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The First Fall Classic: The Red Sox, the Giants and the Cast of Players, Pugs and Politicos Who Re-Invented the World Series in 1912
by
Mike Vaccaro
Acclaimed author Mike Vaccaro presents a riveting, must-read account of what remains, nearly a century later, the greatest World Series ever played.
In October of 1912, seven years before gambling nearly destroyed the sport, the world of baseball got lucky. It would get two teams-the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants, winners of a combined 208 games during the regular...more
In October of 1912, seven years before gambling nearly destroyed the sport, the world of baseball got lucky. It would get two teams-the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants, winners of a combined 208 games during the regular...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by Doubleday
(first published 2009)
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This is an absolutely excellent book on baseball history, describing the hotly contested 1912 World Series between the NY Giants of the National League and the Boston Red Sox of the American League. The author does a phenomenal job of describing the action in the eight (yes 8) games played, all the while weaving in the events of the time, in particular the Presidential election of 1912 involving Taft, Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt. A famous murder trial was also taking place in NYC during the Wor...more
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Like the it says in the title of this book, Mike Vaccaro has written a true classic.
I picked this up a couple days before the 2009 World Series and I was impressed. Much like author Cait Murphy did in "Crazy 08", Vaccaro paints such a great picture of life nearly 100 years ago. It felt as if I was in New York City and Boston the entire time. Vaccaro not only does a good job describing each inning of each game (I won't ruin it and tell you how many games it went) but he als...more
I picked this up a couple days before the 2009 World Series and I was impressed. Much like author Cait Murphy did in "Crazy 08", Vaccaro paints such a great picture of life nearly 100 years ago. It felt as if I was in New York City and Boston the entire time. Vaccaro not only does a good job describing each inning of each game (I won't ruin it and tell you how many games it went) but he als...more
Even though Keith Olbermann’s MLB blog entry about The First Fall Classic cited many factual errors (more than two dozen), after reading the reviews for this book, I was really looking forward to reading it. Then another review alerted me to an even bigger problem with this book: the author made up the quotes he uses. That’s right. As the author explains in the forward, if it is in quotes, the dialogue is made up.
As a long-time member of SABR and a Giants fan, I take baseball histo...more
As a long-time member of SABR and a Giants fan, I take baseball histo...more
This will sound snotty, but it needs to be said:
In a somewhat bizarre author’s note preceding the book, the author promises the reader that when he was writing the book, he saturated himself in contemporary news stories and research materials from the National Baseball Museum. This seems unnecessary for the author to say, especially at the beginning and not the end of a book, where such statements usually appear with annotations and a bibliography. But when you turn to the back you ...more
In a somewhat bizarre author’s note preceding the book, the author promises the reader that when he was writing the book, he saturated himself in contemporary news stories and research materials from the National Baseball Museum. This seems unnecessary for the author to say, especially at the beginning and not the end of a book, where such statements usually appear with annotations and a bibliography. But when you turn to the back you ...more
A great book for a baseball fan who wants to relive (thanks to with artfully re-created history) the 1912 World Series. Disappointing, unfortunately, if one reads the reviews about the invented dialogue and some factual errors. There is enough of merit, however, to recommend this book to those who enjoy baseball, especially dead-ball era baseball and the characters who made it.
The main subject of this book - the 1912 World Series - is plenty interesting. You've got a number of the best historical ballplayers; you've got two great baseball cities (boston and new york); you've got labor strife. Really, this story should have been enough to fill up 280 pages. Instead, however, Vaccaro relies upon other present day issues of interest (the 1912 election; the murder trial of a new york city policeman) to fill in space and provide context. The book fails because of this....more
I was wondering if I'd be able to get up for the 2011 Giants season considering they achieved the ultimate goal last fall. After reading The First Fall Classic, a gift from my sister, I'm ready to go. Pitchers and catchers reported yesterday and I'm ready for a repeat. Go Giants!
Must read for serious baseball lovers. The author gives a comprehensive account of the controversial 1912 World Series between the NY Giants and Boston Red Sox. With the rampant and open gambling, cheating and an apparent fixing of game 6 by the Red Sox owner, puts the purity of the game at that time in to question.
A great baseball book, covering with wit and insight the eight World Series games, the personalities on the teams, and the culture of baseball fandom in the early twentieth century. Highly recommended for any fan of the game!
Not exactly what I'd call history or perfectly accurate, but it is still a really good read. Just take it all with a grain of salt. Kind of like a movie based on a true event.
Vaccaro not only chronicles the 1912 series but the politics and culture surrounding it. Great read for fans of the game.
Ah ... a little winter dose of baseball. Anyone who loves the game should read it.
Jim
added it
Very interesting cast of characters. Christy Mathewson near the end of his career, John McGraw being John McGraw.
Book details one of the first great world series between the Giants and Red Sox in 1912
Fascinating look at the early days of the World Series. Well worth a read.
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Great book | 1 | 6 | Oct 29, 2009 04:24pm |
