Baseball Babylon [Mass Market Paperback]

Dan Gutman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

A look at the real stories behind baseball's most infamous scandals discusses the 1919 Chicago White Sox, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson's firearm incident, Babe Ruth's huge sexual appetite, Joe DiMaggio's jealousy, and others.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140165428
• ISBN-13: 978-0140165425
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,023,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

This is hard. I'm a pretty regular Jersey guy who spent fifteen years trying to write newspaper articles, magazine articles, screenplays, books for adults, and just about everything else before I discovered the one thing I'm good at--writing fiction for kids. I aim for kids who DON'T like to read, and hopefully the kids who DO like to read will enjoy my stuff too. For all the gory details about me, check out my web site.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll read it in one evening, June 14, 2004

By 

"misplacedhoosier" (Connecticut, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball Babylon (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of the best basball books ever written. Although it has some sad stories (Donnie Moore's suicide, Rube Marquard's mental retardation) some of the stories are downright hilarious and fascinating. For example, most people don't realize that the premise behind the book and subsequent movie "The Natural" - a player's career is almost ruined after being shot by a crazed female fan - was based on a true story (Eddie Waitkus, Pirates, late '40s)! Gutman's retelling of that fateful encounter is engrossing - and funny. Stories about Ty Cobb helping to throw games late in one season,his beating up a fan in the stands, Babe Ruth's (probable) bout with gonnorea, players performing World Series heroics while stinking drunk all make for a compelling read. I recall starting this book at lunch while at work and finishing it after I got home by about midnight. Find a copy and a quiet place to read and have fun.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars full of information, you get the 'inside scoop', November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball Babylon (Mass Market Paperback)

Sure, many people want shoeless joe and pete rose in the hall of fame. But they aren't, and here are some reasons why. The author provides indepth analysis on the scandal of 1919 and other 'sins' of baseball. An inside look on what you never new. Easy to follow, not boring at all.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fairly comprehensive bundle of baseball's sordid details, October 25, 2000

By 

J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baseball Babylon (Mass Market Paperback)

Well, if anyone was still putting major leaguers on a pedestal, this book would cure them. _Baseball Babylon_ is a well-organized compendium of stories and lists concerning the game's sexual misadventures, suicides, murders, accidental deaths, fisticuffs, substance abuse problems, and criminal activity up through 1992.

Based on its take on certain events I think the book is at the right level of credulity; Gutman has the honesty to admit when he doesn't know for sure what happened, and he clearly did copious research. While it's a fairly depressing read (which shouldn't be held against it; that, after all, is its topic), a lot of people will find it morbidly fascinating. Of particular value is Gutman's follow-through with regard to a given story; he made the effort to find out, for example, how Ryne Duren's story of a career lost in a bottle ultimately ended. Like life, some are happy and others are tragic.

Probably a good value for those ready to hear the proof that ballplayers are, like the rest of us, only human.