Baseball and the Baby Boomer: A History, Commentary, and Memoir [Hardcover]

Talmage Boston (Author), Frank Deford (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Baseball | Publication Date: February 1, 2009

Tapping into the nostalgic era of feel-good baseball in the late 1940s and moving up to the Mitchell report, this collection documents the story of baseball as seen through the eyes and experiences of the postwar generation. From daytime games heard on the radio to players testifying before Congress on steroid usage, baseball has undergone a major transformation over the past sixty years. This chronicling of such vast changes features stories involving famed players such as Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris, and Nolan Ryan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Talmage Boston captures the heart and soul of the game that we, as baby-boomers, inherited."  —John Grisham, bestselling author

"Talmage Boston really loves and cares about baseball, and it shows in every page of [this] book."  —Tim Kurkjian, ESPN baseball analyst and author, Is This a Great Game or What?

"Talmage Boston has wrapped together baseball's most historic year brilliantly—better than anyone, ever."  —Dale Petroskey, former president, National Baseball Hall of Fame, on 1939: Baseball's Pivotal Year from the Golden Age to the Modern Era

"Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, Talmage Boston brings new life to our Grand Old Game in Baseball and the Baby Boomer."  —Dan Shaunessy, sports columnist, Boston Globe, and author, Senior Year: A Father, A Son, and High School Baseball

"Talmage Boston is a passionate baseball fan and historian. In his book, Boston infuses the game of baseball with a strong dose of humanity, integrity, and personal insight."  —Sharon Robinson, vice chairperson, Jackie Robinson Foundation, and author, Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America

"Talmage Boston's new book is a powerful statement of what baseball has meant to America's fans since WWII."  —Tim McCarver, Fox Television analyst and former major league catcher

"Boston does a superb job of striking a chord with baseball fans of the last several decades by pushing the right buttons."  —Louisville Courier-Journal

"Opening Boston's book is a bit like wandering in on a good sports discussion in a bar. After you leave, you feel you've not only learned something, but also been honored to be in the company of those telling their tales."  —Fort Worth Business Press

About the Author

Talmage Boston is a sportswriter, a member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, and the author of 1939: Baseball's Pivotal Year from the Golden Age to the Modern Era, and 1939: Baseball's Tipping Point. Frank Deford is a six-time U.S. Sportswriter of the Year winner, a senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, a commentator for NPR's Morning Edition, and the author of numerous books, including An American Summer and Everybody's All-American, which was named one of Sports Illustrated's Top 25 Sports Books of All Time.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bright Sky Press (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933979267
• ISBN-13: 978-1933979267
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Baseball and the Baby Boomer, October 16, 2011

By 

Norm - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baseball and the Baby Boomer: A History, Commentary, and Memoir (Hardcover)

Baseball and the Baby Boomer: A History, Commentary, and Memoir

Well written and full of information from Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Carl Yastremski, Nolan Ryann and more. A must for a baseball fanatic ans casual fan alike.

4.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "BASEBALL HELPS SOME ADULTS NEVER GROW UP!", April 19, 2009

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Baseball and the Baby Boomer: A History, Commentary, and Memoir (Hardcover)

The author Talmage Boston is a lawyer as well as a writer and like many of us men who never grew up... he had dreamed of being a Major League baseball player. For him... writing this book about players from his generation is as close as he will come to the big leagues. For me... reading books like this and writing reviews is as close as I'll come. Talmage (In a normal review I probably would have used the author's last name here instead of his first... but being that his last name is Boston... the potential reader might get confused and think I'm talking about the Red Sox or the city. And by the way... that's how Boston... became Boston's favorite team when he was a young boy growing up in Texas. Seeing his last name ("Boston") on the front of the Red Sox's road jerseys... resulted in Boston's favorite team being Boston.). (Wooo! Glad that part of the review is over.) And of course if the Red Sox were the author's favorite team during those years... then the odds are quite high... that the "YAZ"- Carl Yastrzemski would be his favorite player. But more on that later.

Let's first define what "those years" consisted of. The author and I both are part of the "BABY-BOOMER" generation. The first thing I learned from this book is that the time period that defines the "BABY-BOOMER" generation is a longer period than I would have guessed. The author lists those magical years as 1946 thru 1964... off the top of my head I would have thought it was approximately 1946 thru about 1956... but lo and behold... according to the internet the author is correct. The author divides the book into nine chapters that are really nine short stories. The subjects of these short stories are: "MICKEY MANTLE & JIMMY PIERSALL"... which basically describes Father and son relationships going wrong. "YAZ & THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"... the author's favorite childhood player and his TRIPLE CROWN season leading the Red Sox to the 1967 World Series. "JACKIE ROBINSON & BRANCH RICKEY"... the integration of baseball... and it's interesting to note that Jackie was my all-time idol... and the author attempts to cover his entire lifetime in a restricted space. In my opinion this is fine if the reader is a pedestrian fan... rather than the type of fanatical fan that the author himself and I both claim to be. "NOLAN RYAN"... detailing his record breaking career. "BART GIAMATTI"... the former Commissioner Of Baseball who was famous for loving baseball with the eloquence of a great poet... who was forced to suspend Pete Rose for tarnishing the game that we all love... and the fact that Rose's transgressions were anything but poetic... is probably what killed the Commissioner. "COOPERSTOWN & THE HALL OF FAME"... this shrine to baseball and young boy's dreams... seen through a boy's heart... that still resides inside of all "BABY-BOOMER" boys that just happen to be over fifty-years-old. "ROGER MARIS"... the man who despite threats of asterisks... and the ghost of "THE BABE"... and eight extra games... hit the magical *SIXTY-ONE-HOMERUNS*... and I was absolutely thrilled... and shouting in unison with the author... as he derogatorily ... and resolutely... attacked the shameful steroid era... that mocks the entire history of baseball and its holiest of holy records... records that should remain on the highest peaks of Mount Olympus on hallowed ground... engulfed with rarefied air... so that future generations of boys and men with dreams... will never doubt that they were earned without illegal and artificial enhancements. "FRIENDS IN THE GAME"... the author's personal experiences with John Grisham... Dr. Bobby Brown... Lou Brock... and Bobby Bragan. "FIRST PERSON PERSPECTIVE"... tying it all together with the Author's family and son.

This is an enjoyable book that drips with the loving emotion of a lifetime baseball fan. I feel that the way this book is laid out with nine short stories that its biggest potential impact will be with a reader who is looking for an overview on multiple subjects... rather than the reader who wants intricate detail that would be provided in a biography.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-fiction page-turner, February 11, 2009

By 

Ira Einsohn (Dallas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baseball and the Baby Boomer: A History, Commentary, and Memoir (Hardcover)

I cannot remember finishing such a good book so quickly. A non-fiction page-turner. Captivating! Well researched and written, original choices of subject matter, palpable passion.