The Devil's Snake Curve: A Fan's Notes From Left Field

by Josh Ostergaard

The Devil's Snake Curve offers an alternative American history, in which colonialism, jingoism, capitalism, and faith are represented by baseball. Personal and political, it twines Japanese internment camps with the Yankees; Walmart with the Kansas City Royals; and facial hair patterns with militarism, Guantanamo, and the modern security state. An essay, a miscellany, and a passionate unsettling of Josh Ostergaard's relationship with our national pastime, it allows for both the clover of a childhood outfield and the persistence of the game's service to those in power. America and baseball are both hard to love or leave in this by turns coruscating and heartfelt debut. Josh Ostergaard holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Minnesota and an MA in cultural anthropology. He has been an urban anthropologist at the Field Museum and now works at Graywolf Press.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

236 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2014

Reviews

[Budd Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best way to review "The Devil's Snake Curve," a unique baseball entry of the literary season, is to describe it. And that takes some doing.

At its most basic level, the book is a collection of anecdotes about the game. They range from a paragraph or two to about five pages, although for the most part they are on the short side.

The stories are mostly about professional baseball - the majors in particular - but not completely. There are some personal tales thrown in along the way. And they are in chronological order - but not completely. The personal stories are added in no particular interval, as author Josh Ostergaard doesn't follow the chronology rigidly.

There are a few themes in here. There are plenty of entries on facial hair and baseball through the decades. The New York Yankees - sometimes as a symbol of hatred, sometimes as a symbol of American power - pop up quite a bit. Some left-wing politics also turn up here and there.

It's easy to give credit to Ostergaard for research. There are all sorts of stories about major league baseball in the 227 pages of text, and I'd have to say that I haven't heard of many of them. A few might be familiar to baseball fans who study the obscure, but even then Ostergaard has a way of putting a different spin on a particular situation.

Your first reaction might be a bit similar to mine - it's impressive that such a non-mainstream book even was published. It's put out by Coffee House Press, a nonprofit imprint that receives grants to public interesting writing. Ostergaard's approach certainly qualifies. He mixes facts and opinions in unique ways.

You also should know that the manuscript was finished in the spring of 2013, so don't look for timely stories about the last couple of years. This is all told in bite-sized amounts, so those who don't like a particular story can just move on and perhaps find something of interest a moment later.

So, dear reader, will you like this? That's a decided "maybe." Certainly conservatives and Yankee fans won't love it. But "The Devil's Snake Curve" certainly has some merit, as it's frequently entertaining. Fans who like obscure history mixed with their baseball certainly should take a look at this if they come across it at a bookstore. They might find after a few bite-sized morsels that they want to make a full meal out of it.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Eduardo Galeano wrote a book about baseball and America, it might look like "The Devil's Snake Curve." I found Josh Ostergaard's writing to be revelatory, both on matters concerning the soul and ephemera of baseball, and the colossus that is American hegemony in the world.

I highly recommend this book!

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a thoughtful and intelligent history and observation- not only of baseball, but of American culture in general. I learned a lot, and laughed out loud many times, too.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This incredible little history/critique/revenant will immediately take its place alongside the best of my baseball books. Ostergaard comes along for me at just the right time, helping me make sense of how two of the great loves of my life - baseball and American democracy - are hurtling themselves on a trajectory towards the outer planets of my belief system. The author provides indelible glimpses into how one institution upholds the other, and entangles us all - preying upon naïveté and nostalgia to spin a fantasy that masks a hideous grimoire of social control. Despite their moral morass, I still want to believe that there is a path towards resuscitation of both dreams, and The Devil’s Snake Curve might be the first step on that path for me.

[Ticky Sowdenham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil’s Snake Curve is an interesting book, and certainly well written. I learned a lot that I didn’t know about baseball — namely, that the Yankee’s World War 2 era owner also built the Japanese Internment camps. I was relieved that no such horrid revelations were made about my Twins.

My main beef with this book is the very little attention it paid to the American Girls Professional Baseball League. The AGPBL existed for more than a decade, but all Ostergaard gives us is a recap of “A League is Their Own.” I’ve seen that move a hundred times! The author could have devoted some time and space to the actual league, rather than just replaying a movie we’ve all seen.

[Andy Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book unlike any other. Ostergaard blends American history with the history of baseball in a collection of short stories, some lasting a few pages some only a sentence or two. Great for diehard baseball fans.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the structure of this book, the variety of stories he puts together, the mix of baseball with politics and American life. Sometimes the writing wasn't as strong as I would have liked. Some parts, particularly the beginning, were a bit difficult to get through. Overall and interesting mix.

[Will McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like baseball - but this book is great. A bizarro shadow history of the sport as told by an obsessive, skeptical, cranky, funny, and possibly unreliable narrator.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a baseball book, and so I can't help but love it. But saying I love it doesn't necessarily mean that I always liked it.

Ostergaard presents a history of baseball that is biased toward his own experience with baseball, paired with the history of the America during the baseball years, biased toward his own experience of American history. It is often quite cynical, a fact that sometimes made it hard to read, but not because he wasn't speaking truthfully. I want to love baseball and I want to love America - both are prone to breaking my heart, and Ostergaard reminded me of that. It's hard to be reminded that the things you love break your heart.

The whole book is oddly structured, with short essays that often don't connect with one another. This style takes some getting used to, but I got used to it and even discovered I liked its sometimes-stream-of-consciousness prose, making me feel more intimate with its author. It helped that he's a Royals fan (and sometimes a Cubs fan), a team with a tradition of losing that sometimes mirrors the Cubs. He hates the Yankees more than I would admit, but probably as much as I truly do. All in all, it's a good read.

[Scott "Bjorn" Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil"s Snake Curve looks at baseball From a MFA perspective. Josh Ostergaard paints a picture of baseball and how America with some creative and somewhat bizarre observations. In fact, Ostergaard was thinking about titling this book called Everyone Hates the Yankees. As much as Baseball fan's hate the Yankees, Baseball and america needs them to exemplify professionalism and patriotically unite baseball. This book reminds me of the thoughts the true fan goes throughout a baseball game. This is a creative look and a very traditional game that is loosing its fans to age.
If this seems like a random review than that is how the this book is written.
I am baseball Junkie but I enjoyed it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way Josh Ostergaard mixes seemingly disparate topics -- Jack Kerouac, Japanese-American internment camps during World War II, American militarism -- with the lore and history of baseball. There's some gems to be found in these pages, although Ostergaard's meandering tangents occasionally get tedious.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first it felt scattershot - skipping from topic to topic and seldom lingering on any one point for more than a moment or two. Then I thought about the baseball games I've gone to in my life, the people who have gone with me, and how we tended to talk while the game went on.

"Scattershot" is a perfect approach.

Let's Go Blue Jays...

[Charles M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quirky potpourri of baseball recollections and diamond history from author. Educational trivial tidbits regarding some of the game's biggest stars, but really not a noteworthy must read for baseball fans!.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I'm not a huge baseball fan, but love history. The format was different but fun - lots of info. in little nuggets.

[Amy Dunker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this book for a book club but I don't know enough about baseball to understand the stories. I gave up very early in the book.

[Petere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a baseball game - tune in for a couple of pitches or read for a few great tidbits. A few key mini-chapters paint the theme of the book, as a few key moments of a game.

[Jim Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Kinda tracked baseball through the years and linked it to other historical events. Very creative

[Brian N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbalanced, but thoroughly entertaining read.