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How Life Imitates the World Series
Essays discuss the nature of baseball and portray some of the most outstanding players, including Sandy Koufax and Rod Carew
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 2, 2016
I read this too long ago to remember the details. What I do recall was that it was well-written and packed with great stories. But that's beside the point.
I'm afraid my motives for writing this pseudo-quasi-non-review are all too transparent. It has little to do with the book itself aside from the title. You see, as I sit here hours away from the all-important 7th game, it's with more hope than a Cubs fan is usually allotted that the events on the field will bode well for my team and, by extension, for my life!
I'm afraid my motives for writing this pseudo-quasi-non-review are all too transparent. It has little to do with the book itself aside from the title. You see, as I sit here hours away from the all-important 7th game, it's with more hope than a Cubs fan is usually allotted that the events on the field will bode well for my team and, by extension, for my life!
May 29, 2024
Reread. As noted before Boswell is my all-time favorite baseball writer, perhaps my all-time favorite sportswriter - gently funny, romantic, able to bring to life a late August game between two sixth-place teams as well as he does a heated pennant race.
January 23, 2023
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t aware of Thomas Boswell at all before grabbing this book of of my father’s shelf because I needed something small to have on me to read while taking the subway. Like a lot of baseball writers of this time that weren’t Rogers Angell and Kahn, among others, he seems to have faded a bit from what popularity he had. In large part, I’d imagine, the reason can be found in the pages of this collection, which ranges from truly amazing profiles and on-the-ground, jovial reporting to some intensely dull and overwrought game stories (including the title piece). And a piece of early sabermetrics thrown in (and it’s not half bad!).
First, the good: the profiles scattered throughout this book. Boswell does an amazing job fleshing out the true characters of a sport full of them, from Earl Weaver to Reggie Jackson to Pete Rose (in a piece that reads much funnier now than intended given what was to befall his career) to the last Opening Day lineup of the 1971 Washington Senators to Bill Veeck to, in the funniest piece in the book, some of the cheatingest pitchers in baseball like Gaylord Perry.
He has a remarkable grasp of character and on getting amazing quotes out of the players, despite also getting in digs of his own. My favorite (discussing Reggie Jackson’s ability to take so much that he could even make his true accomplishments annoying by never shutting up about them): If Jackson discussed the Bill of Rights long enough, he’d make you want to repeal it.”
Another of his best pieces was a look at winter baseball in Puerto Rico, which explores both how the white players experience the culture, but also spends lots of times with the Puerto Rican players. He also writes similarly about Cuban baseball, a heartfelt story about players who never got the chance to face major leaguers.
The bad: man am I happy this style of game story went out of vogue. Boswell makes too much use of his space to expound on what are really some exciting games, but you wouldn’t know if because of how many non-sequiturs and tangents he goes on. Some of them are frankly skippable.
And the sabermetrics! Boswell devises a stat he calls Total Average, which seems in part like a very rudimentary precursor of WAR in that it looks to take a total value of a player by weighting his various contributions. It’s obviously lacking, but it’s also a very clear explanation of how he derived the number and what he intends to show, which is fascinating.
Should Boswell be remembered in the pantheon of baseball writing greats? That’s hard to say. But there’s a lot to enjoy here.
First, the good: the profiles scattered throughout this book. Boswell does an amazing job fleshing out the true characters of a sport full of them, from Earl Weaver to Reggie Jackson to Pete Rose (in a piece that reads much funnier now than intended given what was to befall his career) to the last Opening Day lineup of the 1971 Washington Senators to Bill Veeck to, in the funniest piece in the book, some of the cheatingest pitchers in baseball like Gaylord Perry.
He has a remarkable grasp of character and on getting amazing quotes out of the players, despite also getting in digs of his own. My favorite (discussing Reggie Jackson’s ability to take so much that he could even make his true accomplishments annoying by never shutting up about them): If Jackson discussed the Bill of Rights long enough, he’d make you want to repeal it.”
Another of his best pieces was a look at winter baseball in Puerto Rico, which explores both how the white players experience the culture, but also spends lots of times with the Puerto Rican players. He also writes similarly about Cuban baseball, a heartfelt story about players who never got the chance to face major leaguers.
The bad: man am I happy this style of game story went out of vogue. Boswell makes too much use of his space to expound on what are really some exciting games, but you wouldn’t know if because of how many non-sequiturs and tangents he goes on. Some of them are frankly skippable.
And the sabermetrics! Boswell devises a stat he calls Total Average, which seems in part like a very rudimentary precursor of WAR in that it looks to take a total value of a player by weighting his various contributions. It’s obviously lacking, but it’s also a very clear explanation of how he derived the number and what he intends to show, which is fascinating.
Should Boswell be remembered in the pantheon of baseball writing greats? That’s hard to say. But there’s a lot to enjoy here.
August 31, 2018
Beat writer Boswell 's introductory collection, covering baseball from '78 to '82 - a time of colourful, complicated dynasties, quirky, quotable characters, and pop-up-high team spirit, all since eroded by runaway free agency, rigid media training, and agent-engineered egotism (the consolation: the return to old fashioned ballparks!) A timepiece, then, on an enjoyably transitional period, which included, thanks to Boswell and Roger Angell, the emergence of a new kind of sports scribe: investigative romantics who - with their smartly chummy tone, sensorial sensibility, and die-hard humanization of the game's heroes - convinced us that baseball was as much cultural salve as contest.
September 25, 2020
Out of all of Boswell's books on baseball written in the 1980s and early 90s, this one stands the test of time the best. Whereas his other books are collections of columns and articles, the chapters in this one seem to have been written specifically for the book. While some sections discuss specific players of the 1980s, many of the selections cover players from earlier eras, or cover more general topics concerning baseball, both its history and its enjoyment as a spectator sport today. I finished some chapters itching to go see a major league baseball game in person once again. An excellent, well-written book that can make the reader fall in love with baseball all over again.
July 11, 2019
It's a collection of older columns and stories from the late 70's and early 80's, and since Boswell wrote for the Washington Post at the time, a lot of Earl Weaver/Orioles content. This works more for me than maybe those who are interested in other teams, although a handful of stories about life in the minors work for anyone interested in the day to day workings of a player working through the first days of rookie ball or the big league star coaching in a place like Spokane.
July 4, 2024
Three stars feels too low to accurately represent how lovely this book is, but I had a bit of a tough time getting through some of the writing while taking in the message of the vignette and its place in the overall book. I’m a big baseball (Orioles) fan though, and really enjoyed zooming out and examining history through a personal, human lens with a touch of history.
October 10, 2024
Good. Long time reader and admirer of Boswell's WP columns, this is a collection of 20 or so essays about items of 80s baseball interest. A period peace. Welcome, comfort reading, but not especially insightful.
June 13, 2017
Terrific collection of baseball writing. The time period of the articles ranges from approximately 1970-1980. For any fan of baseball from that era it is a must read.
February 6, 2022
Picked up used to pass on to my baseball loving brother. An entertaining collection of behind the scenes baseball stories from the 20th century. Best read one at a time.
December 21, 2020
A series of essays by Washington Post sports columnist Tom Boswell, first published in 1982. Of most interest to older lovers of baseball, obviously
October 4, 2013
Boswell structures this book month by month, collecting essays that reflect the feel of the baseball season as it unfolds from spring training to the World Series (which in these times is still a month away). It was fun to read it in synch with the unfolding of a season which was, like all seasons, a mixed bag for the serious fan. I follow three teams--the Pirates, Rockies and Brewers--and it was a classic split as the Bucs returned to the post-season after taking two decades off, the Rockies showed some signs of life after a dreadful 2012 season, and the Brewers did a spectacular belly-flop into an empty pool. Combining strategic insights with deft character sketches, Boswell captures the feel of the baseball year beautifully. It helps that his home team is the Orioles--my AL team of choice--and he's writing from a moment when they were one of the most enjoyable teams to follow as Earl Weaver defied and defined traditional managing wisdom.
The top shelf of baseball books is terrific, both in fiction (Malamud's Natural, Mark Harris's Bang the Drum Slowly) and non-fiction (Roger Kahn and a host of others). Boswell's earned a permanent place on it.
The top shelf of baseball books is terrific, both in fiction (Malamud's Natural, Mark Harris's Bang the Drum Slowly) and non-fiction (Roger Kahn and a host of others). Boswell's earned a permanent place on it.
June 19, 2013
The chapter entitled 'How Baseball Helps the Harvest or How the Bay of Pigs Changed the Bigs' is my clear favorite. When I strike it rich, I'm going to invent a time machine just so I can go to Cuba in 1980 and watch a game. Until then, Thomas Boswell does the next best thing. I also enjoyed the view of Pete Rose during his playing days, as opposed to the sleazy pitchman he's become. My second favorite is 'Magic Wands and Louisville.' There's really no connection quite like a baseball player to his bat. The concluding chapter about Bill Veeck might just lead me to snag "Veeck, as in Wreck" next. Front to back, this was a very enjoyable read detailing big league personalities from my youth.
November 3, 2012
Boswell is one of the best baseball writers I've read, and this book doesn't disappoint. In his care, baseball is not necessarily synonymous with life, but it matches the rhythms of life. His vignettes of the ballplayers of the 60s-early 80s brought to life the characters of an age of baseballers I never watched or knew much about, and now I'm richer for it.
The organization of the book is a little strange - the months progress, but little connection to the subject matter exists. However, that doesn't harm the content, and the likes of Reggie Jackson, Earl Weaver, and countless other familiar names from that era now have familiar faces.
The organization of the book is a little strange - the months progress, but little connection to the subject matter exists. However, that doesn't harm the content, and the likes of Reggie Jackson, Earl Weaver, and countless other familiar names from that era now have familiar faces.
April 1, 2013
This book is a series of essays from long standing Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell. He wrote this book in 1983, focusing on popular players, managers and executives during the 70’s and early 80’s. It is one of two books by Boswell (the other being “Why Time Begins on Opening Day”), that I dust off from my book shelf and peruse on the eve of Opening Day.
Serious baseball fans will enjoy both the historical aspects of this book, as well as Boswell’s unique perspective on the game. His style of writing makes this an enjoyable read.
Serious baseball fans will enjoy both the historical aspects of this book, as well as Boswell’s unique perspective on the game. His style of writing makes this an enjoyable read.
June 9, 2014
Quality sportswriting. Focus is on baseball in the Baltimore/DC area during the late 70s/early 80s although there are also nice profiles on Rose and Carew.
March 28, 2020
Timely re-read that I just revisited. Brings me back in time, can visualize scenes and memories as I let the writing come alive.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews