Black and Blue: Sandy Koufax, the Robinson Boys, and the World Series That Stunned America [Paperback]

Tom Adelman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2007

"Richly layered....An entertaining and informative portrait of two underappreciated teams in an unforgettable time."--Boston Sunday Globe

The most surprising World Series ever? Many baseball fans would agree that it was the epic 1966 clash between the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the perennial underdog Baltimore Orioles.

The godlike Sandy Koufax had led the Dodgers to victory in two previous World Series, and had finished the season with twenty-seven wins, a personal best. Few outside Baltimore gave the Orioles - slugger Frank Robinson leading a young team of no-name kids and promising prospects - more than a fighting chance against such series veterans as Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills, and the rest. Experts were betting that Los Angeles would sweep it in four. What transpired instead astonished the nation, as the greatest pitching performance in World Series history capped a redemption beyond imagining.

"Guaranteed to score a home run." -Essence

"Astonishing. . . . Adelman goes way past the box scores to get information that makes the players more human and the games more dramatic." -San Diego Union-Tribune

"Black and Blue delivers good baseball action, ownerly perfidy, and social context." -Boston Globe

Editorial Reviews

Review

Delivers good baseball action and social context - BOSTON GLOBE 'Adelman tells stories with verve and insight, avoiding most of the cliches and conventional wisdom of traditional sports volumes' #NAME?

About the Author

Tom Adelman is the author of the national bestseller The Long Ball. He has also written several novels and works of music criticism. Adelman and his family live in Princeton, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316067156
• ISBN-13: 978-0316067157
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars ORIOLES SOAR IN 1966, October 7, 2011

By 

COOL JEWEL (MACEDONIA, OHIO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black and Blue: Sandy Koufax, the Robinson Boys, and the World Series That Stunned America (Paperback)

THIS BOOK BROUGHT BACK SOME GREAT MEMORIES OF THE 66 SEASON. I WAS AND STILL AM A CLEVELAND INDIANS FAN. THE TRIBE AND ORIOLES BOTH WERE OFF TO GREAT STARTS. A KEY SERIES WAS IN MAY THE TRBE WAS IN BALTIMORE FOR A 4 GAME SERIES. THE FIRST TWO WERE SPLIT. THE BIRDS WON THE 1ST GAME OF A SUNDAY DOUBLEHEADER RATHER EASILY. THE 2ND GAME SHOWED WHAT A SPECIAL PLAYER FRANK ROBINSON WAS. HE CLOBBERED A BALL CLEAR OUT OF MEMORIAL STADIUM. THINGS WERE PRETTY MUCH DOWN HILL FOR CLEVELAND AFTER THAT. F ROBBY HAD A FANTASTIC SEASON AND WON THE TRIPLE CROWN. SUPPORTED BY B ROBBY, BOOG, BLEFARY AND APARICIO THEY EASILY WON THE PENNANT. THE DODGERS WERE THEIR OPPONENT IN THE SERIES. THE BIRDS OF BALTIMORE SWEPT THE DODGERS. A VERY GOOD YOUNG ROTATION LEAD BY PALMER AND MCNALLY KEPT THE INEPT DODGER BATS SILENT. AFTER SCORING A GIGANTIC TWO RUNS IN THE 1ST GAME, THEY WERE SHUTOUT FOR THE NEXT THREE. TOM ADELMAN DOES A VERY NICE AND DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THIS SEASON. THIS BOOK IS WELL READING AND I SUGGEST IT FOR ALL BASEBALL HISTORIANS AND ORIOLE FANS.