One Base at a Time by David R. Mellor

Even if they don't know his name, every Red Sox fan is familiar with David Mellor's work. As senior director of grounds for the Red Sox, fans view his amazing work for (at least) 81 games a season.His mowing patterns are legendary, and he makes the field a true focal point of the games.

But, as the cover mentions, this book is about much more than that. Sure, his career as a groundskeeper is chronicled. But it's the personal side of his story that gets the most focus here. A severe car accident changed his life, and led to a constant struggle with PTSD. This book follows that journey as he learned to survive that ordeal.

And the book does an outstanding job of it. I could feel every struggle he was going through. Every instance of "not again!" he went through. Every attempt to lift himself back up. I was deflated with him and I was uplifted with him as every detail was shared along the way. Absolutely magnificent. 

This book should be read by everyone. Whether you're a fan of baseball or the Red Sox. If you're having your own PTSD struggles or know someone who is...or might be. This is an important story that needs to make the rounds.

Go find you own copy and read it now.

Rating: 4 bases

Homegrown by Alex Speier

The tagline for this book says it's "How the Red Sox built a champion from the ground up"

That couldn't be more accurate. This book follows the Red Sox behind the scenes starting with the 2011 draft. It follows the players drafted then, and acquired elsewhere along the way to the 2018 World Series Championship. Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Jackie Bradley Jr (all key contributors to the championship) are followed in detail as the work their way through the organization to Boston. It expores how each piece contributed to a greater whole.

This book is absolutely fantastic. I had a hard time putting it down. As a Red Sox fan who follows the team pretty closely, this book opened my eyes to a whole new world of player development. It explored how relationships are built between teammates in the minors. It showed how each player handled their advancements, or lack of advancement. It saw each of them integrated into the major league team in their own ways in their own time. It showed how those introductions sometimes formed the players they would become. It explained what happened with the 2014 Red Sox, and how that played a part in what would become the 2018 team. No detail was missed, so you're able to get the whole picture behind the team. I've never read a book like this before. It was so good I'm sure I would have loved it if it was about any team, but I'm glad this one covered the Sox.

Rating: 4 bases

For the Good of the Game by Bud Selig

Bud Selig is the Hall of Fame former Commissioner of baseball. While the cover promises an inside story of inside baseball, it goes even further than that. It's a deep dive into Selig's life history in the game, from his childhood to his position at the top. It's all there, as he saw it. How did he end up owning the Brewers? How did his time as an owner go? How did he make it to the commissioner's office? What was it like during the steroid era? Why did Joe Torre's Yankees get away with everything? It's all there in great detail.

I'll admit, the only reason I bought this book is the sticker on the front. I figured that if nothing else, having the autograph of a baseball Hall of Famer would be a good thing. I wasn't sure I'd ever actually get around to reading it. But I found myself with some extra time on my hands recently, so I gave it a go.

Boy, am I glad I did.

This book was an incredible in depth look at a section of baseball that I never hear. Honestly, my only complaint is that it's two short. I want at least two books. One with his time with the Brewers, and one about his time at MLB. Because as detailed as this retelling was, I still want to know more. How does a car salesman get an audience with the commissioner of baseball to discuss buying a team? How does Joe Torre end up sleeping on this couch? There were too many times where the story would say "I sold a car to Frank Torre, and when his brother needed a place to stay he stayed with me." There's more of a story there. I've never asked my car salesman to house a family member. But, the stuff that was there was top notch. Selig's retelling of the Braves moving to Atlanta or ruling baseball during the steroid era are must reads. Naturally, he's telling the story so it's probably a bit slanted. But, still something every baseball fan needs to hear. As is the rest of the book.

Rating: 4 bases

Between the Stitching - by Taylor Higgins

Since this isn't the type of book I usually review, I would say the best way to start this write up is by using the author’s own words.

From the back cover:

In this New England based romance, Taylor Higgins invites you along on the journey she and soulmate, Skyler Williams, share together. Williams, a professional baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization, battles his way through minor league baseball in hopes of pursuing his dream of playing in the big leagues. During this adventure, the couple encounters many obstacles while individually searching for their own placements in this world. With hopes number eleven will persevere and achieve his dream, Taylor struggles to keep her own identity afloat.

Follow Taylor as she unintentionally exposes the twisted realities behind is beloved ball game. Travel, live out of a suitcase, become part of the unique sisterhood between the wives and girlfriends of the uniformed men, believe in the power of a goal, and witness first hand as she proves that love is the most impactful energy on this planet. Allow her to introduce to you her own heart and together we will devour the saddening repercussions of losing yourself to tattered, empty people.

If that's not enough of an introduction, here's what Taylor said when she visited with Section 36 Bruins.

Anyone who has ever suffered a loss of any kind will benefit from this story. I guarantee it. If you're a baseball fan on top of it, even better! I promise you it will be unlike any book you've ever read before. I recommend this to mature audiences only.

With that sort of introduction, what did I think when I read it?

Wow. 

Simply, wow.

I could not put this book down. Even though this was autobiographical, it certainly didn't read that way. It was a compelling story that was told in a way to drag me right in. I felt her pain, and her joy, as if I was living it with her. I was scared for her. I wanted to yell at her. I was relieved for her. All with the knowledge that this happened in the past.

Honestly, the strictly baseball part of it would have been enough. The look behind the scenes of a baseball relationship dealing with so much time apart was fascinating. The added aspect of the relationship struggles that probably affect all manner of couples was just an added benefit to the story. The combination made for a powerful story that anyone would want to read.

She’s right to suggest mature readers, since some of the scenes can be graphic or sexually explicit. But beyond that, just about everyone will find something to pull them into this book. I can't recommend strongly enough that you read it yourself to see which parts pull you in.

Rating: 4 bases

Pedro, by Pedro Martinez and Michael Silverman

Pedro Martinez was the Red Sox ace from the second he was

acquired from the Montreal Expos until the second he signed with the New York Mets. Anyone who had the honor of watching him pitch had an experience they won't soon forget. But what drove the man to be the best pitcher to ever hold a baseball? What life events shaped him? How does someone go from a mango tree to the baseball Hall of Fame? This book explores all of that, from Pedro's point of view. 

I'm ashamed that it took me so long to finally read this book. But, once I started I found it impossible to put down. My one complaint? The book is too short. Oh, sure, it brings it for the full 336 pages. But, that covered his entire life. With the exceptional storytelling in the book, I wanted 336 pages on every season. I would eat that up.

Because this book told you everything. There was the "young Pedro" section. Stories from his childhood that I had never heard. He dove into his time in the minor leagues as he struggled to have people believe in him. His time with the Dodgers and Expos was discussed with wonderful detail. All leading to the awesomeness that was his Red Sox career. There were behind the scenes stories that I always thought I knew, but not in the same way. There were new explanations for old events. There was so much, and it never stopped.

Now, I will point out that this was written from his point of view. So, he was never the villain in any of his stories. He was never late, it was always a misunderstanding. Now, knowing what I know about the Boston media, I'm inclined to believe Pedro's version. But, it's worth pointing out that at times it felt a little defensive.

That, however, wasn't nearly enough to take away from all the incredible content in this book. If you haven't read it yet, don't be a baffoon. Go read it today.

Rating: 4 bases

Francona-The Red Sox Years, by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy

Terry Francona managed the Red Sox for 8 years, winning two World Series titles along the way. Let me say that again. Winning two World Series titles along the way. You could argue that he’s the best manager in Red Sox history, and have a mighty strong case. As such, he had to deal with a lot through his tenure in Boston. The personalities of the players. The personalities of the owners. The old ballpark. The young general manager. All of it had to be massaged into a winner. How could anyone do it? How did Francona do it?

I wanted to like this book a lot. I was excited about reading it. I don’t know whether that, or the hype surrounding the book affected my opinion of it. But, I didn’t really enjoy it. I think the book was written too soon after Francona’s departure for what it is. I think I expected it to be different than it ended up being. I wanted to read it and go, “Aha! That’s why Manny had to be traded. Aha! That’s why September happened.” I didn’t. I don’t know if it was Francona’s intention to do that, or not. If it was, he didn’t do it very well. If it wasn’t, he should have written this book five years from now.

The presence of Shaughnessy on the cover bothered me from the start. I wished that Francona had used a national writer instead of a local guy to distance himself from the Boston media. When Joe Torre wrote The Yankee Years, he used Tom Verducci. It added a bit of authenticity to the book that Shaughnessy doesn’t bring. I got the feeling that this was a 350-page column trying to reinforce Shaughnessy’s agenda. The fact that the book is written in the third person doesn’t help that image. Quotes from Francona are treated the same as quotes from Theo, or John Henry. While I have to assume that Francona had authority over what went into the book, the format doesn’t reinforce that.

Maybe it was my prejudice that got to me. I went into the book thinking Manny shouldn’t have been traded. I don’t see a problem using PR to help sell the brand. I don’t think the best way to build a winner is through the farm system. Maybe it’s me. Because, there really was a lot of great information in the book. The behind the scenes stories were fascinating. But, the many good points were overshadowed by long stretches of frustration and annoyance. That was too bad.

Rating: 2 stars.

Fenway Fever, By John H. Ritter

Uh-oh. Has the dreaded Curse of the Bambino returned? Is that why the Sox have gone on an extended losing streak? How can it be reversed this time? That’s the challenge facing young “Stats” Pagano as another promising Red Sox season begins to slip away. What can he do to try and put an end to this madness? How can a kid fight whatever forces are at work? What can any of us do?

I was fortunate enough to have a copy of this book provided to e in order to review. I admit that because of that, part of me hoped the book would be terrible. Then, I could trash it, and brag about how honest I was with my review. When I saw the write-up on the back, I thought that “wish” might have come true. Another book about the Curse of the Bambino? Weren’t we done with that yet? Is that the only thing you can write about in a Red Sox book? Even now? As I read the book, though, I was delighted to find that it wasn’t the case. This was a fantastic read. It’s another book geared towards kids. As such, there were a few times when I read something and thought, “That must be for the youngsters reading this.” Those distractions are the only things I can fault this book for. Fenway Fever ended up treating the Curse of the Bambino like Shoeless Joe treated the Black Sox. A magical story that used the curse as a backdrop, without dwelling on it. Sure, the curse was the main storyline. But this was really a book about family, and faith, and fandom. I greatly enjoyed this book. I can easily see a kid enjoying it even more.

Rating: 3 bases (if I were a kid, I bet I’d add that fourth base)

The Prince of Fenway Park, By Julianna Baggott

The Red Sox really were cursed. No, not by Babe Ruth. By mythical creatures living in Fenway Park. Only one person can break the curse, or the Sox will be doomed to an eternity of losing. Will he succeed?

I know. This is a kid’s book. But, so was Harry Potter, and that was still a great read. The Prince of Fenway Park was not Harry Potter. I think it wanted to be, though. It was a little bit forced. It was like the author was told to write this book. The Red Sox sell. Fantasy sells. Put the two together somehow into a book, and it should sell. Write it. It didn’t really work. It does take place in Fenway Park during the 2004 playoffs. So, that’s a nice remembrance. It wasn’t quite enough to make it a good book, but it helped. A bit. I’ll leave the possibility open that kids may like it. I just didn’t. I will repeat a warning, though, that the author gives as well. The “n-word” is used three times in the book. If that’s a problem for you, now you know.

Rating: 2 bases

A Tale of Two Cities, By Tony Massarotti and John Harper

Two cities. Two writers. Two views. This book combines it all. The magical 2004 baseball season is retold through two contrasting sets of eyes. One from New York. One from Boston. How would they see the same season? Do they both reach the same conclusions? Do they both laugh at each other? If history relies on who tells the story, then this book should have it covered.

I know. There are plenty of books written about the 2004 Red Sox. There are plenty of day-by-day accounts of the 2004 Red Sox. What makes this one special? Hard to say. The book is split into sections. The games between the Yankees and the Red Sox, and the games in between. As each section of the season goes by, each writer tells the story of his team in turn. It creates the only downside of the book. You read each segment of the season twice. But, getting the different angles makes for a nice twist. The book is informal, and doesn’t hide anything. If one of the writers things the other is a moron, they say so. They discuss the faults of the media as much as the teams. The back and forth between the two makes for an entertaining read. It’s nice to see that the media have the same complaints about the rest of the media that I do. This is a fun book to read, and a nice diversion from books that simply repeat facts that you can read anywhere else.

Rating: 3 bases

Red Sox Nation Crossword Puzzle Book, By Brendan Emmett Quigley

I have been a fan of BEQ puzzles from the beginning. Literally. So, imagine my delight when I recently found out that he wrote an entire book for Red Sox fans. How had I missed this? I was finally able to track down a copy, and sure am glad I did.

When I saw that Quigley had written the book, I noticed that he wrote similar books for other teams as well. My one fear was that the puzzles would be generic "baseball" puzzles barely tilted towards the team. I was expecting words like "diamond" and "bases" to be as close as he got to a real Red Sox answer. Boy was I wrong. The puzzles all have Red Sox themes, and a high percentage of the answers are straight out of Red Sox Nation. Fantastic! 25 puzzles traveling through 100 years of Red Sox history. I can't imagine a Red Sox crossword fan not having one of these in their collection.

Rating: 4 bases

One Pitch From Glory, By Lou Gorman

Lou Gorman was the general manager of the Red Sox for a decade. During his watch, the Sox came closer to winning the World Series than they had in decades. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite able to get it done. He presided over several playoff teams, and several truly awful teams. This book discusses both with equal candor, and looks to give a behind the scenes look at those seasons.

My one regret when reading this book is that I didn’t remember enough about the teams Gorman was discussing. He did a great job of saying why he made the moves that he made. I just wish I knew more of the other side of the coin. When he says that he acquired Danny Darwin because he thought he would help the club, I don’t know enough to say, “But you passed on so-and-so!” Which is really an important part of it. Was Frank Viola the best pitcher available? Or, did Gorman misread the market, or gloss over another player? Even with that drawback this was a wonderful read. It sometimes has a feeling of an apology. Or, at least an explanation. Why he did the Bagwell trade. Why injuries killed the team. Things like that. It was great to see the behind the scenes inter-workings of a GM. How did the signing of Jack Clark come to be? It’s also interesting to read this now, after watching Theo and Company for so many years. Gorman was certainly from an older generation of GMs. He was much more people orientated than business. He also gave his all every season to win that championship. He didn’t talk much about building an organization. He talked an awful lot, though, about winning for Jean Yawkey. It’s an obvious difference, and makes for a great read.

Rating: 3 bases

Emperors and Idiots, By Mike Vaccaro

The Red Sox and the Yankees. The Rivalry. 100 years of baseball animosity. This book covers it all. From the early years when the Sox clearly had the upper hand. Through the middle of the 20^th century when the Yankees took the advantage. Right on through the 2004 season when the Yankees showed themselves as the biggest chokers in the history of sports. Vaccaro attempts to cover it all as impartially as possible. Many books have been written from one side or the other. This one attempts to split the line right down the middle and simply retell the stories.

Vaccaro does a very good job of that. While reading this book, it’s easy to forget that he’s a writer for a NY newspaper. That’s saying something. The only problem with the book? It’s fewer than 400 pages, and tries to cover 100 years worth of history. It can’t be done. It can’t be done in the sort of detail one might like. For instance, Vaccaro’s other book The First Fall Classic was about the same length, and talked about one World Series. So, when you need to skim over history like that, you stick to the basics. Many of the stories were familiar to me. Which, I suppose, is a credit to Vaccaro that I still enjoyed the book. He didn’t use a chronological retelling, and made it work. He shifted back and forth through history telling similar stories that happened over the years. It really showed how the rivalry was really one big story. It was a great read.

Rating: 3 bases.

Knuckler, By: Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti

Tim Wakefield burst onto the national scene as a playoff hero with the Pittsburgh Pirates almost 20 years ago. He fell off the scene almost as quickly. Since then, his career has followed a long but bumpy path, mimicking the bumps and jumps of his signature pitch. This book follows his career as he changes teams, and changes roles. As he hits the highs and lows that are found in any career. How does he handle his success, and his disappointment? How did he last 20 years?

This is a fantastic book. Terry Francona has often said that he think he’s a good manager because he knows what it’s like to be a phenom, and what it’s like to be washed up trying to hold on. Tim Wakefield certainly knows how both of those feel. Those experiences have formed him into the player and teammate he is today. He was a slightly cocky youngster who assumed baseball would be easy. He was almost released before finding a role using the knuckler. He starred with the Pirates. He was released not long after. With the Sox he’s been a Cy Young contender, a long reliever, a closer, and a struggling starter. It was fascinating to see how all those experiences made Tim Wakefield. What did he think of being a closer? Has he been frustrated that the Sox use him as a utility knife? How much does he want to be the Red Sox career wins leader? This book had a great flow to it. Even the factual errors that seem to be present in any book associated with Tony Massarotti couldn’t detract from that. It was a fun read, that I had trouble putting down. Tim Wakefield’s career has a way of sneaking up on people. 200 wins? From that reliever? After reading this book, you’ll see that it never should have surprised anyone. Go read it. Quick.

Rating: 4 bases.

Game Six, By: Mark Frost

Every game has a story. It goes deeper than what you see in the

park or on your television. Every action has a reason, and an explanation behind it. This book gives those explanations for what many consider the greatest game ever played. As the title tells you, this book focuses on Game Six of the 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. But it was more than that. It was Sparky Anderson vs. Darrell Johnson. Luis Tiant vs. Pete Rose. Carlton Fisk vs. Johnny Bench. What was the back-story that made this one game the pinnacle sports? What does the viewer need to know that it doesn’t?

I had a bit of a problem when I was reading this book. When it started, I thought it was going to be in the same style as Steve Ketteman’s landmark book One Day at Fenway. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a wonderful book. It just took me a little while to get over it. Game Six uses a popular technique of following the play-by-play of a game, but interjecting outside information into it. So, it is like reading a series of short biographies, set into the flow of the game. The trick with that style is not interrupting the flow of the game itself with a story about Carlton Fisk. Frost does a good job of that. I never felt like the book was getting too far away from the action. Frost also did a good job of keeping the side stories relevant to the game action. It usually seemed like the story being told had a direct relationship to the game situation the player was in. It was wonderfully twirled. It also helped that I didn’t know as much about the 1975 team as I do others. Sure, I had already read The Long Ball. But, that was about it. So, the information in the book wasn’t as stale as if it were about, say, Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. That all made for a wonderful read. It makes me want to pick up Frost’s other books…even if they’re about golf.

Rating: 3 Bases

Tris Speaker, By: Timothy M. Gay

As the back of the book states, “Tris Speaker tells the story of one

of baseball’s true legends, offering an honest look at Speaker’s roughshod, frontier-forged personality.” And that really sums it up. All too forgotten in the annals of baseball history, this book hopes to bring the greatness of Tris Speaker to a new generation. Speaker wasn’t extreme enough in his personality to warrant much publicity through the years. He was a partier, but not like Babe Ruth. He was a bigot, but not like Ty Cobb. He had some gambling issues, but not like the Black Sox. He was the sixth man elected to the Hall-of-Fame, but just missed the first class and the history that went with it. He just missed getting the press coverage. This book hopes to rectify that.

I’ll admit. I didn’t know much about Tris Speaker. I knew he was the guy in the Red Sox media guide who had 35 assists in a season for the Sox. Twice. I remember wondering why people didn’t just stop running on the guy after a while. Then, I saw that due to the dead ball era, he played a very shallow centerfield. He got some of those assists by being the pivot man on 5-8-3 double plays. So, I sort of chalked him up to being a dead-ball gimmick. This book certainly opened my eyes. Tris Speaker was a fantastic player. How he doesn’t have a statue outside Fenway Park is beyond me. It’s a definite must read for any Red Sox fan. The book does have a couple issues. Gay tends to bounce around a little with his narrative. He’ll tell you something’s coming and then tell you about it later. (Much like one of those tabloid television shows) So, it was sometimes tricky to remember that the stuff only happened once. He also tended to go off on tangents. I assume that was because there just isn’t much information left on Tris Speaker. He couldn’t interview anyone who was alive when Speaker played. There’s not a lot of video. So, sometimes Gay had to wander where the information took him, even if a paragraph was more about Smokey Joe Wood than Tris Speaker. But, in the end, none of that mattered. This book affected me in a way that was unexpected. I find myself wanting to tell everyone I see what a great player Speaker was. I’m certainly telling everyone reading this review to read the book.

Rating: 4 bases

The Red Sox Reader, Edited By: Dan Riley

People can’t seem to stop writing about the Boston Red Sox. They write newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, and just about anything else you can think of. To keep track of it all would be a full-time job. Reading it all would take even longer. Thankfully, Dan Riley has helped you out. He has sorted through the mountains of reading material available, and selected a few key pieces to share. He has found the top 28 pieces of Red Sox literature, and combined them into a single volume. The featured authors include: Thomas Boswell, Peter Gammons, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Halberstam, Stephen King, Bill Lee, Dan Shaughnessy, John Updike, George F. Will, and many others.

This book first came out in 1987. A revised edition (the one I read) came out in 1991. The Boston Red Sox, and their fans, were in a different place in 1991. They were in a MUCH different place in 1987. So, the tone of this book reflects that. While “The Curse” wasn’t quite a common phrase, there is a good helping of doom and gloom in the writings. I wonder what a revised 2012 version of the book would be like. As with any compilation, it’s hit or miss depending on the author. Some made me want to read everything else they had ever written, while other made me glad they only had one sample in the book. One nice point comes from the fact that it’s a collection of different authors. Unlike collections of a single writer, the style doesn’t grow stale over an entire book. With several short articles in one place, I found this the perfect book to bring on my trip to Pittsburgh. The many break points made it easy to not lose my flow when I got on a plane, or off. So, if you have a time period coming up that would allow several short chances to catch up on some reading, this is a wonderful option.

Rating: 3 bases

Red Sox by the Numbers, By: Bill Nowlin and Matthew Silverman

If baseball is a game of numbers, this book intends to tell us all

about them. This is a Red Sox history, in numerical order. It progresses through the different uniform numbers worn by the different Red Sox players over the years, and gives a quick biography of some of the key players. If you’ve ever wondered just how many players have worn number 29 for the Sox, and what their stories were, this is the book you’re looking for.

Unfortunately, this is another book that wasn’t written for me. When you’re trying to condense 100 years of history into 300 pages, you can’t go into much detail. So, the stories of the players who wore the different numbers were very brief. This would be a better book for a novice Red Sox fan. It’s a creative way to get a lot of information about the team organized. There were, however, several side stories that I found interesting. There were many discussions with clubhouse personnel discussing how numbers were assigned and selected. Unfortunately, these snippets were too rare. While I can imagine any number of people who would enjoy reading this book, I was not one of them.

Rating: 2 bases

It Was Never About The Babe By: Jerry M. Gutlon

This book sets out to set the record straight concerning the fabled

Curse of the Bambino. It attempts to lie out the reasons that there was never a curse. The reason for 86 years of suffering had nothing to do with selling Babe Ruth. As the book’s subtitle tells us, it was a case of racism and mismanagement that led to the years of despair. Not a ghost hovering over Fenway Park. This book chronicles the history of the Red Sox. It tries to correct some long-held misconceptions along the way. It dives deep into the background of stories that everyone only thinks they already know. It presents itself as the actual history that nobody wanted to hear about. They would rather just place it all on some Curse.

If you ask a religious person for proof that there is a god, they’ll often tell you to look around. The trees, the mountains, the air, all the goodness. They are all god’s work. So, if I was looking for proof of the Curse, couldn’t I use the racism and mismanagement as proof of its existence? Couldn’t the Red Sox have been mismanaged because of the Curse?

The problem with any Red Sox history is that all the important stuff happened long ago when it wasn’t all that important. In 1919 the Red Sox got rid of a disgruntled superstar, but coverage of it was relatively minimal. In 2004 the Red Sox did the same thing, and you couldn’t leave the house without tripping over coverage. I think I have a pretty good idea of what Theo was thinking when he traded Nomar. I have a great idea of what fan reaction was to the trade. It was covered to death. Babe Ruth? What stories remain were only a fraction of the information we have at our disposal today. So, anytime a book like this is written, it’s always a toss up as to what the “true” history is. Was Ruth a distraction? Was the Jackie Robinson tryout a sham? One book will find accounts on one side, some on the other. Who’s to know? So it’s somewhat troubling when this book falls into some of the same traps as the Curse of the Bambino book it is trying to discredit. My opinion of this book flip-flopped constantly as I read it. I’d read a section that made me question the whole book. Then, I’d read a wonderful section that made me want to read it again. In the end, it’s a well-written book. It had some information in it that I hadn’t heard before. It’s well worth sitting down to read. You’ll just have to ignore the part where Bill Buckner is run out of town.

Rating: 3 bases

Dice-K By: Ian Browne

Hmm. I wonder what this book is about. As the subtitle to the book

proudly declares, it chronicles “The First Season of the Red Sox $100 Million Man.” But, that is cutting things a little short. The book really covers everything leading up to, and including Dice-K’s first season with the Sox. It discusses in detail life-building events like the Koshien tournament. It talks about his time with the Seibu Lions as he honed his craft. It goes into great detail into the posting process where Matsuzaka became eligible to play in the Major Leagues. It discusses the negotiations between him and the Red Sox on that first contract. And, of course, it talks all about his first season in Boston. All that is presented as a way of answering the question, “Who is Dice-K?”

Similar to when I talked about the great book “Becoming Manny”, this book really depends on whether the reader is already a Dice-K fan, or not. If you think Matsuzaka is an overpaid nibbler who “JUST WON’T THROW STRIKES!” this book isn’t going to do much for you. You’ll gloss over it as a list of excuses for why Dice-K doesn’t already have four Cy Young Awards. But, if you think Dice-K is a fine pitcher who is misunderstood, that’s another story. This book will explore the transition from Japan to the United States. It gets into the root of the differences between the Red Sox way and the Matsuzaka way. Why does he throw so many pitches? Why does he look lost sometimes on the mound? Why does that one big inning always seem to get him? It explains that, perhaps, the reason everything seems so foreign with him is because it is. It’s also interesting that the book came out in 2008. I wonder if any of it would be different with three more seasons under his belt? Whether you feel Dice-K has been a boon or a bust, any Red Sox fan should read this book. After reading it, I have a newfound appreciation for Matsuzaka, and what he is as a pitcher. Of course, I was a fan before I started reading.

Rating: 4 bases

Diary of a Red Sox Season By: Johnny Pesky with Maureen Mullen

This book is a glimpse into the personal diary of Red Sox great

Johnny Pesky. It follows the magical 2007 season from the signing of the new ace, Daisuke Matsuzaka, through the hoisting of the World Championship trophy. Along the way Pesky gives his unique insight into the goings on with the Red Sox. He relates the events of the day with events from his own career. He tells stories from the point of view of someone with more than 65 years in baseball. It is a combination of the old with the new. It brings the season to life in a whole new way.

The fact that this book involves the 2007 season raises a question. I have already talked about Faithful, which is a chronicle of the 2004 season. So, that’s two diaries of two World Championship seasons. Are there diaries of the 2006 season out there that the authors scrapped after the team didn’t make the playoffs? Or is it just luck that they both started this project at the start of championship runs. In this case, since it suggests it is from Pesky’s personal diary, it’s possible that he’s been doing this all his life. Maybe he just copied the pages from this season because someone felt it was the most interesting. It’s not a day-by-day account. It does have frequent entries, though. So, you can still follow the season along just by reading the entries. If I had a complaint, it is that the entries are too short. It does, though, give the feel that these really are journal entries. In comparison to Faithful, it feels less like these entries were written with a book in mind. It reads like someone just jotting down some thoughts he happened to have. It gives it it’s own special quality. There are multiple references to Pesky’s career, and his teammates. This, again, adds to the feeling that you’re just sitting and talking to Pesky. I can just imagine him seeing Ellsbury steal a base, and think about himself running the bases with Dom DiMaggio. There aren’t many people who would be able to add the type of insight that Pesky does. It’s a wonderful read.

Rating: 3 bases