Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond - The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told

Fabulous collection of stories for the real baseball fan. A super gift item.
Stories all written by an all-star collection of sports writers. The best
book to read until spring training starts.

I was disappointed when i got this book. The description said it was suitable for children, so I ordered it for a little boy who was turning 8 years old. There's no way an 8 year old could read it. It would be fine for teenagers and adults. I waited to long to return it, so now I'm stuck with it.

I recommend this collection of baseball stories to every baseball fan. The collection of stories is wide-ranging, lots of baseball heroes, characters, fact and fiction. But all spill the love of baseball across the pages, especially the fine choices the authors made in selecting them. Did I have favorites? A lot of them. I'll let you pick your own favorites. Pete Reiser was an eye-opener for me. Great stuff. Home Run Fever was exciting. I can go on and on.

There are those who prefer football or basketball, but I'll take baseball. It has a pace that some may find slow, but I think of as more leisurely, allowing suspense to build slowly and often leaving the conclusion unknown until the final out. If you're down twenty points in football with a minute left, there's no way you're going to win; if you're down three runs (a similar three scores as in the football example), there is at least still a chance.
The dramatic twists of fate in baseball are only part of makes the sport great. There is also the rich history and the colorful characters. And unlike almost any other team sport, baseball lends itself well to the narrative structure; when you read about a baseball game, you can picture exactly what happened. An entire game could be described on paper and you can see it all in your mind; try this with a basketball game and you'll be disappointed.
Thus this book. Take some of the great writers (in sports or otherwise), give them the best sport to write about, and you can't go wrong, and this one doesn't. As an anthology, not every story is equally fantastic, but they are all good. They serve as a reminder of what makes baseball great: its drama, its history and its character.

This work is different from the normal Anthology that this reviewer is familiar with. In most, one finds a melange of writings that go from mediocre to very good. The Editor has managed to select writings from some our most talented Authors and has woven them into an exvellent Compendium that was a real joy to read. Whethe one is a casual fan or a true fanatic of the Sport, there is much to satisfy the reader. The Contributors are a veritable whos-who of Baseball Jounalism. The works have been carefully selected to showcase the Sport as well as the Author. The Editor has done a superb job in the works that were chosen in this most satisfying work that will be read and re-read on numerous occasions. It is strongly recommended for all readers.

The title fails to tell the story: "The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told" is an interesting compilation but it simply fails to rise to any summit of "great" sports writing. Many of the 30 chapters are quite serious and far from light-hearted. This reviewer most enjoyed "A '54 Eddie" (baseball card) by Ron Shelton about his hero, Braves 3rd sacker Ed Mathews, who wound up a bush league scout for his parent team. This reviewer is positive Mathews -with one "T"- hated to be called "Eddie". There is another sad tale of a fading icon in Gay Talese's "Silent Season of a Hero" on an aging Joe Di Maggio. Were the Yankee Clipper's younger days any sunnier? The grimmest story is "The Rocky Road of Pistol Pete" about the injury-prone Dodger outfielder, Pete Reiser. The guy played hurt far more than he should have, egged on by manager Leo Durocher. Why didn't their boss Branch Rickey simply order Pete rested? Dodger broadcaster Red Barber uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to illuminate his relationship with Jackie Robinson. This reviewer believes, but is unable to document, that the Old Red Head was a part time Protestant minister. Special mention goes to "A Mickey Mantle Koan". A "koan" is defined as "a paradox that is to be meditated on". These are often used by Buddhist monks. Author David James Duncan tells of two Mickey- related koans, neither taking place on the ball field. Both place Mickey in a very favorable light.

There are negative tales as well. The old New York writer Jimmy Cannon unloads on Roger Maris as payback for declining an interview request. And then is a far too lengthy chapter on Yogisms, supposedly uttered by the former Yankee catcher. As if we have not heard all those time and time before.

Out of the 30, there is not enough red meat writing to warrant the mantle of "greatest". There is simply too much completion for that. The examples mentioned above are insufficient to raise the rating above. Baseball junkies will doubtless disagree and add a star or two. That will help them through the current Hot Stove League. Those who actually know what a "Hot Stove League" is will understand. And isn't that a great cover photo? The Phillies' catcher, who is not Andy Seminick or Stan Lopata, is trying to tag Brooklyn's Jackie Robinson with his bare hand! What was the call?

This is an absolutely super collection of baseball stories. There's alot of familiar stuff in here -- how could it be called the "Greatest" without John Updike's story on Ted Williams or Gay Taleses's on Joe DiMaggio -- but where the book really steps to the plate is in its surprises: like the fiction by Zane Grey and P.G. Wodehouse, whom I associate with other arenas, and tremendous non-fiction from Al Stump (on Ty Cobb), Bill Barich (on Russian barnstormers), and a completely unexpected Red Smith (on Morganna the Kissing Bandit and Johnny Bench.) This is a book aimed right for the baseball fan's heart. It certainly pierced mine.

If you are looking for stories about actual baseball history, then this book is not for you. This book is a more general collection of baseball-related stories. Okay as far as it goes, just be sure to examine carefully before purchase. I would certainly not characterize these stories as the greatest ever told.