Cait Murphy

This is a solidly written and extensively researched account of the 1908 baseball season, particularly the National League pennant chase between the Chicago Cubs, the New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, which went down to the last day of the season. Along the way, we meet a cast of larger than life personalities and get to enjoy some hilarious stories, some of which may even be true. Murphy also digresses into other events of the times, which provides a feel for how baseball fit into the America of its times. Very well done. I'd take 1908 baseball over the current travesty any day.… (meer)

If 1908 truly was the greatest baseball season, as author Cait Murphy claims, then she has written a book in every way its equal. Well-honed prose that combines modern turns of phrase with archaic slang from the time it depicts, it sometimes trips on this richness, but overall, it's a pleasurable read. This is no small feat, given the breadth of her coverage. If occasionally some details become confused (Connie Mack's A's are twice referred to as the Phillies, and the Naps were behind 3-1 in the seventh inning of their crucial game on October 3, not ahead), this is a minor flaw considering the magisterial scope of the book, with its portraits of a myriad of characters on and off the field and its descriptions of many of the crucial games that defined the season. Especially impressive is how fresh and well-rounded the author's sketches of well-known figures such as Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson are, yet she has endowed the same care on the not-so-famous, as well. Excurses on mass murderers, anarchists, and other non-roster players illustrate how apt the self-congratulatory designation "America's national pastime" is, even if this may not be what the phrase intends to convey. Particularly poignant in light of this young 2007 season is the chronicle of alcohol-related accidental deaths of players, while the willful blind eye with regard to the presence of gamblers not only in the stands, but in the clubhouse, a decade before the Black Sox scandal, reminds us that the "see no evil, hear no evil" approach to steroids as fans returned after the disastrous 1994 season was not without precedent. Highly recommended. [originally posted at Amazon.com]… (meer)