From Booklist
Boston, a Dallas trial lawyer turned baseball historian, focuses on 1939 as the national pastime's critical season. In that pivotal year, Lou Gehrig was in his last season and Ted Williams his first; it was the year the Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York; it was the first year all 16 teams had their games broadcast on radio; it was the first year a game was televised; and it was also the year of Leo Durocher's managerial debut, Joe DiMaggio's first Most Valuable Player award, and Bob Feller's first 20-win season. Unlike the authors of several recent baseball titles--Halberstam in 1941, for example--Boston doesn't create much of a context outside baseball. That's not necessarily a criticism: if you like your baseball straight up, all that world-conflict-looming stuff can get tiresome. By sticking to the playing field, Boston is better able to develop his premise effectively, and his love of the game shines through in every anecdote and carefully researched profile. Expect this book to profit from the interest in baseball history generated by Ken Burns' recent video series. Wes Lukowsky
