|
BOOK REVIEW
“Crazy ‘08”
by Cait Murphy
Foreword by: Robert Creamer
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
HarperCollins Pub.
Content: 368 Pages
Rating:
 4 out of 5
Stars
|
 |
Cait
Murphy’s “Crazy ‘08” delves into Baseball’s “Dead Ball Era” with a verve
and passion sorely lacking in many of today’s sports books. I couldn’t
help but think that Murphy, with her amusing anecdotes and humorous
overtones, actually wrote this as if she, herself, bore witness to the
1908 pennant race by sitting in the stands at Chicago’s West Side Grounds
and cheering on the Cubs. The era’s greatest players (Cobb, Lajoie,
Wagner, etc.) are poignantly portrayed as they really were, not as we
wish them to be. They come with all of the
frailties and shortcomings that plague us all. Fred Merkle’s muffed play
in the September 23rd game down the stretch, which is forever
woven into baseball lore as “the Merkle game", nearly destroyed his
career, yet many years later he was vindicated with a warm response by the
fans at the Polo Grounds which prompted him to say, “It makes a man feel
good to hear cheers after all these years, I expected so much worse.” Sense and sensibilities aside, Murphy adeptly handles the “thornier”
issues of the day like ownership’s all-encompassing grip on a
player’s contract. Because free-agency was still (50+) years away, a
player had no leverage when it came to negotiating his contract, thus
rendering him bound to that piece of paper, which fostered the beginning
of threatened walk-outs and work-stoppages. Meanwhile, the pennant race
was building to a dizzying crescendo with the Cubs and the Giants squaring
off for the right to represent the National League in the World Series,
and Murphy handles all of the subtleties and nuances with a titillating
prose that keeps the reader asking for more. The market is inundated with
sports books, many of which aren’t well written, but Cait Murphy’s
“Crazy ‘08” is certainly worth your time and money.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Rose Collectibles 2009
It’s been (20)
years since, then Commissioner, Bart Giamatti decried that Pete Rose,
baseball’s all-time hits leader, would be banned from baseball for his
involvement in gambling. The ban would be for life. When news broke of
this landmark decision, Rose collectibles took a precipitous drop.
Sure, there were those “die-hards” that would continue to collect
his stuff no matter what, but to the collecting public-at-large, it
signaled the end of an era with another former star feigning ignorance
about his indiscretions.
Rose never came
clean during those years about whether or not he actually bet on baseball.
It took the premier of his book and the sobering realization that he may
never be considered worthy of acceptance into the Hall of Fame for his
denial to end. The words that we all knew were there, "Yes, I did
bet on Baseball,” were finally uttered in 2004. So now what?
Should the ban be lifted? Should Pete Rose be allowed back into baseball after
he recanted his story? As of late there has been a groundswell of
support, including many former players who maintain that, “he’s suffered
enough; let him back into baseball.” Not so fast. Just because
Rose is apologetic and contrite, he did break MLB’s Cardinal Rule that
simply states: NO BETTING ON BASEBALL ALLOWED. It’s posted on every
clubhouse wall throughout the League. The last time I looked, there
was no “statute of limitations” on bad behavior being rewarded with a
reprieve after the person “had suffered long enough.” Rose knew the
consequences and still chose to ignore the possibility of getting caught.
I agree wholeheartedly with the life-time ban. Despite what I or
anyone else thinks, his collectibles will continue to thrive, as evidenced
by his frequent stops on the autograph show circuit. I just won’t be
buying any of them!
Pete Rose banned in Boston…and everywhere
else
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We’ll have a full report on the
Valley Forge (Pa.) Sports Memorabilia
Show (Sept. 25 – Sept. 27,
2009) in our next Seminar.
×Back
to
Hobby Happenings
×Back
to The Classic Corner
|
