 |
 |
The New Stats Explained
by Ryan T. Campbell
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Johanna quoted in the Chicago Tribune about Fan Safety.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
| Stan Kapinos is the Sam Walton Fellow at Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT. He is also a life-long Yankee fan and student of the game of baseball. If the Yankees are playing anywhere in the world, you can bet he knows the score.
|
Previous Book Reviews:
On Roger Maris
On Beyond Batting Average
On Best Game Ever
|
This Month
Stan Kapinos reviews Lew Paper's
Perfect: Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made It Happen
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Where does Don Larsen's Perfect game fit in the history of sports? Was it the most unique event in baseball history? Or was it just a special moment on a fall afternoon in the Bronx? Author Lew Paper in his book Perfect calls it a miracle.
If Larsen's game is not the most unique event in sports history it certainly is a pristine moment in the Golden Age of Baseball in New York City. There is no doubt that the Golden Age of Baseball from 1947 to 1957 is rich with many special moments
Just think about, Robinson first stepping on the field in his Dodger uniform in 1947; or the repetitive chant of "the Giants win the pennant" as Bobby Thompson rounds the bases in 1951; you can see the grainy black and white image of Willie Mays making "the catch" during the 1954 World Series; or 'Dem Bums' beating the Yankees in 1955 and winning the first and only World Series for Brooklyn in 1955. All of these were unique and special.
But who can forget the sight of Yogi Berra leaping into Larsen's arms following the 27th out of the only perfect game ever pitched in World Series history. It was so memorable that fifty-three years later, when baseball launched its own MLB- TV channel to over 50 million homes - their premier piece of programming was Don Larsen's Perfect Game. The 1956 World Series perfecto was aired for the first time since its original broadcast with Bob Costas hosting and Yogi Berra and Larsen as the featured guests. Not quite a miracle but it clearly was a special moment.
Lew Paper the author of Perfect also considers it a very special moment. The cover of Paper's book reads Perfect: Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made It Happen; and Lew Paper does an excellent job of showing that there is no I in PERFECT.
Game five of the 1956 World Series will always have Larsen's name attached to it, but it was clearly a team effort and Paper has written an insightful biographical book that details the perfect game as well as the lives and careers of the 19 baseball players from the two championship teams.
The book is written in a style that tells the story of the 5th game of the World Series inning by inning. The game action is minimal with only 5 hits and 2 walks by the Yankees, and 27 up and 27 down for the Dodgers. But the games is full of exciting fielding plays, masterful pitching, close calls and the author is able to convey the feelings of the excitement building in this closely contested fall classic. And, because the writing is short, crisp and concise the book is easy to read and moves along quickly... mimicking the fast pace of the two hour and six minute World Series game.
It's Lew Paper's bios of the nineteen players in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series that makes the book work so well. He writes about the game, the players and about a time in baseball that is far different from today. It is this combination of game action and real life biography that makes the book excel. The biographical stories are rich, distinctive and insightful. And why not, it's an outstanding collection of talented athletes who took the field on October 8, 1956.
As a group, these nineteen baseball players are very accomplished; collectively they had over 241 years of major league service, appeared in 104 all-star games, and won 10 MVP awards.
Seven of the players were later inducted into baseball's the Hall of Fame, 10 players had their numbers retired, four later managed in the world series, and five were later nominated for baseball's All-Century team. It is an outstanding group of champions!
Each player's bio is a look at their youth, family life and the development of their athletic skills, their entry into the big leagues, their professional careers and what their lives were like after their baseball career ended.
Some of the bios are more familiar than others. Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roy Campenella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Enos Slaughter, are well known primarily because of their Hall of Fame status. Others like Gil Hodges, Billy Martin, Hank Bauer, Junior Gilliam, and Sal Maglie are familiar because of the time later spent managing and coaching. A number of these players are prominent in The Boys of Summer, Roger Kahn's 1987 classic; while some are still cheered during Old Timer's Day celebrations.
Paper writes about how so many of these great players used professional baseball to escape the bleak despair of poverty. He writes about the sacrifice of Berra, Reese, Snider, Furillo, Robinson, and Slaughter who gave years of service during the second world war. Giving details about how Gil Hodges and Hank Bauer distinguished themselves in battle and were awarded numerous medals, including the Bronze Star.
Lew Paper does a wonderful job of bringing these players biographical stories to life; for example, Gil McDougald was struck in the left ear in 1955, during batting practice by a ball hit by teammate Bob Cerv. Though initially believed to be a concussion he lost the hearing in his left ear and later also in his right. He retired from baseball in 1960, and pursued a career as a college baseball coach but his loss of hearing had a profound effect on his life. In 1994, his hearing loss was partially restored with a cochlear implant and he became an outspoken advocate for the deaf.
Cuban born, Sandy Amoros immortalized in Dodger history for his catch in Game seven of the 1955 World Series ended his baseball career in 1960. He returned to his homeland and was harassed by Fidel Castro for refusing to take the manager's job for the Cuban National Team. He lost everything and returned to the United States. Amoros struggled in New York for the next two decades and died a broken man.
Dale Mitchell played his entire career as a star outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, with the exception of 19 at bats with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 Mitchell is perhaps best remembered, however unfairly, for making the final out in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. He pinch-hit for Brooklyn pitcher Sal Maglie and took a questionable called third strike to end the game.
Lew Paper makes the details of the perfect game interesting and the biographical information colorful and compelling. He also included some nice tidbits about others that impacted this miraculous moment in baseball.
There are smaller stories about a variety of people who were a part of this game… umpire Babe Pinelli's final game behind the plate, Vince Scully announcing the game, or a young Whitey Ford warming up in the bullpen. There is the reporter who asked Yankees manager Casey Stengel if this was the best game Larsen had ever pitched. Stengel artfully answered, "So far!"
Don Larsen will always be associated with this miraculous moment. Larsen says a day doesn't go by when he doesn't think about the game. It's his moment of perfection!
Lew Paper has written a book that's captures that moment and gives us more. It's a book where the ending is well known, but the details of the World Series game, the descriptions of the people that wore the uniforms and the details of their lives make Perfect: Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made It Happen a most enjoyable read.
|
|
|
|
