Field of Screams: The Dark Underside of America's National Pastime

by Richard Scheinin

Field of Screams is an anecdote-filled romp that unearths all the funny, bizarre, off-the-wall personalities and incidents that don’t fit in the official baseball picture. From violent and vengeful Ty Cobb and skinflint owner Charles Comiskey to such specimens of contemporary manhood as Pete Rose, Jose Canseco, George Steinbrenner, Darryl Strawberry, and, yes, Vince “Family Man” Coleman, Field of Screams definitely highlights the men who will never ever be presented as role models again. Kevin Costner wept. Sorry, Kev. For people who have had it up to here with the endless nostalgia about "The Summer Game" on a "Field of Dreams," here is a bracing baseball history with an attitude. From baseball’s rough-and-tumble origins in the nineteenth century to today’s spoiled megamillionaire players and corporate shark owners, Field of Screams provides an entertaining and blackly funny reality check. It is a crowded rogues’ gallery of the cheats, misers, sadists, head cases, cheeseballs, chiselers, perverts, egomaniacs, beanballers, slobs, substance abusers, gamblers, game throwers, and violent criminals who have so enlivened the game. Not to mention the sullen, bloodthirsty fans.

Genres: Baseball

Paperback

First published August 1, 1982

Reviews

[Bert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, chronologic account of the seemly side of baseball.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first days of baseball to the early 1990's, this book relates all the scandels that you may have heard of and many you haven't. I found the book extremely entertaining. Parts I laughed out loud and some I felt like crying. Most of it was extremely shocking seeing how players, managers, owners, umpires and fans acted. Baseball players must have a combination of talent and drive to succeed, but I think most of them also have a 'Peter Pan' gene in their makeup also. The Ty Cobb types were plain mean, the Pete Rose types acted stupid but there were others that were just clueless as to decent behavior. And the fans shocked me more than any player!!! I think they are bad now when they boo the other team, but in the past these fans were totally mean abd irresonsible.

[Brook Zelcer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb decade-by-decade overview of baseball lunacy and corruption. Born of serious scholarship but with just the right touch of levity. A winner.