Allen Barra

There have been many bios written about Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle but Allen Barra, the author of this one had a great idea ; since the two were so often compared why not write a bio about the both of them, comparing their upbringings, their playing careers, and their retirement years ? These were two of baseballs most iconic payers, heroes to millions of boys growing up during the 50ies and 60ies and it becomes very clear early in this book that Barra was one of those boys. So it came as no surprise reading about the amazing accomplishments they both performed on the field and while it's also clear that while on some level , Barra still views both Mickey and Willie as heroes, both these men had a serious dark side and Barra pulls no punches in discussing and exploring these flaws. It's a well researched book and I admire the work Barra put into but I have to admit to finding it a quite depressing read. That being said, I'd still recommend it to any fan of baseball. It is definitely a tale worth reading


… (meer)

Despite the author’s claim in his introduction that this isn’t a biography. That’s pretty much what it is; with 8 of the 12 chapters focused on the story of Wyatt Earp’s life, one on Doc Holliday, and just a couple on the development of the legend.

It’s at times both a fascinating and frustrating read. The Earp biography includes some diversions around how particular incidents became skewed and evolved over the years, but the “legends” section is primarily focused on the movies and some of the early fictionalized “biographies” with no real insight into much after the 1960s, (Which since it was written in the late 90s seems to be an oversight).

It also commits a cardinal sin as Barra takes time to deconstruct several Earp texts for not using attributable traceable sources, and then does the same thing himself in various places.

An interesting, if flawed, addition to my Earp shelf - but there are much better modern Earp biographies out there.… (meer)

I've hated the Yankees since the day that George Steinbrenner took over the team, yet I have never gotten over my love for the "eternal Yankee" Yogi Berra. This is the forth or fifth book I've read on or by Berra and I don't get tired of reading about this brilliant ball player with the humble attitude and the marvelous malaprop tongue in baseball. The author (no relation that they know of) gives more detail than any of the other books I've read, and I loved it. I'm still not a Yankee fan but there is one Yankee that I will always cheer for, Yogi Berra.… (meer)