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Would strongly recommend this to all baseball fans. It really shows how tough it was for negroes had such a tough time playing in front of primarily white crowds, and how Mays's entrance to the league evolved the game. Also touches up on some other old-time players which is fun to read about.
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Owen
Die-hard Mets fan. Also root for the Pirates and Indians amongst other teams I enjoy watching.
Favorite Players of All-Time (in no order): Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Max Carey, Stan Musial, Harmon Killebrew, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Leo Durocher, Willie McCovey, Bob Feller, Joe Dimaggio, Ernie Banks -
I've been considering buying this book, among many others. I see it on Amazon for $0.01 (though shipping is $4).
One criticism I've heard is that James Hirsch romanticizes Mays' career and life. Mays' faults and shortcomings are virtually ignored, or so they say. -
Curious but what were some of his shortcomings? I know he was always kind of a jerk to fans but was there anything else?"(Shoeless Joe Jackson's fall from grace is one of the real tragedies of baseball. I always thought he was more sinned against than sinning." -- Connie Mack
"I have the ultimate respect for Whitesox fans. They were as miserable as the Cubs and Redsox fans ever were but always had the good decency to keep it to themselves. And when they finally won the World Series, they celebrated without annoying every other fan in the country."--Jim Caple, ESPN (Jan. 12, 2011)Comment
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Last summer, I read this and it will always be in memory as the best researched bio I've ever read. 600 pages of detail over culture from 1950s and 1960s which went well beyond the scope of baseball. It was worth it to take the time to read and reminisce, and to reflect over what I missed because I was too young to know about it all.
As for shortcomings, CWS1173, Mays' biggest flaw as discussed in the book was his inability to sustain his first marriage. Honestly, according to the author, Mays was bigger than Michael Jordan has ever been. He was the closest thing sports had to Elvis, apparently, and I don't think it was possible for him to deliver for all fans at all times.Catfish Hunter, RIP. Mark Fidrych, RIP. Skip Caray, RIP. Tony Gwynn, #19, RIP
A fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. -- Winston Churchill. (Please take note that I've recently become aware of how this quote applies to a certain US president. This is a coincidence, and the quote was first added to this signature too far back to remember when).
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test first and the lesson later. -- Dan Quisenberry.Comment
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He always did have a smile in every picture i saw him in. I guess after awhile the fans would get annoying to some people."(Shoeless Joe Jackson's fall from grace is one of the real tragedies of baseball. I always thought he was more sinned against than sinning." -- Connie Mack
"I have the ultimate respect for Whitesox fans. They were as miserable as the Cubs and Redsox fans ever were but always had the good decency to keep it to themselves. And when they finally won the World Series, they celebrated without annoying every other fan in the country."--Jim Caple, ESPN (Jan. 12, 2011)Comment
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I thought the book was well-researched, but at times it was hard to get through because it was too inclusive of every detail for his 20+ year career. The baseball stuff was very good and he had some good interviews but the main fault I have with the book is the fault of every authorized biography--that the subject has ultimate editorial control which makes it very hard to say anything at all bad about them. Over the years there have been numerous episodes and anecdotes of Mays acting selfish and rude, especially towards fans and writers. The author brushes these off (or simply ignores them) with simple explanations that do not do justice. This makes you take the good things he says with a grain of salt. Otherwise, it is a good book.Comment
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Well I enjoyed it for the most part, and I would recommend it to anyone whose a baseball fan.Comment
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