Play Ball: The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball

by John Feinstein

An inside look at the world of major league baseball draws on interviews with the players, umpires, managers and coaches, owners, and others to discuss behind-the-scenes intrigues, financial manipulations, controversies, and personalities. 75,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

425 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 1993

About the author

John Feinstein was an American sportswriter, author, and sports commentator.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feinstein's quest for exhaustive reporting, in the end, turned out too exhausting to finish. Read like a collection of profiles stacked one on top of the other on top of the other. Interesting at first but tedious in the middle and flat-out too much about 75% through.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it brought back lots of memories of the 1992 season. Written 30 years ago, it is interesting to realize to additions to the stories presented in the book.
The book exposed many of the problems in baseball and it is interesting that they have not been solved and many have gotten worst over the 30 years.
For every baseball fan.

[John Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Feinstein is one of my favorite authors and I have read several of his books. The first I read was 'A Good Walk Spoiled' that followed five professional golfers around the PGA tour for a year. I loved it. My favorite Feinstein book, however, was 'Next Man Up,' in which he followed the Baltimore Ravens for a year, starting the day after the end of one season and ending the last day of the next. I thought it was a fantastic story. I have thought all of the other Feinstein books I've read were great, but this one wasn't the same for me. In 'Play Ball,' Feinstein tried to follow all of baseball for a season, never staying with one player or team for more than a few pages or a chapter at most. I didn't think there was enough focus, so I wasn't engaged. It was just a series of articles about baseball, each one interesting in itself, but there was not enough to tie them together into a book.

If you are a baseball fan, particularly a fan of baseball in the early 90s, and you enjoy short stories, then you will love this book. Each chapter of the book is a set of related stories, but they tie in loosely enough that each one stands alone for someone with not a lot of time to read.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

obviously, this is not great Feinstein - his basketball and golf books are his real masterpieces, since he knew those sports inside and out - but this is both very long (600+ pages, scores of interviews) and very good (a comprehensive look at almost all of MLB...why would he subject himself to this?).

but this book now takes its place among my all-time favorites simply because of my fanatical baseball fandom during the Pittsburgh Pirates' last golden age (1990-1992) and the fact that this work, owing to at least 10-20% coverage of the unlucky team (in the playoffs, in terms of the future, etc.) and its role in the NL, represents the most complete chronicle we'll ever get of them (Leyland, Bonds, Van Slyke, and so on).

for a kid who obsessively re-watched the 1991 and 1992 "baseball chronicles" narrated by Mel Allen (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVHBu... and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_3Ze... ... what artifacts!), discovering this book in late 2024 and then sharing that knowledge with my friend Jake (an obsessive who is usually one step ahead of me with regard to baseball books) represented an unexpected treat.

[Len Knighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have wonderful memories of the 1992 MLB season. It started for me in January when I went to Baltimore Orioles Fantasy Camp, where I received two tickets to the first Opening Day game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. What an exciting day that was. On June 22 I sang The Star Spangled Banner before the Orioles faced and beat the New York Yankees. Also, having a 13 game season ticket plan, I enjoyed a lot of exciting baseball at MLB's best ballpark.
John Feinstein brought back those memories and many more inherent book. And while the subtitle of the book might suggest that MLB is filled with problems (it has its share), Feinstein also shows us that the game can overcome them.

Five stars

[Jeffrey Granat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Feinstein book.. this is from the early 90’s discussing a season in MLB talking to different players and getting insight into the ups and downs in the big leagues. It’s interesting to read now about players who were stars or even journeymen of my youth.

[Rick Fifield · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at the 1992 baseball season, where John Feinstien had access to many of the players, coaches, general managers, and owners to write about this season. Amazing Feinstein is able to get people to talk about the various aspect of the season.

[Dave Moyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sports writer, this is a really good book for sports fans.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realize this book was written in the 90’s, but I found it very interesting with lots of inside information.

[Stephen Raguskus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terrible book, but certainly not great either. Which is why it took me 6 long weeks to finish. I'm convinced that Feinstein's first book, A Season On The Brink, was his best.

[Paul Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the uneven pace, and clarity, I could not help but enjoy author John Feinstein's trip through the entire 1992 season of Major League Baseball. "Play Ball: The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball" covers everything from spring training all the way through the World Series (and beyond). In the process, Feinstein brings to light everything that is right about "America's Pastime," as well as everything that is wrong about the game.

As in many of life's stories, there are heroes, and there are villains. The heroes in "Play Ball: The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball" run the gamut of pure and noble, to the egocentric and childish. Though Feinstein does give honorable mention to a number of managers and General Managers (namely Bobby Cox, Tommy Lasorda, Tony LaRussa, Jim Leyland, , for the most part the heroes of the book are the ball players: Cal Ripken, Jr, Dave Winfield, Carlton Fisk, Jose Canseco, George Brett, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, Dennis Eckersley, Kirby Puckett, Mark McGwire, David Cone and many more...). Even the worst of them, with their temper tantrums and selfish behavior, come off as heroic compared to the tome's appointed villains.

MLB umpires might initially come across as the chief antagonists in the baseball story. With a sense of power and entitlement, the umpires hold the entire fate of all 162 season games in their hands. The good ones have a keen eye, and a strong sense of judgement. The bad ones make absurd calls, and never apologize for their mistakes.

One might also think of the other villain of Major League Baseball: free agents. The free agency system does indeed look out for the ball player, and prevents said player from being chained to a questionable, low-paying contract. On the other hand, the players (and their agents) have taken advantage of the free agency system, causing disharmony among ball clubs with a forever rotating line up, as well as skyrocketing, unmanageable players' salaries. This in turn creates an unbalance in MLB, as only the wealthiest teams are able to afford the best players.

However, the man villains, without question (according to Feinstein) are the team owners, with a sprinkling of bad umpires thrown in for good measure. Sure, there are have been some managers, and General Managers who have been subpar in their respective decision making, but hey, they're only human. Yet team owners? John Feinstein argues that they are nothing but a bunch of greedy, spoiled, cheap and completely misguided lot who only hinder the game's growth and development.

In addition the players, managers, General Managers, and umpires, "Play Ball: The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball" also covers the baseball announcers, the public relations men, the coaches, the scouts, and even the team mascots. The only element of baseball the book does not cover in detail are the sports agents, yet an agent or two does show up here and there.

As much as I enjoyed John Feinstein's look at all things baseball, I could not help but feel stymied by his prose, and structure. His words do not often flow easy, and too often the author uses terms that remain undefined, isolating readers who may not be baseball fans. In addition, Feinstein jumps around subject matter and names so quickly, I found myself tripping over too many sentences and paragraphs in an effort to understand what he was talking about.

I think I appreciated "Play Ball: The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball" more than I actually enjoyed reading it. That said, I am so glad I DID read it, because it opened up my limited knowledge of Major League Baseball, as well as reminding me of the many baseball memories I always will have from years of growing up with it at home, and on the road.

[Tom Gase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Feinstein once again delivers for me. This book is a chronicle of the 1992 season of baseball. 1992 was my first year in high school and this book really took me back to that period. Feinstein talks a little bit about every team in this book, not just the good ones like the Braves and Blue Jays, who met in the World Series that year. Some really good sections on David Cone and the New York Media, George Brett and Robin Yount's quest for 3,000 hits, Tony La Russa and Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Dave Winfield, Bret Saberhagen, Darryl Strawberry, Ernie Harwell and countless others. A must-read for any baseball fan. This book made me want to find my baseball cards and take a good look at them.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read nearly all of Feinstein's books but somehow I missed this one when it came out. Baseball is not my favorite sport and while I don't remember a ton about the 1992 baseball season, I do remember Bonds and Bonilla being with the Pirates and the Braves beating them at the end of the 91 season in the playoffs. I liked that I remembered many of players including the Braves pitching staff, Puckett, And Ripken and the stories that Feinstein tells as he covers most of the teams during the season were good. I would not put this up there with his very best like A Good Walk Spoiled, A Civil War or Season on the Brink, but this was still a good read.

[Kareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always have been a fan of Feinstein's books. Haven't read any of his newest ones in a while however. Just finished re-reading this one. A great look into a baseball season and what the players, managers and gms go through. Also while reading this again, got a better realization of how the 1994 players strike came to fruition. Hadn't realized that the owners decided to terminate the collective bargaining agreement in '92.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Feinstein rarely dissapoints when it comes to this type of book. John looks at the 1992 season in baseball from Spring Training to the end of the World Series. A great trip down memory lane for any baseball fan, especially one who remembers that era.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't mind hearing a few thousand cuss words a good baseball book

[Mike Kriesel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read about the troubled finances of baseball.

[Dennis Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated but revived momeries of my childhood. And events i missed

[Christa (haines) Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always impressed by Feinstein's access to players. He incorporates fantastic quotes with excellent prose. Another great read.

[Bob Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see in 2025, how many of these concerns pre-strike 94, actually didn’t get resolved.

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was amazing. Part of it was because my Jays won it all that year so their journey shows up at different points in the book. But I loved that we get an in-depth look at the stuff happening behind the scenes that season. It opened my eyes to so much about the business of baseball. I'm sure it's dated now but I'd still recommend it to people who were around at the time and remember anything about that season.