Other than being at the Red Sox winning game or attending the celebration parade in Boston (neither of which I did) what better way to bask in the glory of a World Series win for the Red Sox than to read a book about some of the most memorable Sox players of all time?Teammates is a lovely little book that takes you back to a time of some of the "greats" of baseball. Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Dominic DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr were not only teammates on the Red Sox back in the 4o's, but also lifelong friends. So, when Ted Williams' health takes a turn for the worse, Pesky and DiMaggio, along with Dick Flavin, road trip it from Massachusetts down to Florida for one last visit with Williams.
The book recounts each player as an individual, as well as a team, through baseball and their personal life. They all have amazing stories, coming from poor, immigrant families, and rising to fame through their love of baseball. Funny though, I say fame, and were you expecting me to say fortune as well? Think again. Any monetary success any of these four players had came after their baseball careers were over. When comparing numbers of how much they made in all their years of baseball neither DiMaggio nor Pesky netted more than 40K!!! I bet bat boys make more than that in a year these days!
It was a quick read, not difficult, but well written. David Halberstam puts together a great story through lots of hard work interviewing and researching. Although, I do think that my favorite part is when Bart Giamatti is mentioned. Just recently I have learned about Mr. Giamatti and his success as the President of Yale and his love of baseball, so it was very exciting to read a passage about him in the book. Unexpected and very cool.
No comments:
Post a Comment