Makes you feel like you're right there in 1975

books:


	• The Long Ball: The Summer of '75 -- Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever ... Tom Adelman Back Bay Books, 2004 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 37 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Not impressed

Don't let my review scare you from wanting to read this book. My reasons are obvious...I found myself in a love hate relationship with this one. As a die hard red sox fan I purchased this book with only them in mind. My only intentions were to learn more about the history of the sox. There was a lot more information than I needed to know in this book. All the other information was good but unnecessary to me. I found my self skipping around to get to the information that kept me awake.

The detail that was good was really good (this is why I still gave the book three stars). Some of the information on the hall of fame players that are described in the book was perfect. How Pete Rose played the game, How Carbo got to bat in the ninth, how the camera stayed on Pudge after he hit the bomb, what happened to Tony C. etc etc. If your a red sox fan and you wouldn't mind fighting through all the useless facts about the other teams, you would definitely enjoy this one. But if you're easily distracted there are probably better books out there on the history of the sox.

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An entertaining read

"The Long Ball" is definitely an entertaining read. There were laugh-out-loud moments as the author described some of the plays in the '75 World Series. The first half of the book covers the regular '75 season, many of its players and teams, while the second half concentrates on the post-season. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because the author's slant in favor of the Boston Red Sox eventually emerges as an unmistakable bias. I would have liked to see the book's approach be more even-handed between the Reds and Red Sox, especially since it was the Reds that won the World Series, not Boston. Still, a very enjoyable read. Recommended.

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Warning Track Power

Tom Adelman's The Long Ball: The Summer of '75 is both an interesting and frustrating read. The concept of the book is excellent. Connecting various stories of the 1975 season in a cut and paste manner makes for a more interesting read than just a straight chronological account. Mr. Adelman is also very adept at painting a descriptive picture of the events he is relaying. The frustrating part is that he is very inaccurate with his facts and one never knows if everything is real. The story about how Barry Bonds started choking up on the bat during bat day at Shea Stadium just seems too far fetched to believe. This other similar stories of young Ken Griffrey, Jr., Mark McGwire & Rickey Henderson lead you to question how accurate or real the stories of the actual '75 are.

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Makes you feel like you're right there in 1975

I happened to stumble upon this book at a local bookstore. The paperback cover said it was a "national bestseller." After a quick glimpse through it, I decided to pick it up. I wasn't disappointed. Adelman makes you feel as though you are right in the thick of things during the 1975 season. Newlywed Johnny Bench is featured prominently, as are Bobby Bonds and his son Barry, Pete Rose, Carlton Fisk, and Sparky Anderson. There isn't any reminiscing on how this year was, Adelman puts you right there month by month. The League Championship Series' and World Series are expounded upon greatly. The World Series is broken down by the days including the rainout days. A very good book. Recommended.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Cincinnati Reds is generally considered to be the best of all time, and baseball historians often rank its sixth game as the greatest single game ever played. In this exuberantly praised bestseller, Tom Adelman tells the story of the season that led up to that classic series, and then delivers the inside pitch on those amazing seven games.

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