Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s

by Phil Pepe

Baseball in the 1970s--remember how awesome it was? It was a decade of heroes and upsets and dramatic freeze-frame moments. Never had the game been more exciting. Never did it change so radically. In this wonderful oral history, veteran sportswriter Phil Pepe brings one incredible baseball decade back to life in the words of the guys who played--and lived--the game.

Hear union leader Marvin Miller recount St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood's monumental challenge of the iron-clad reserve clause, and the dawning of the age of free agency. Ron Blomberg recalls his time at bat as the game's first Designated Hitter. Earl Weaver and Brooks Robinson describe the Orioles dismantling of The Big Red Machine. Ralph Houk and Rusty Staub relive the actions and antics of Tigers rookie sensation Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. And Diane Munson shares her heart about her husband, Yankee captain Thurman Munson, after he died in a tragic plane crash.

It was the first time a player ever earned a million bucks. Hank Aaron became the all-time home run king. Electronic scoreboards blazed against the night sky. Fans screamed "Ya gotta believe" and sang "We Are Family." All this happened in one amazing decade--and it's all right here in one stupendous book. The memories and the marvels of more than forty voices, from Bernie Carbo, Rennie Stennett, and Mike Torrez, to Tom Seaver, George Steinbrenner, and Reggie Jackson--Phil Pepe weaves their recollections into one of the most enjoyable baseball books ever written.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

396 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

No idea why the cover photo is wrong... but Peper's oral history of 1970s baseball was a fun read. He does a good job highlights some of the bigger stories, name, and teams of the decade. To the extent that I have a criticism, it's that the book could easily have been twice as long, but Pepe chose to be pretty selective about the topics he would cover. There was a fair amount of meat left on the proverbial bone. Still a good read.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have been much better. Hampered by poor editing of the interviews and very bad copy-editing.

[Richard A · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, the cover photo shown here is wrong. The actual cover contains the title and author's name and a set of nine black and white photos of relevant baseball players in action. This book is an oral history, so it is a collection of statements from players, managers, sports writers, and players' families about events and personalities of 1970s baseball. The book is divided into ten chapters, each called an "inning", covering each year of the decade. I did enjoy the book quite a bit. My main criticism is that it is very highly New-York-centric, and somewhat American League focused. For parts of it, one might think there is the Yankees, then there is everyone else. The author was a New York based writer assigned to cover the Yankees, so maybe that should be expected.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A year-by-year look at all of the happening within the decade. A quick read, baseball fans of the period will not find anything strikingly new or revealing; the book's strength is that it pulls all of the events together with the backdrop of the times. Commentary from the people who were principals in the game, event, incident adds to the credibility as it is in a conversational tone from the direct source and not an interpretation.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not ground-breaking like Ball Four, but this was an enjoyable book.

[Jim Melcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11349632