Customer Reviews

Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot? and Other Unsolved Mysteries of Baseball

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This is a very interesting book for baseball fans to read It is not only about Babe Ruth's called shot. That is just one chapter in a text that contains 28 chapters each addressing mysteries and controversy about baseball events and the players on and off the field. The Babe's home run in the 1932 World Series against the Cubs is chapter 10. Other chapters deal with such issues as whether the Giants were stealing the the Dodgers signs when Thompson hit the shot heard round the world, what was Satchel Paige's real age when he finally played in the major leagues for Cleveland, which pitchers really threw the spit ball, why the Dodgers left Brooklyn, why Fidel Castro didn't sign a professional contract offered to him by the Washington Senators, did Moe Berg really spy against the Nazi's in World War II, what took the Red Sox so long to win a World Series, and sone sabermetric questions such as does stealing bases pay, do managers really help, how can small market teams compete and does clutch hitting really exist. These and other provocative topics make for very interesting reading. To find out the answers go pick up a copy of the book.

Paul Aron is to be commended for this book. It is well-written and interesting, particularly for the casual baseball fan. The mysteries Aron discusses are mostly intriguing and the format--5 to 10 pages per chapter with a bibliography at the end of each--makes it easy to pick up the book now and again without investing too much time in it all at once. Some would say this is a deficiency--after all, the book is not scholarly or particularly in-depth. But baseball, like any topic, needs fun books as well as serious ones--light reading that helps the reader escape for a while. Moreover, there's something here for most types of fan--the sabermetricians, the traditionalists, etc.--because Aron explores the eclectic mysteries in a variety of ways.

This being said, there are a few little problems with Aron's work. While he does a good job answering some of the mysteries, he makes no efforts to answer others. Rather, he leaves it up to the reader after presenting the evidence. I would prefer at least an educated guess, but that's just me. The bibliography has some real gems in it, but Aron tends to be repetitive, citing the same works several times. This would be fine if the bibliographies were a bit longer, but the effect here makes it seem as if Aron hasn't really read THAT much on the topics. Finally, the author doesn't really break any new ground here--most of this stuff will be too familiar to many baseball fans, and some of the "answers" to the mysteries are a bit obvious.

To be fair, though, I don't think breaking new ground is really Aron's intent--he seems to be creating a primer here, not a definitive work. In the end, therefore, a young reader, casual fan, or a more serious fan who just wants to brush up a little on these mysteries will find this a thoroughly entertaining read that stimulates discussion and adequately informs the reader. In fact, noted author and editor John Thorn put it perfectly in his advance praise of the book--"Here is surefire water-cooler ammo."

THIS BOOK ASKS SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONS CONCERNING SOME OF THE LEGENDS OF BASEBALL. DID BABE RUTH CALL HIS SHOT, HOW OLD WAS SATCHEL PAIGE, WAS MOE BERG A SPY, AND DOES A CURVE BALL CURVE ARE SOME OF THE SUBJECTS COVERED. BUT MOST OF THE SUBJECTS HAVE BEEN COVERED BEFORE AND ARE NOT REALLY NEW. STILL THE BOOK IS WORTH READING, AND PROVIDES SOME GOOD INSIGHTS. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR THE CASUAL AND THE NEW BASEBALL FANS. FOR THE HISTORIAN OR HARD CORE FANS, MOST THIS IS REDUNDANT AND SAME OLD SAME OLD.

Author Paul Aron examines more than two dozen baseball mysteries in concise, readable detail. Did Babe Ruth call his shot against the Cubs in the 1932 World Series? Aron tries to answer that question, although perhaps he should have asked the U.S. Supreme Court, as justice John Paul Stevens claims he attended that game as a 12-year old. Other mysteries include does Clutch hitting exist, does a curveball really curve and why did the Dodgers leave Brooklyn? Readers learn about each of these mysteries, and in several cases the ongoing controversies. Each question has its own brief (6-10 pages) chapter, along with appropriate quotes, views, and source documentation. In some cases the answer seems clear, in others the mystery persists. But in each case readers come away better informed. These pages include espionage (Was Moe Berg a Spy?), international politics (Why didn't Fidel Castro sign with the Senators?) and business angles (Can Small Market teams Compete?). There are also famous baseball personalities like Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey, George Steinbrenner, etc. The author does make a couple minor mistatements of fact, once again leading us to ask why publishers never seem to use knowledgeable baseball fans to edit these books. Still, this remains an insightful, well-wrtitten, read.

This is a sequel to an earlier book written by the same author entitled "Unsolved Mysteries of History." I found that book to be well written, quite informative, and very interesting, so, having an interest in baseball history, I decided to take a chance on this one. It did not disappoint.

As with the earlier book, I particularly liked the author's method of presentation. For the subject of each chapter: he described the "mystery," presented all sides of the issue, and then, rather than stating his own views, presented the pros and cons of all the various opinions. This clarified many of the subjects and, in some cases, added to the "mystery."

I found some of the subjects included in the book, however, to be irrelevant, at least from a historical perspective, while others seemed to be more curiosities than true "mysteries." I also got the impression, based on some of the not-so-mysterious subjects and the curiosities, that the author had to stretch his definition a bit in order to find enough "mysteries" to fill the book. Nevertheless, even the simple curiosities proved to be interesting.

The chapters which really caught my attention, however, were those which dealt with subjects which truly could be called "mysteries," or at least historical uncertainties: Chapter 1: Who invented baseball? (It wasn't who you think it was) Chapter 3: Who was the first black in the majors? (It wasn't Jackie Robinson). Chapter 8: What caused the home run surge? (in 1920). Chapter 25: Does clutch hitting exist? (It seems unlikely) Chapter 26: Were yesterday's players better? And Chapter 27: Do managers matter?

If these subjects don't whet your appetite, you'd better find something else to read. But if they do, you might want to let this book take you back to the ball game.

These are really clever solutions to baseball's enduring mysteries. This kind of detective work could clear up any questions about who took steroids. Maybe there's a sequel....