Product Description
The 1930s was the era of such baseball legends as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio. In The Only Game in Town, pitcher Elden Auker recalls what it was like to face these sluggers, while Red Sox outfielder Dom DiMaggio remembers how he nearly ended his brother Joe's record hitting streak. Then, in the 1940s, baseball underwent tremendous change. First came World War II, and stars such as Bob Feller and future star Warren Spahn -- both among the ten ballplayers who discuss their playing days in this book -- left the game to serve their country. When the war ended, integration came to baseball. Jackie Robinson was soon followed by other outstanding African-American ballplayers, including Larry Doby and Monte Irvin, both of whom recall their pioneering experiences in Major League Baseball. Buck O'Neil describes scouting and coaching the next generation of African-American ballplayers and helping them make it into the major leagues. Johnny Pesky and Tommy Henrich recall great Red Sox-Yankees rivalries, but from opposite sides, while Ralph Kiner remembers his remarkable ten-year stretch as the most feared home-run hitter of his day.

The ten ballplayers who spoke with Fay Vincent for this fascinating book bring back to life baseball from a bygone time. Their stories make The Only Game in Town a must-have for all baseball fans.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 12 reviews)

worth while, and that's about it

It was worth hearing these players' words verbatim, but it did make it awkward to read. Passing this off as original is a stretch; Fay Vincent "might" have compiled this stuff, but he certainly didn't do any real work.
It would have been better if they had put the questions that were asked, so you could follow a bit easier.
June 28, 2008

Poor execution by a skilled lawyer

One would think that a former commissioner of baseball and skilled attorney would be able to product a fascinating set of reminesces that served to educate the reader about baseball during the Depression. Sadly, that's not the case.

It's unclear whether Vincent had any interaction with the players. These unfocused streams of consciosness don't really show any thought regarding what types of information was being sought. It's as if someone sent a tape and said "talk about what you remember from playing baseball for three hours and return" and then pretty much typed what they said verbatim.

In short, I was very disappointed. There's a great book to be written on baseball during the Great Depression, but this isn't it.
April 28, 2008

WELL WORTH IT

THIS IS ABOUT HOW BASEBALL WAS PLAYED DURING THE 1930'3 AND 40'S ACCORDING TO 10 OF THE TOP PLAYERS IN THAT ERA. SOME OF THE PLAYERS INTERVIEWED ARE BOB FELLER, WARREN SPAHN, RALPH KINER AND BUCK O'NEIL. THE AUTHOR DOES A GOOD JOB AND MAKES THESE INTERVIEWS BOTH ENTERTAINING AND INTERESTING. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS AND SUGGEST THIS FOR FANS WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH OR WHO ARE INTERESTED DURING AN ERA WHEN BASEBALL WAS A GAME AND NOT A BUSINESS. WHEN PLAYERS PLAYED FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME SOMETHING TODAYS GREEDY AND SELF CENTERED PLAYERS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.
November 17, 2007

For the serious fan

An oral history that catches the ethos of an earlier time in a most wonderful and unspoiled manner. Vincent's editing never disrupts the beauty or the simplicity of memories that flow from the passions of the men who played in the 30's and 40's. This is a work that ranks with those of Honig and Ritter. Easy read. An essential for the baseball library. An absolute delight.
March 23, 2007

For all baseball fans

This is a book that any baseball fan needs to read. It makes us appreciate the game back when it was pure. When the game was truly the national pasttime, and the players such as Monte Irvin, Ralph Kiner, and so many others played a game they loved. Yes, it was a business, but it was also a game, which it's not anymore. It's a sport, no more, no less.

The stories of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx, Casey Stengel, and the ones we love reading about are there, along with Warren Spahn and Tommy Heinrich, Bob Feller, and Larry Doby. The discuss their lives, teammates, and what made baseball great.

I wish I could give this more than five stars.
October 19, 2006

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