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Sal Maglie: Baseball's Demon Barber
To the batters who faced him, pitcher Sal Maglie looked like the hurler from hell. Tall and sinister in appearance, with glowering dark eyes and a formidable five-o’clock shadow, the famed righthander earned the nickname “Sal the Barber” for his high-inside fastball that cut dangerously close to the batter’s chin. But Maglie was much more than his intimidating image.
This biography provides a colorful, detailed, occasionally shocking, and often moving narrative about the son of poor Italian immigrants who rose far beyond his family’s and his own early dreams and became a star pitcher for the New York Giants. He then, at the apex of his career in the mid-1950s, joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. This is the story of a man whose early mediocrity and failures in the minor leagues in no way prefigured his later success and fame.
Maglie’s major league career shines with baseball drama. He was a key player in some of the most dramatic pennant races in baseball history and a participant in several of the sport’s most famous games. Women found him irresistible, and his first marriage was at times severely strained by his infidelities. Despite his success in baseball, he endured pain, disappointment, and personal tragedy.
Through wide-ranging research that includes interviews with Maglie’s relatives, friends, former teammates, and team officials, as well as newspaper reports, books, and magazines, Judith Testa creates an insightful and compelling portrait of one of baseball’s most intriguing figures. Baseball fans and people interested in baseball history and in the Italian American experience will discover new insights and a wealth of information in Sal Maglie.
This biography provides a colorful, detailed, occasionally shocking, and often moving narrative about the son of poor Italian immigrants who rose far beyond his family’s and his own early dreams and became a star pitcher for the New York Giants. He then, at the apex of his career in the mid-1950s, joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. This is the story of a man whose early mediocrity and failures in the minor leagues in no way prefigured his later success and fame.
Maglie’s major league career shines with baseball drama. He was a key player in some of the most dramatic pennant races in baseball history and a participant in several of the sport’s most famous games. Women found him irresistible, and his first marriage was at times severely strained by his infidelities. Despite his success in baseball, he endured pain, disappointment, and personal tragedy.
Through wide-ranging research that includes interviews with Maglie’s relatives, friends, former teammates, and team officials, as well as newspaper reports, books, and magazines, Judith Testa creates an insightful and compelling portrait of one of baseball’s most intriguing figures. Baseball fans and people interested in baseball history and in the Italian American experience will discover new insights and a wealth of information in Sal Maglie.
486 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2014
This book takes you back to the day when baseball was the national sport. Before the days of big salaries, TV licenses and expensive ball park food, the games were followed around the county in ball parks, sports columns and on the radio. In my neighborhood most boys, and a few girls, had baseball cards, and the one for Sal Maglie was not for trading... he grew up with our parents and was known to most in the neighborhood.
This book is a departure for its author whose primary work is in Renaissance art. Judith Testa has applied her academic research skills to Maglie, and in doing so has documented an important and overlooked athlete.
Testa followed the Maglie family from southern Italy to Niagara Falls, NY and Sal though the many ups and downs of his career. Maglie was not an overnight sensation. After playing for company and local teams he was recruited by the New York Giants where he was an inconsistent pitcher just hanging on to a position. When a more secure and lucrative berth in a new Mexican league opened up he took it and along with others who went, was banned by the US major leagues. In Mexico he came under the tutelage of a trigger happy coach and developed an intimidating style which led to his nick name "Sal the Barber".
I'm guessing that only a handful of people outside of the Niagara Frontier can identify Sal Maglie and his achievements. One problem is that Maglie can't be called a Giant, a Dodger or a Yankee any more than you can call him a Red Soxer, an Indian or a Cardinal. He was "traded" (a euphemism for "sold" as it was in those days) frequently. Another is his short career. Banned from the majors due to the Mexican signing, he spent prime years playing in Cuba, in Mexico, in US far flung small towns, and in Canada. When allowed back in the US Majors at age 32/33 he was under-appreciated by coaches and managers.
While Sal was working on his pitching, relieving his back pain, adopting children and getting home town honors, a lot was going on in baseball, the most seismic event being the integration of the major leagues. Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier was both foe and friend, which had nothing to do with race, and everything to do with competition. The book only touches on the labor issues in baseball and the expansion teams. There is nothing on the rise of football.
Testa is clearly a baseball fan. In her recount of the games and seasons she demonstrates an appreciation for the players' efforts and skills and her ability to use sports writers' jargon. She is clearly a fan of Maglie, too. I'm not in a position to know if she has glossed over Maglie's temper, gambling and infidelity, but she does a good job of portraying his roots and his humanity.
If you are fan of baseball in this era, and/or like to read the action of games (maybe 20% of the text) or if you are interested in Maglie (as I was; I tried to skim the play by play, but some hockey style altercation always caught my eye) this is a book you will want to read.
This book is a departure for its author whose primary work is in Renaissance art. Judith Testa has applied her academic research skills to Maglie, and in doing so has documented an important and overlooked athlete.
Testa followed the Maglie family from southern Italy to Niagara Falls, NY and Sal though the many ups and downs of his career. Maglie was not an overnight sensation. After playing for company and local teams he was recruited by the New York Giants where he was an inconsistent pitcher just hanging on to a position. When a more secure and lucrative berth in a new Mexican league opened up he took it and along with others who went, was banned by the US major leagues. In Mexico he came under the tutelage of a trigger happy coach and developed an intimidating style which led to his nick name "Sal the Barber".
I'm guessing that only a handful of people outside of the Niagara Frontier can identify Sal Maglie and his achievements. One problem is that Maglie can't be called a Giant, a Dodger or a Yankee any more than you can call him a Red Soxer, an Indian or a Cardinal. He was "traded" (a euphemism for "sold" as it was in those days) frequently. Another is his short career. Banned from the majors due to the Mexican signing, he spent prime years playing in Cuba, in Mexico, in US far flung small towns, and in Canada. When allowed back in the US Majors at age 32/33 he was under-appreciated by coaches and managers.
While Sal was working on his pitching, relieving his back pain, adopting children and getting home town honors, a lot was going on in baseball, the most seismic event being the integration of the major leagues. Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier was both foe and friend, which had nothing to do with race, and everything to do with competition. The book only touches on the labor issues in baseball and the expansion teams. There is nothing on the rise of football.
Testa is clearly a baseball fan. In her recount of the games and seasons she demonstrates an appreciation for the players' efforts and skills and her ability to use sports writers' jargon. She is clearly a fan of Maglie, too. I'm not in a position to know if she has glossed over Maglie's temper, gambling and infidelity, but she does a good job of portraying his roots and his humanity.
If you are fan of baseball in this era, and/or like to read the action of games (maybe 20% of the text) or if you are interested in Maglie (as I was; I tried to skim the play by play, but some hockey style altercation always caught my eye) this is a book you will want to read.
April 29, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: SAL THE BARBER… A LIFETIME FAVORITE… NO NEED FOR HISTORY LESSON OF ITALY… NOR PERSUADING!
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Most of the previous reviews on this book, were written by people, who admitted they either, were not baseball fans, or if they were, Sal Maglie wasn’t a household name. Well, all that type, of non-committed, non-baseball, non-New York centered, baseball knowledge, will come to a screeching halt right here! I am an “old school” baseball fanatic, and if you’ve read my prior reviews, on this holy subject, you know that I’ve read, literally hundreds and hundreds of baseball books. In addition, I grew up in New York, during what, the famous author, Roger Kahn stated, was; “THE ERA” (1947-1957, WHEN THE YANKEES, THE GIANTS, AND THE DODGERS, RULED THE WORLD”) Well, before we go any further, let me say right off, why the prior reviews are so off base. Sal “The Barber” Maglie, was way more than a household name. His name was on the lips of every kid, and every adult, in the neighborhood. Depending on which team he was playing for at the time, he was either the devil incarnate, or a glorious angel from above, arriving to save the day! “The Barber” was a name that linked generations. A kid held the floor, even among adults, when he talked about “The Barber”, giving some “chin music” to a hated Giant, or before that, as a Giant playing dirty with the Dodgers. He very briefly, even made it to the Yankees, before he was done, but we’ll get to all of that later in the review. I was an all star pitcher in Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion. And I used the mental toughness, that I learned from “The Barber”, in my game plan. My son, was born twenty two years after “The Barber” threw his last pitch, yet when my son starting playing baseball, I taught him about “The Barber”, and how if you’re a pitcher, you need to own the inside of the plate, and “how” you got the mortgage! I feel I must divide the rating of this book, into two parts. The first part, is the author’s “artistic” style, and the second is rating the history and data. The author, according to the inside cover, is a former college professor, and she writes like one. In my opinion, the real demographic for this book, is for people like me: “Old school” baseball fanatics. People who loved baseball more, when there was no designated hitter, when players didn’t have guaranteed contracts, when a starting pitcher, was congratulated after pitching 9 innings, not 5. And when every single game, and every single pitcher, were not controlled by “FREAKIN” pitch counts! Now, with this understanding, of the target reader; who but a college professor, would
force readers, to read about the history of southern Italy, over 1,000 years ago? Hey! We know Sal was an Italian American, and we know his parents were Italian immigrants. Let’s forget about the college geography and history lesson, and get to some baseball! I have never read a baseball book before, regardless of the subject, where the author tries to tell you the score, and more, on just about, every, single, game, the subject pitched in a season. (I can only say, thank goodness, this book wasn’t about Cy Young!). Sometimes, for pages on end, you felt like you were hearing, a verbal version of ESPN News, where all the baseball scores, are displayed, constantly, going across the bottom of the screen, like a ticker tape. Another irritating quirk of the author, seemed to be, whenever an important game was about to be discussed; she would tell you the final score first, then give you what would have been the exciting details, but now are anti-climactic. Instead of stating the importance of the game, and then leading you, on the edge of your seat, through the game, to the proverbial, bottom of the ninth, based loaded, two outs, and a full count. Heeerrree comes the pitch… Well, since she already told you the outcome, big deal! The other nonsensical habit she had was the use of “PERSUADED”. I have never in my life, heard any announcer, any fan, ever describe, a batter, whether, striking out, flying out, popping out, grounding out, as being “PERSUADED”! It sounds like Henry Kissinger went up to the batter, and tried to convince him, for the good of world peace, please strike out. Here are a few unbelievable examples: Page 160: “he rewarded his manager’s confidence by persuading the next batter, left fielder Andy Pafko, to hit a weak grounder to third. Page 176: “Bob Kusava, who persuaded Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson to fly out.” Page 280: “but Sal persuaded the Braves future Hall of Fame hitter to ground to Gilliam.” Page 290: “Bessent had two base runners, but persuaded Jack Shepard to fly out: Page 368: “He allowed a scratch single to the leadoff hitter, but persuaded the next man to hit into a double play.” My rating for the author’s artistic “style” is a 2. Now, for the second part of the rating: History and data. The author did a tremendous job on the research of historical data. Even with all my previous reading, I learned much more about the "illegal” Mexican League, and its bidding war with Major League Baseball, than I had known. I remember on some baseball cards, when I was a kid, on the back of the cards, with the players lifetime stat’s, it said, ineligible Mexican League, on certain players. The author’s details, regarding the beanball wars, and the profane name calling, that went back and forth between the Dodgers and Giants, who were sworn enemies from birth, brought back vivid images of my childhood. If some of those fights, between the Dodgers and Giants happened today, both teams would be suspended for a year, and the players would have so many lawyers suing, everyone, the court system would be backed up for a decade! The description of the time, when the hated “Barber”, the all-time Dodger killer, got traded from the Giants to the Dodgers, was like going back in a time machine. Especially, the anticipation, of “The Barber” going into the Dodger locker room for the very first time, and lo and behold, there was Carl Furillo, mortal enemy #1. I could go on and on, on this part of the review, but suffice to say, I rate this portion a 5!. My advice to a potential reader, if you’re an old school baseball fanatic, and are willing to wade through some of the professor’s, “scholarly” baggage, then this book is for you. P.S. Make sure you’re not chewing gum, during her history lesson, or she may “PERSUADE” you to go to the principal’s office!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of the previous reviews on this book, were written by people, who admitted they either, were not baseball fans, or if they were, Sal Maglie wasn’t a household name. Well, all that type, of non-committed, non-baseball, non-New York centered, baseball knowledge, will come to a screeching halt right here! I am an “old school” baseball fanatic, and if you’ve read my prior reviews, on this holy subject, you know that I’ve read, literally hundreds and hundreds of baseball books. In addition, I grew up in New York, during what, the famous author, Roger Kahn stated, was; “THE ERA” (1947-1957, WHEN THE YANKEES, THE GIANTS, AND THE DODGERS, RULED THE WORLD”) Well, before we go any further, let me say right off, why the prior reviews are so off base. Sal “The Barber” Maglie, was way more than a household name. His name was on the lips of every kid, and every adult, in the neighborhood. Depending on which team he was playing for at the time, he was either the devil incarnate, or a glorious angel from above, arriving to save the day! “The Barber” was a name that linked generations. A kid held the floor, even among adults, when he talked about “The Barber”, giving some “chin music” to a hated Giant, or before that, as a Giant playing dirty with the Dodgers. He very briefly, even made it to the Yankees, before he was done, but we’ll get to all of that later in the review. I was an all star pitcher in Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion. And I used the mental toughness, that I learned from “The Barber”, in my game plan. My son, was born twenty two years after “The Barber” threw his last pitch, yet when my son starting playing baseball, I taught him about “The Barber”, and how if you’re a pitcher, you need to own the inside of the plate, and “how” you got the mortgage! I feel I must divide the rating of this book, into two parts. The first part, is the author’s “artistic” style, and the second is rating the history and data. The author, according to the inside cover, is a former college professor, and she writes like one. In my opinion, the real demographic for this book, is for people like me: “Old school” baseball fanatics. People who loved baseball more, when there was no designated hitter, when players didn’t have guaranteed contracts, when a starting pitcher, was congratulated after pitching 9 innings, not 5. And when every single game, and every single pitcher, were not controlled by “FREAKIN” pitch counts! Now, with this understanding, of the target reader; who but a college professor, would
force readers, to read about the history of southern Italy, over 1,000 years ago? Hey! We know Sal was an Italian American, and we know his parents were Italian immigrants. Let’s forget about the college geography and history lesson, and get to some baseball! I have never read a baseball book before, regardless of the subject, where the author tries to tell you the score, and more, on just about, every, single, game, the subject pitched in a season. (I can only say, thank goodness, this book wasn’t about Cy Young!). Sometimes, for pages on end, you felt like you were hearing, a verbal version of ESPN News, where all the baseball scores, are displayed, constantly, going across the bottom of the screen, like a ticker tape. Another irritating quirk of the author, seemed to be, whenever an important game was about to be discussed; she would tell you the final score first, then give you what would have been the exciting details, but now are anti-climactic. Instead of stating the importance of the game, and then leading you, on the edge of your seat, through the game, to the proverbial, bottom of the ninth, based loaded, two outs, and a full count. Heeerrree comes the pitch… Well, since she already told you the outcome, big deal! The other nonsensical habit she had was the use of “PERSUADED”. I have never in my life, heard any announcer, any fan, ever describe, a batter, whether, striking out, flying out, popping out, grounding out, as being “PERSUADED”! It sounds like Henry Kissinger went up to the batter, and tried to convince him, for the good of world peace, please strike out. Here are a few unbelievable examples: Page 160: “he rewarded his manager’s confidence by persuading the next batter, left fielder Andy Pafko, to hit a weak grounder to third. Page 176: “Bob Kusava, who persuaded Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson to fly out.” Page 280: “but Sal persuaded the Braves future Hall of Fame hitter to ground to Gilliam.” Page 290: “Bessent had two base runners, but persuaded Jack Shepard to fly out: Page 368: “He allowed a scratch single to the leadoff hitter, but persuaded the next man to hit into a double play.” My rating for the author’s artistic “style” is a 2. Now, for the second part of the rating: History and data. The author did a tremendous job on the research of historical data. Even with all my previous reading, I learned much more about the "illegal” Mexican League, and its bidding war with Major League Baseball, than I had known. I remember on some baseball cards, when I was a kid, on the back of the cards, with the players lifetime stat’s, it said, ineligible Mexican League, on certain players. The author’s details, regarding the beanball wars, and the profane name calling, that went back and forth between the Dodgers and Giants, who were sworn enemies from birth, brought back vivid images of my childhood. If some of those fights, between the Dodgers and Giants happened today, both teams would be suspended for a year, and the players would have so many lawyers suing, everyone, the court system would be backed up for a decade! The description of the time, when the hated “Barber”, the all-time Dodger killer, got traded from the Giants to the Dodgers, was like going back in a time machine. Especially, the anticipation, of “The Barber” going into the Dodger locker room for the very first time, and lo and behold, there was Carl Furillo, mortal enemy #1. I could go on and on, on this part of the review, but suffice to say, I rate this portion a 5!. My advice to a potential reader, if you’re an old school baseball fanatic, and are willing to wade through some of the professor’s, “scholarly” baggage, then this book is for you. P.S. Make sure you’re not chewing gum, during her history lesson, or she may “PERSUADE” you to go to the principal’s office!
August 25, 2011
Very good book on Maglie's life. The sections on his personal life are riveting. However, the author tends to bog down in details while describing game by game action.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews