Just now reading "The Boys of Summer" by Roger Kahn. It's a classic that I've always been interested in reading but never picked it up until now.
It's about the 1950's Brooklyn Dodgers. Roger Kahn was the team beat-writer for the Dodgers for two seasons. The first half of the book covers those two seasons and the rest takes place 20 years later where the author interviews each individual player in their hometown.
I love reading about baseball during this time because it was still just a game. Many players from this time period have 3 year gaps where they had to go off to war. Some things were just more important. They didn't grow up playing baseball in select leagues with private coaches. They learned playing in the park or street near their house with other kids. This was before free agency and the draft so players generally stayed with teams for most of their career. I like the modern balance produced by free agency and the draft but in modern sports you are rooting for a uniform more than a player. The book also covers the saga of Jackie Robinson and the issues surrounding integration in baseball.
It's just a neat read that gives a glimpse of baseball in it's prime. I can't imagine how cool it was to grow up in the New York area with so much baseball in town. (Yankees, Dodgers, Giants)
It's about the 1950's Brooklyn Dodgers. Roger Kahn was the team beat-writer for the Dodgers for two seasons. The first half of the book covers those two seasons and the rest takes place 20 years later where the author interviews each individual player in their hometown.
I love reading about baseball during this time because it was still just a game. Many players from this time period have 3 year gaps where they had to go off to war. Some things were just more important. They didn't grow up playing baseball in select leagues with private coaches. They learned playing in the park or street near their house with other kids. This was before free agency and the draft so players generally stayed with teams for most of their career. I like the modern balance produced by free agency and the draft but in modern sports you are rooting for a uniform more than a player. The book also covers the saga of Jackie Robinson and the issues surrounding integration in baseball.
It's just a neat read that gives a glimpse of baseball in it's prime. I can't imagine how cool it was to grow up in the New York area with so much baseball in town. (Yankees, Dodgers, Giants)