Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s [Paperback]

Dan Epstein (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 5, 2012

The Bronx Is Burning meets Chuck Klosterman in this wild pop-culture history of baseball’s most colorful and controversial decade

The Major Leagues witnessed more dramatic stories and changes in the ‘70s than in any other era. The American popular culture and counterculture collided head-on with the national pastime, rocking the once-conservative sport to its very foundations. Outspoken players embraced free agency, openly advocated drug use, and even swapped wives. Controversial owners such as Charlie Finley, Bill Veeck, and Ted Turner introduced Astroturf, prime-time World Series, garish polyester uniforms, and outlandish promotions such as Disco Demolition Night. Hank Aaron and Lou Brock set new heights in power and speed while Reggie Jackson and Carlton Fisk emerged as October heroes and All-Star characters like Mark “The Bird” Fidrych became pop icons. For the millions of fans who grew up during this time, and especially those who cared just as much about Oscar Gamble’s afro as they did about his average, this book serves up a delicious, Technicolor trip down memory lane.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 1970s were largely defined by clashes between the establishment and the counterculture, and nowhere was this more apparent than in the ballpark; baseball accepted integration only to experience other upheavals, such as free agency, Astroturf, the designated hitter, drugs, and the sexual revolution. The consolidation of team ownership under wealthy moguls like Ted Turner, and the focus on TV revenues, shaped the sport into what we know today. The idea of the gentleman player went the way of the dinosaur as fans discovered the fallibility of their heroes. Epstein, an enthusiastic sports fan who wants to recapture the idyllic tumult of his youth, meticulously documents dozens of plays. He guides readers carefully through the decade to illustrate the changes to the sport, the teams, and America. Epstein is a thorough researcher, a devoted fan of the game, and an entertaining writer, but readers who don't come to his book with a serious love of America's pastime may find themselves bogged down in minutiae; fans, on the other hand, will pour over every page. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Epstein fires up the time machine for a journey back to 1970s baseball, out of which came the designated hitter, the free agent, Astroturf, cookie-cutter stadiums, World Series night games, and such ill-fated experiments as the three-ball walk (oof!), orange baseballs (look out!), and the swapping of wives between Yankee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich (don't ask). Still, in the midst of such a kooky decade thrived many of the game's immortal talents, including Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, Jim Palmer, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, and many more. Wisely taking the decade year by year—and describing the pennant races and concurrent cultural events therein—Epstein gives both the game and the era that produced it their due. --Alan Moores --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250007240
• ISBN-13: 978-1250007247
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read whether you lived through it or not June 7, 2010

By Malcolm Allen

Format:Hardcover

I was born in 1970 and became a cetfified baseball fanatic by the end of the decade. Thanks to my Oriole-loving parents, I even attended two games of the 1979 World Series. Now, as a SABR-member and voracious student of baseball history, I feel pretty well versed in baseball happenings during my lifetime.

There aren't that many baseball books I can honestly say I enjoy, because an awful lot of them only go as far as things I'd committed to memory by my teens. However, Dan Epstein's Big Hair and Plastic Grass drew me in quickly and held my attention so steadfastly that I finished it in less than three days despite working overtime hours and having a toddler vying for my attention.

The author writes very well and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the events he describes both in their own time and with historical hindsight. Though he mentioned something about being more interested in hairstyles and uniforms that statistics, it's obvious that he's as well-versed in both from reading his descriptions of the players and games themselves, plus the funky, freaky and weird occurences he skillfully highlights throughout the book.

The highest compliment I can honestly pay this book is to say you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it. If you have a sense of humor, curiousity about the bizarre, a longing for the 1970's or just the desire to learn more about a period of tremendous change in American life -- this book is for you. And, if you ARE a baseball fan --whether you lived through the 1970's or not-- this is one you owe it to yourself to pick up. I'm sure glad I did.

A tip of my cartoon bird Orioles cap and pull tab can of Schlitz to you, Dan. Keep up the good work!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, entertaining and informative read for fans of all ages! June 2, 2010

By E. Davies

Format:Hardcover

When I heard about this book a few months ago my first thought was, "Did I commission this in my sleep?!" And when I finished reading this book a few days ago, my first thought was "When is the sequel coming out?!"

Big Hair & Plastic Grass is a stone gas from start to finish. Author Dan Epstein breaks down baseball's most transformational (and entertaining) decade year by year, interspersing separate chapters along the way dedicated to garishly colored uniforms, drab concrete multi-use stadiums, Afros that could barely be contained by a baseball cap and other 70s-specific phenomena.

This is not a dry look at the progression of the decade, and for me that's the book's biggest strength; there are other places to turn for a monotoned history of the game. Big Hair & Plastic Grass gives you the personalities that ran wild as Major League Baseball's resistance to the cultural revolutions of the '60s and '70s began to erode. Each of the Year chapters recaps what happened on the field that season, and along the way Epstein brings out details that otherwise would exist only on microfiche (if even there!) to give the full story of the powerhouse teams of the era (A's, Pirates, Reds, Orioles, etc.) as well as the also-rans.

I can't recommend this book enough for anyone from the most die-hard to the most casual baseball fan. It's a wonderfully entertaining read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing June 22, 2011

By G. Gray

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Was really looking forward to reading this. The topic has lots of potential--Disco Demolition night, the Big Red Machine, Reggie--there was a lot happening in the 70s in MLB. But this book is largely a swing and miss. For one thing, there is no narrative. The anecdotes are fragmented and far between and most chapters (years) end up being lust a litany of disjointed facts and summaries that culminate in mentioning who was in the World Series. Also, the characterizations of the main players is very sparse. If you didn't know much about a particular guy before reading this book, you won't afterwards either.

Somewhere there is a really good book to be written on this topic. This is not that book.