On the web since 1997
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On the web since 1997 |
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Review: Autumn GloryW. J. Rayment / Conservative Bookstore -- One of the most famous poems in American Literature is "Casey at the Bat". What school child hasn't thrilled to the great batsman coming to the mound at the crucial moment to stand behind the plate and confidently (and perhaps arrogantly) let the first two pitches fly by for strikes? Then Casey swings at the final pitch and...Well, I will not ruin the ending for you if, by some miracle, you have not previously read this Thayer masterpiece.Baseball is a great sport that, in the course of play, sets up situations that pit man against man and team against team. Reading baseball history is very much like reading military history. It has a similar intensity. Heroes battle and grapple like Homeric warriors. The struggle between Achilles and Hector could be Cy Young on the mound in the first world series pitching to Honus Wagner. Great consequences hang on the outcome of a single javelin throw...or a single pitch. There is a slow, inexorable building of tension in baseball. This is its charm, its excitement. Louis P. Masur captures it perfectly in "Autumn Glory: Baseball's First World Series". The National League's Pittsburg(h) Pirates are pitted against the new American League's Boston Americans (later to be the Red Sox). Their seasons are a grueling test of courage and endurance. When they finally meet in October, both sides have been honed to a keen edge. But one team, Pittsburgh, has been plagued by injury. They have only one first class pitcher left, the great Deacon Phillippe. Their star player, Honus Wagner has trouble even walking. Yet this brave group squares off against the best the American League has to offer. The first world series played in 1903 was an epic struggle, and Masur ably depicts it, almost play by play - two teams, two cities, locked in a polite struggle for baseball's highest honor. Using newspaper and magazine articles Masur takes us back to relive the mad rush of the crowd that created a riot in game three, the quaint rule that allowed fans in the outfield, (behind ropes to be sure, but affecting the game in unsubtle ways), the drama and excitement of a world championship series. Yet baseball has not changed much since those halcyon days. The rules are essentially the same. The players still play for glory...and money. Big bets are placed on the outcome of a contest. And cities still go wild supporting their team. "Autumn Glory" is packed with fascinating stories, such as the pitcher who went insane and the National League owner who hated the American League so much, he refused to allow his team to play in what would have been the second world series. This is a fun book, filled with interesting statistics, fascinating personalities and a fluid style that brings baseball history to life. A timely read for any fan of baseball. |
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