Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. Using as a focus some of baseball's greats--Big Al Spalding, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood (yes, Flood, who challenged the reserve rule and lost his career but won a victory for players' futures)--Lipsyte offers a strong history of the game and its place in American culture. He makes no apologies for baseball as a business; indeed, he makes clear that professional baseball has always been a business. Although much of this material, including the pictures, might be familiar to young readers already absorbed in the game, it is nicely laid out and colorfully formatted. Lipsyte has a clear, vivid style, whether explaining that Babe Ruth was the first sports celebrity to have his own agent or describing the respectful rivalry between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the Summer of Swat home-run contest in 1998. The endpapers display a nifty baseball time line. --GraceAnne DeCandido Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lipsyte (The Contender) structures this lively history of the National Pastime as a collective biography of, as the subtitle states, "The Men Who Made It America's Favorite Game"-including some of its biggest stars, and a few lesser-known, but equally influential players. He begins with "Big Al" Spalding, a premier pitcher, team owner and sporting goods titan, who spearheaded the early campaign to elevate baseball from just a game into a virtuous and "uniquely American" pursuit. The author contrasts Ty Cobb's style of play ("mean") with Babe Ruth's ("larger-than-life") to chart changes in how the game is played-from "small ball" to an emphasis on Big Bats. Recent congressional hearings may lead some to quibble with his choice to include Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, but Lipsyte makes a persuasive case that their record-busting "Summer of Swat" reinvigorated fan interest in a sport that had been mired in labor turmoil for two decades. (Indeed, the best selection is on Curt Flood, the St. Louis outfielder who kicked off baseball's labor disputes with his legal challenge to the "reserve clause," which had allowed teams to trade veteran players without their consent.) Much of this material will be familiar to young baseball junkies-Mickey Mantle playing through pain, Jackie Robinson breaking the game's color barrier, Ichiro Suzuki's thrilling "rookie" year in Seattle-but Lipsyte crafts these elements into an engaging social history of 20th-century America, with bite-size sidebars about baseball cards, funny nicknames, wackiest mascots, Yogisms and a nifty timeline. Not to mention glorious, often full-page photos. Lots to pore over, and it goes down like lemonade on a hot day at the ball park. All ages. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-This volume has the look of a coffee-table book with its overview of baseball history and eye-catching design, with red-bordered text and numerous oversize photographs. The images, though mostly black and white, help convey the intensity of the game, such as the one of Willie Mays making a leaping catch at New York's old Polo Grounds. Chapters highlight Lipsyte's heroes: A. G. "Big Al" Spalding, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Curt Flood, and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. The author's own opinions are perhaps what make this book notable: his arguments are lively, readable, and well documented. He remarks, for example, that in spite of Cobb's abrasive, aggressive personality, no one could imagine him gambling on or intentionally losing a game, unlike "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Pete Rose. Some may question Lipsyte's choices: Ruth over Lou Gehrig, and Mantle over Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays, for example. He reasons that he chose Mantle both for his on-field accomplishments and the fact that he became an advocate against drugs and in favor of organ donors after his career had ended. Fans of the game are likely to find the book a lively discussion starter, with its engaging anecdotes and Lipsyte's articulate perspective.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Biographical material on sportswriter Lipsyte's favorite players is intermingled with baseball history, highlights, and arcana. Plenty of photos break up the otherwise dense text. More for the true fan than the browser or report writer, this book views such topics as racial division, labor relations, drug and alcohol addiction, and globalism through baseball's lens. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
From the earliest days when baseball and America were young to the modern era of player-millionaires, there have been standout personalities and talents who became national heroes. Here is a history of baseball via the heroes of each era. What makes this work unique, especially for one intended mainly for children, is that these men are not presented as gods or saints. Jackie Robinson and Curt Flood stood up for their principles at great cost to themselves. Ruth and Mantle were as flawed as they were inspirational. Ty Cobb was a vicious bully, and several current players abuse drugs. Each page grabs the eye with boldly printed, well-spaced text bordered in red with sidebars in bright blue with white print. Along with well researched and clearly written narration, there is a wealth of additional information in photographs, sidebars and timelines. A gift for baseball fans. (Nonfiction. 10+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
