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timhoiland's review against another edition
4.0
When it comes to baseball writing, Roger Angell is the best there is.
“What I do know is that this belonging and caring is what our games are all about; this is what we come for. It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitative as a professional sports team, and the amused superiority and icy scorn that the non-fan directs at the sports nut (I know this look—I know it by heart) is understandable and almost unanswerable. Almost. What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring—caring deeply and passionately, really caring—which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives. And so it seems possible that we have come to a time when it no longer matters so much what the caring is about, how frail or foolish is the object of that concern, as long as the feeling itself can be saved. Naïveté—the infantile and ignoble joy that sends a grown man or woman to dancing and shouting with joy in the middle of the night over the haphazardous flight of a distant ball—seems a small price to pay for such a gift.”
“What I do know is that this belonging and caring is what our games are all about; this is what we come for. It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitative as a professional sports team, and the amused superiority and icy scorn that the non-fan directs at the sports nut (I know this look—I know it by heart) is understandable and almost unanswerable. Almost. What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring—caring deeply and passionately, really caring—which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives. And so it seems possible that we have come to a time when it no longer matters so much what the caring is about, how frail or foolish is the object of that concern, as long as the feeling itself can be saved. Naïveté—the infantile and ignoble joy that sends a grown man or woman to dancing and shouting with joy in the middle of the night over the haphazardous flight of a distant ball—seems a small price to pay for such a gift.”
jamesvw's review against another edition
4.0
The bard of baseball, Roger Angell constantly reminds me of the pure beauty of the game. His lyrical language parallels the improvisational dance of the sport and, despite speaking of seasons from decades before, constructs in-depth characters delving far beyond the stat sheet and tells stories that almost never feel dated, irrelevant or stale. The reader can’t help but get excited about outcomes of games long forgotten, cheer for the farm-team rookie grasping at his one shot in the big leagues or despair for the journeyman veteran reflecting on a long career flickering out. Angell is undoubtedly the best baseball writer in the sport’s storied history.
thomcat's review against another edition
5.0
The 1970s was a turbulent time in baseball, and this was one of the first books written about that era. It's poetic prose covers personalities and stories, along with history and anecdotes of five seasons - including the best world series ever.
This era saw the start of free agency and the first DH in the world series. Angell's comments that those championship games were played "too late in the year" were true then, and three weeks more so now. The essay on Steve Blass "Gone for Good" was clearly the best in the book.
The book is enhanced by the internet sources available now - after reading Angell's excellent description of Herb Washington in the 1974 world series, I was able to find a television broadcast of the event. Box scores of the games he was at or talked about, whatever happened to Dick Allen, etc.
I liked the book a lot, but it didn't hold my attention as [b:The Summer Game|603712|The Summer Game|Roger Angell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328820924l/603712._SY75_.jpg|590278] did. Rambling paragraphs speculating on the future of some players feel out of place among the well-written prose - this was the stuff of newspapers at the time. Minor complaints, really - I look forward to more from [a:Roger Angell|18856|Roger Angell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389625724p2/18856.jpg], who celebrated his 101st birthday last year.
This era saw the start of free agency and the first DH in the world series. Angell's comments that those championship games were played "too late in the year" were true then, and three weeks more so now. The essay on Steve Blass "Gone for Good" was clearly the best in the book.
The book is enhanced by the internet sources available now - after reading Angell's excellent description of Herb Washington in the 1974 world series, I was able to find a television broadcast of the event. Box scores of the games he was at or talked about, whatever happened to Dick Allen, etc.
I liked the book a lot, but it didn't hold my attention as [b:The Summer Game|603712|The Summer Game|Roger Angell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328820924l/603712._SY75_.jpg|590278] did. Rambling paragraphs speculating on the future of some players feel out of place among the well-written prose - this was the stuff of newspapers at the time. Minor complaints, really - I look forward to more from [a:Roger Angell|18856|Roger Angell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389625724p2/18856.jpg], who celebrated his 101st birthday last year.
eely225's review
4.0
As one must expect with an essay collection, there are ups and downs. The ups make you wonder how anyone else would dare write about the game of baseball in Angell's wake. The downs make you skim, though not resentfully.
In general, Angell is at his best when he is examining a specific person and how they fit into the baseball landscape. He draws his characters beautifully, often imparting a melancholic edge while also being self-aware enough to critique his penchant for imparting melancholic edges. This helps paint a picture of baseball in the 1970's: how much is different and how much is unchanged. By contrast, he is less compelling as he describes the play-by-play of championship series, the reader having the feeling that not much is gained by his description that one could not get elsewhere. Angell certainly has a way with words, but it's hard to make game summaries compelling in themselves when he's so far removed from the human element, half the time watching them on TV.
It's worth taking some time with this one, but a reader shouldn't feel bad if they don't dig deep into each essay. If I were to re-read this one someday, I'd probably limit myself to the following essays:
-On the Ball (how pitching works)
-Landscape, with Figures (statistical analysis, 70's style)
-Sunny Side of the Street (good anecdotes from spring training)
-Gone for Good (the Steve Blass "yips" story)
-The Companions of the Game (the end of the Horace Stoneham era with the Giants)
-Scout (the transition into the draft-era of amateur scouting)
In general, Angell is at his best when he is examining a specific person and how they fit into the baseball landscape. He draws his characters beautifully, often imparting a melancholic edge while also being self-aware enough to critique his penchant for imparting melancholic edges. This helps paint a picture of baseball in the 1970's: how much is different and how much is unchanged. By contrast, he is less compelling as he describes the play-by-play of championship series, the reader having the feeling that not much is gained by his description that one could not get elsewhere. Angell certainly has a way with words, but it's hard to make game summaries compelling in themselves when he's so far removed from the human element, half the time watching them on TV.
It's worth taking some time with this one, but a reader shouldn't feel bad if they don't dig deep into each essay. If I were to re-read this one someday, I'd probably limit myself to the following essays:
-On the Ball (how pitching works)
-Landscape, with Figures (statistical analysis, 70's style)
-Sunny Side of the Street (good anecdotes from spring training)
-Gone for Good (the Steve Blass "yips" story)
-The Companions of the Game (the end of the Horace Stoneham era with the Giants)
-Scout (the transition into the draft-era of amateur scouting)
veniasum's review
The only reason this is partially-read is that I'm giving it away.
Perfect like baseball — marvelous cadences and moments of sheer hilarity. The prose is amazing, and the stories are even better.
Perfect like baseball — marvelous cadences and moments of sheer hilarity. The prose is amazing, and the stories are even better.
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