Review: The Year of the Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball’s Golden Age

The Year of the Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball’s Golden Age by Sridhar Pappu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Did anyone read “Summer of ‘68” by Tim Wendel? It covered the intersection of baseball and current events in the Summer (and Fall) of 1968. The focus was on the key pitchers of the time, Denny McLain and Bob Gibson, and the racial issues prevalent in the country. Wendel’s book was published in 2012. Fast forward 5 years to 2017. That’s when “The Year of the Pitcher” was published. And it’s about…the same things. I recall writing in my review of Wendel’s book that it mentioned the encroachment of football onto the stage, vying to replace baseball as “America’s sport”. I remember thinking this was an unexpected bit of history to share in a baseball book. Strangely, the same thing popped up in “The Year of the Pitcher”. The authors seem to have used some of the same sources. I’d guess these two books have about 80% overlapping topics, and perhaps 2/3 overlapping anecdotes. The obvious takeaway is that 1968 was a highly interesting year for baseball and American society. I’m not sure you need to read two pop-history/sports books on it. “Summer of 68” covered the fall as well. “Year of the Pitcher” talks a lot about Jackie Robinson, who was not a pitcher, nor was he facing pitchers at the time. Both titles were a little misleading. Having read both, I’d say both are good, with “Summer of 68” taking the nod based on a better cover and seniority.

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Review: Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays

Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The writing in these twenty or so essays is striking compared to many of the recent articles and essays I’ve read. She can set a mood. The essays are not even, some hit, some don’t. My favorite, the final one about getting tired of living in NYC, reminded me of my feelings before moving away from various places I’ve lived. I will be reading more…

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Review: Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West

Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West by Justin Farrell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you read the two paragraph blurb describing the book, you get the bulk of what it offers. The writing is what I’d call academic good-ole-boy. By that, what I mean is that the author is a Yale professor who repeatedly tells the people he interviews that he’s originally a local, so as not to scare them with “Yale”. He comes across as disingenuous, proudly so. The writing was repetitive, with perspectives covered with multiple, similar interviews and comments. As I read this, I thought that many of the behaviors described could be seen between any two classes of employer/employee or server/patron. The interesting bits were what the ultra-rich do differently, and, surprise – it involves spending money. I found the book interesting also for the locational references - describing some of the affluent real estate opportunities and leisure activities.

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Review: Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Audacious Blueprint for a Cubs Dynasty

Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Audacious Blueprint for a Cubs Dynasty by David Kaplan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A strange, little book, aimed squarely at Cubs fans. While you might think this is all about the players and the front office machinations to put together this Series-winning team and begin a dynasty, there is a good percentage of ink, say half, focused on the Ricketts and their buying, then building of the team. Given the title of this book, I found it surprising, and a bit disappointing, that the story that gets the most interest from the author is about the contracts between the Cubs and the owners of the rooftops. This contract, unbeknownst to the owners, allowed the Cubs to add a site-blocking video board, limiting the value of those properties. Kaplan writes this story as though he were a gloating victorious lawyer. He didn’t write at length about the other contracts the Cubs were involved in that had a more direct impact on the club’s plan on building a dynasty, including the players contract that allowed the Cubs to delay Bryant’s introduction to the team for a few days into the season to ensure an extra year of contract life. The writing needed editing. There were many stories repeated. I’m a Cub fan that doesn’t always pay attention to the team every season. I read a few things I didn’t know. I found bits of this interesting, but it was a bit repetitive.

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Review: Classic Lives: The Education of a Racehorse

Classic Lives: The Education of a Racehorse by Caroline Silver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I’ve read quite a few thoroughbred horse “biographies” over the years, telling the story of a great racehorse, including stories about their ancestry, their breeding and birth, their training and racing and post-racing career. The stories almost all give major coverage to the people involved in the horses life, the breeder, trainer, jockey, groom, and owner. I was expecting the same here, but this was quite different. Instead of focusing on a single horse, author Silver focused on one racing stable and a crop of horses, of similar ages. And unlike those other books, some of these horses are poor at racing. That’s one of the highlights of the book, seeing through the eyes of an owner of a large string of horses and the long odds of having a big winner. You see the business side, but also the tradition. Another interesting aspect is that horse transport is a key element in this story, as one horse is injured In a transportation accident and others have issues caused by travel. I hadn’t read about that aspect before, outside of Dick Francis books. American readers will also note that this is about a British stable in the 1970s, so some things are done differently than in the US, and steeplechasing is an alternative to oval flats racing for some covered here. Well written and fresh despite being written more than 50 years ago.


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Review: All Systems Red

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Robocop" in space. An android, at times displaying the human traits of self-centeredness and laziness, is contracted to protect a crew researching a planet, who are then attacked by another crew with other, similar security androids. The description of the fighting feels right out of a "Transformer" movie battle. This book has a lot going for it. The android hero of the book has a checkered past, loves human soap operas, and has a little more free will than most other security androids in the field. The world is bureaucratic, and oh so familiar in the bungling and the legal ramifications. A great introduction to the character. I will be reading more.

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Review: Stillness Is the Key

Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've read many of these types of books. This one feels very familiar, treading similar paths to other books, providing its "insight" in a new-agey language. I felt comfortable reading this book. I enjoyed the anecdotes and the organization of the author's thoughts without giving anything too much thought. I found this good for a relaxing take on stillness but I'm starting to get jaded with these types of books being so similar.

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