The Classiest Team Baseball Ever Knew [Paperback]

Greg Spalding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002

Greg Spalding wrote this book to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the finest team to ever play at Three Rivers, the 1972 Buccos. It stands as a detailed reflection about Virdon's squad that won the NL Eastern Division title and then lost on that heartbreaking wild pitch to the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS.

This book, which covers the last season of both Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente, includes many unique features such as Robertito's Reflections on Roberto, an interview with Clemente's oldest son; A Tribute to "No Touch", which is an essay about Bill Mazeroski; literary tributes to this particular team from other newspapers and publications and detailed statistics/analysis.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Spalding's latest literary effort stands as his fifth book, the fourth in his City of Champions series. His other works include SAILING THE THREE RIVERS TO THE TITLE, about the 1971 World Champion Pirates; SHINE! ALL-STARS, SHINE!, about the '94 MLB All-Star Game; THREE RIVERS THAT SPAWNED THE CITY OF CHAMPIONS, a history of the Pirates and Steelers exploits at the confluence; and RUN THE GREATEST RACE, a look at running life's race. He also edited and published BASEBALL'S BEST KEPT SECRET, the autobiography of Al Oliver.

Besides Spalding's literary efforts, he serves as the Research Analyst for Sportsweek, a weekly sports magazine show hosted by Tom McGough, teaches spanish and has a membership in SABR.

He graduated from Grove City College, the insitution that boasts of RJ Bowers rushing record, in 1980 and from Penn Hills High School in 1976.

Greg lives with his wife Lilly and son Carlos in the suburbs of the City of Champions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 75 pages
• Publisher: Word Association (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891231944
• ISBN-13: 978-1891231940
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,148,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Losing a Pennant Turns Out to Be As Important an Event as Winning One", December 23, 2011

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Classiest Team Baseball Ever Knew (Paperback)

...or so wrote Tom Callahan in the Cincinatti Enquirer.

This sums up author Spalding's detailed look at one season of a great club -- the '72 Pirates. Spalding's main take on this team was that it was enormously fun to watch and, yes, that they were as classy in defeat as they were in victory.

This book is much more than the ravings of a Pirate fanatic. Spalding is certainly a fan. However, he is long-associated with SABR so he brings admirable analysis and historicity along with his perspectives on the intangibles of this team. He's produced a number of quality books on the Pirates and I rank this one his best.