I loved it!October 9, 2007 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I thought the book was great. I especially enjoyed the last half of the book about several 'curses' on teams in MLB. It really filled in the blanks about a lot of stories I had heard just bits and pieces of. I liked how it moved from story to story.
Baseball in AmericaOctober 4, 2007 9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a book that in a compelling way tells interesting stories that make you wonder, that inspire questions and even, at times, raise goose bumps. The ghosts are mostly good -- of the W.P. Kinsella and the Shoeless Joe variety -- but mostly this is a book of baseball and why we so much love the game.
It is part of the fabric of America and inherently carries with it a nostalgia that takes the reader on a personal journey back over the years. The chapter of the Yankees old spring training site in St. Petersburg sent my mind racing back to my own experiences at City Stadium in Lynchburg Va and players obscure but important to me and my own recollections that could be considered "haunted." Guys like Billy Voss, Duane Josephson, Cisco Carlos, George Noga, "Shot" Johnston, Ed Stroud, Danny Murphy, Ed Nottle, Dick Kenworthy and Carlos May.
It's not just the stories, which are consistently interesting, but also the writing. Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon have an easy, clear style that make the pages turn quickly and sometimes even a lyrical quality that make this a book to turn to for more than one read. It gets five stars and a permanent spot on the shelves of my baseball library, standing strong alongside Five Seasons, October 1964 and even the Boys of Summer. This is a gem that needs to be read.
An Eerie Peek Inside BaseballOctober 3, 2007 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I found these stories very entertaining and intriguing. It was interesting to see how superstition and modern day curses influence these athletes & their fans and can play an important role in the game. The story about Ken Griffey Jr. hitting a home run for the family of a 9/11 firefighter was my favorite - very touching. I would recommend this book to any fan one who wants to gain some insight into the baseball world.
DissapointedOctober 1, 2007 2 out of 10 found this review helpful
Maybe I was expecting too much from the book. I was really looking foward having it in my hands but after 40 pages or so, it became harder and harder to go on. Some stories are of moderate interest, but too many aren't. You keep waiting for something to happen and it doesn't. The most interesting story is about a woman who takes a cab in front of a cemetary, but you don't buy a book for 1 page or 2...
A tasty Halloween treat for baseball fansAugust 11, 2007 10 out of 10 found this review helpful
If you're a baseball fan, you'll love this one - whether you believe in ghosts or not. It's as much about baseball tradition and folklore as it is about spooks. And unlike the typical baseball history books, there's a lot of information from current and upcoming players.
For this reason, I probably would not recommend this book to someone who doesn't like baseball. There are many interesting ghost stories in it, but there are also fairly long segments that only a baseball fan will enjoy. (It's certainly worth a look for anyone, but there are a lot of other books of true ghost stories that would be a higher priority for a non-baseball fan.)
And don't worry - even though the book is written by a Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan, other teams are covered, too. It's not all-AL East, like some national sports channels we know. ;-)
