Good Baseball Book-Particularly Red Sox Fans

[Jack Shellac]

"The Teamates" by David Halberstam recounts a long auto drive and reminiscing by Dom DiMaggio, Johhny Pesky and Bobby Doerr while on their way to Florida for a final visit with a dying Ted Williams. It's particulary interesting for those of us who remember the glory days for MLB of the 1940's and 1950's, when players were more concerned with the team winning than with their own personal stats and performance clauses in their 12" thick contracts. I think Dom DiMaggio was one of the most under-rated players of his day, being lost in the shadows of his brother Joe and Ted Williams. I do think that while Joe D. was probably the greatest all-around player, Ted Williams was the best [possibly of all time] hitter. In addition, he was a Marine fighter pilot in two wars [John Glenn's wingman in Korea].What are any of your thoughts on this? Seems like a timely subject with the Sox maybe about to make it to the World Series. I don't know how much more heartbreak the Sox fans can stand if they lose out again.

 

[11 footer]

Re: Good Baseball Book-Particularly Red Sox Fans

Sorry, I don't read books.

 

[Ralph 123]

Re: Good Baseball Book-Particularly Red Sox Fans

Hey Jack,<br /><br />Heard a lot about that book. It gets discussed up here on Sports Talk often and I have heard serveral interviews with Halberstam.<br /><br />After 86 I kinda became forever ambivalent about the Sox. I am much more of a Pats and Bruins fan. I like teams that find ways to win and the Sox are just the opposite; they find ways to lose.<br /><br />All you ever hear about the Sox up her is negative. The players are all selfish and negative. Compare that to the Pats which will only come out if they are intoduced as a team.<br /><br />The 80s were incredible up here for the Celts. What teams. What sportsmanship. The new style basketball is much less appealing to me.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: Good Baseball Book-Particularly Red Sox Fans

Yeah, Ralph. I know what you mean about selfish players. I have a friend who works in the front office of a MLB team [not the Sox] and he told me about a player in the 2001 season who hit what could have been a triple. The third base coach was waving him on, but he held up at second even though everyone was screaming at him to come on around. When they asked him later about why he'd done it, he replied that he had a perfomance clause in his contract that gave him a bonus based on the number of doubles he hit. He wasn't taking a chance that they would count a triple as a double, too. Unbelievable but true. Fairly typical behavior from what my friend says. I can't imagine Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra or anyone from their era doing this.