Fielder's Choice: An Anthology Of Baseball Fiction

by Jerome Holtzman (Editor)

no other sport can claim its drama, its rhythms-or as many writers among its fans. These twenty-seven selections are by authors ranging from Lardner to Malamud.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories

395 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of historical novels/stories attempt to capture the feeling of a certain time period, with varying levels of success. These baseball stories don’t need to TRY to do anything; they are the encapsulation of the time they portray. They perfectly capture that feeling of “mythos” that describes how we experience sports. However, they were written with the belief that that mythos was eternal and ubiquitous. I fear that the modern world, with its screens, data, and distractions has eroded the mythos to the point where it is an antique. 5 star stories docked two stars for making me feel melancholy

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a great collection of stories. what i liked best is that i gained insight into the minds of players, promoters, and, most of all, fans. after reading some of the stories, I found myself with a greater understanding of why so many people follow the sport of baseball with such passion. Not only were these great expressions about the love of "America's game" but also they were just incredibly well-written pieces by some of America's great authors. The pieces that were excerpts of larger works, including bernard malamud's "the natural" and chaim potok's "the chosen," left me wanting more of the same. i have added both books to my to-read list. also enjoyed the cleverness of "The Cliche Expert Testifies on Baseall," by Frank Sullivan; "The Umpire's Revolt," by Paul Gallico; and "Voo and Doo," by Hoke Norris. Actually, when i think about it, I liked all of the stories. It is a very pleasurable read.

[carl theaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of baseball short stories and excerpts from novels. More fun that I thought it would be.

Some of the favored tales :

Universal Baseball Association - this inspired me to read the whole novel, then figured out this was
the best part, so if I had it to do over...

Alibi Ike - funny, shows how the game hasn't changed much over the years.

Bang the Drum Slowly - last chapter of the book. Movie is great.

You could look it up - name speaks for itself.

The Chosen - NY jewish take on little league.

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings - black baseballers fend for themselves.

My Kingdom for Jones - Mr Ed plays baseball

[Patrick Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice selections of short stories and pieces of novels about baseball. Alibi Ike, the closing chapter and Thurber's "You Could Look It Up", the precursor to one of Bill Veeck's best known stunts are featured. A god read even for the casual fan.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories from baseball!