| |  | Author: Lawrence S. Ritter
Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Company
Category: Book
List Price: $8.95
Buy Used: $1.14
You Save: $7.81 (87%)
Used (9) Collectible (4) from $1.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 2397913
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
ISBN: 0020963505
EAN: 9780020963509
ASIN: 0020963505
Publication Date: June 1971
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Previous owner message on ffep in blue pen with date. Acceptable condition - only fair condition with underlining or highlighting or both; marginalia in pencil and/or pen, and signs of extensive handling and use.
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| Customer Reviews:
Collection of autobiographical essays on baseball July 20, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I am very interested in baseball history. I created a game that allows me to manage the best players who ever lived, to get to know them by putting them in lineups and playing out games and seasons. It was fun to read the autobiographical stories of some of these old players. It is also great to see their photos, and every contributor to this collection of stories has a photo in the book. Many of them appear in my game.
There were two famous bad plays discussed in the book, the time that Merkle failed to touch second base, costing his team an important game, and the time Snodgras missed a fly ball, costing his team an important game.
In the pages of this book we learn that Merkle's failure to touch second base was a result of fans storming onto the field, believing the game to be over with Merkle's team winning, causing Merkle to rush for the locker room instead of blasting his way through a crowd to get to second base.
We further learn that the defense never threw the ball to second base to get Merkle out, so in a sense, that play still has not been resolved. There's still time for Merkle to touch second base. And we also learn that a similar play had occurred shortly before that game, and the umpire ruled in favor of the runner, not insisting that he fight his way through a crowd of fans on the field.
With regard to the fielding error by Snodgras, we learn that immediately after that error, Snodgras made an exceptional play in the field, robbing another batter of a hit, so Snodgras wasn't such a goat after all. The media is blamed for making goats of these two players.
The baseball players have conflicting opinions about the famous New York Giant manager John McGraw. Almost all of them revered him, but one spoke up against him, saying that he was excessively critical of his players, abusive, and that the player refused to play for McGraw until McGraw actually gave assurances that he wouldn't treat him like garbage.
I enjoyed the Hank Greenberg chapter. Contradicting claims made about him, he said that he was not prevented from breaking Babe Ruth's 60 homerun record by the antisemitism of opposing players. While he admits that he was walked a lot during the last days of the season, he also points out that Bob Feller struck him out a few times, and that the pitchers in the American League were throwing him hittable balls. His reason for failing to hit more than 58 homeruns in a season was that he ran out of gas.
It's nice to know that baseball was not corrupted by antisemitism. Greenberg admits that some opposing players shouted antisemitic remarks at him, but he says that this was no different from the way they would always pry for sensitivities, trying to get every opponent rattled, standard procedure by the bench jockeys of the time, nothing personal in their abuse.
Though Babe Ruth was not alive to be a contributor to this book, a number of the contributors mention him, and it is always with fondness, with adoration. He was beloved by his contemporaries.
I found it interesting to read descriptions of Walter Johnson and some of the other all time greats. Johnson was blazing fast, with an easy, smooth delivery, like Koufax. He was also beloved by his contemporaries, a modest and wonderful man.
For those of you who aren't up on your baseball history, Babe Ruth was by far the greatest player who ever played the game, and Walter Johnson was by far the greatest pitcher of all time.
For modern fans, think in terms of Pedro Martinez in his prime as a fastballer. Project that out to 20 years of it, and you have Walter Johnson.
Some of the oldtimers in this book compare players of their day to more modern players. One conclusion is that the old timers were smarter. Another conclusion is that the modern players are bigger, stronger, faster.
The main difference is that in the old days the ballparks were bigger, the baseball was deader, and the three run homer didn't win nearly as many games as the single slapped beyond the infielders. It made sense in those days to play a smart version of little ball. It made sense for batters to choke up on the bat and hit like Pete Rose. These days it makes more sense to swing free and shoot for the fences, because they are much more attainable than they used to be.
If you found these comments interesting, you will really enjoy this book. If not, it's not for you.
I can not rate ANY sports book higher June 23, 2005
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a frequent reader of sports books of all kinds, I am going out on a limb and say this is the BEST sports book I have ever read - If in doubt, BUY the "Glory of Their Times"
A MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! June 8, 2005
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This HAS to be the BEST book about Baseball & the BEST book about America ever written!!! I've read & re-read this book hundreds of times! Only The Holy Bible comes first!
Get it NOW!!!!
the old geezer
 A Collection Worth Keeping May 12, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When I was young, I wasn't interested in hearing about the `old times'. Now that I'm older, the old folks are gone and I've missed out hearing their stories forever. In a way, this book is a second chance. Lawrence Ritter has made a Herculean effort tracking down all these players and getting their stories. Baseball fans owe him many thanks for the job he's done. There are many interesting stories told between these pages, but one of the most surprising to me was that these players called the games themselves most of the time. No coaches and the managers sat back and let the players play, for the most part. I especially enjoyed the story by Rube Bressler about three players ending up on third base at the same time. This is a must have collection for baseball fans. I thought "The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told" by Jeff Silverman was a little more entertaining, but this collection held my interest too and is a book worth keeping.
Great book March 23, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
anyone who truly loves baseball will enjoy this book. it is very easy to read and is great for long trips or a rainy day in winter when you are yearning for the grand ole' game.
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