitchers had arms that would go for hundreds of innings with n regard for a pitch count or future (think C.C. Sabathia's Brewer's 2008). Games lasted for about 90 minutes. In the era of dead ball, homers were rare. From Tinkers to Evers to Chance became a poem and a reason to induct the three to the Hall of Fame. In other words, Murphy had ample source material. She made the most of it.
Though her writing could get a little too academic for a baseball book, Murphy does an excellent job of putting you in games that happened 100 years ago.
My girlfriend has been giving me guff about reading too many baseball books. I think she wouldn't mind if they were all like this.”“Enjoyably and colorfully written, well-researched yet friendly and insightful. One of the best baseball books I've read.”
bruce k wrote this review Thursday, June 26 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Funny and informative, this book paints a good picture of what baseball was like 100 years ago, and what the men who played the game were like. Even more interesting than what was different back then are the things that haven't changed.”
dirckhals wrote this review Saturday, December 1 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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