Customer Reviews

On a Clear Day They Could See Seventh Place: Baseball's Worst Teams

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Salzberg and Robinson do a fine job of detailing ten of the worst teams in baseball history. They do a fine job of covering both minor details and the larger picture, with humor and intelligence. I doubt this would intrigue non-baseball fans but fans of the game should enjoy it. Hopefully in 2 years the authors will update it with a worst team of the 90s entry.

As a lifelong baseball fan, I've read many baseball books, usually inspiring, entertaining stories about stars or great winning moments, but this one is a rare, funny and informative book about the other side. The side-bar stories about some of the charactors that "contributed" to these teams are interesting in themselves. Most people have worked for a company that went through hard times, or maybe even were associated with an inept group somewhere along the line, and this book makes you laugh and smile as you think back on your own experiences.

I once coached a baseball team that did not win a single game in three straight seasons. After that we won one game. This book is great comfort for all of us who love baseball and realize that not every team can be the Yankees. Thank God not every team can be the Cleveland Spiders, either. We all fall somewhere in between. These are great stories of the real message of baseball: perseverence and faith. You just gotta love these teams and the players who played on them. The poor Tigers of 2003, etc. only got into the introduction, but even they won the pennant eventually, in 2006. See, there's hope for us all.

On the positive side, "On a clear day they could see 7th place", is an entertaining read of some lesser-know team like the 1928 and 1942 Phillies, the 1904 Senators, the 1952 Pirates or the 1979 Blue Jays. You'll certainly learn a thing or two about them. What I found most interesting however were the 1899 Cleveland Spiders and the 1935 Boston Braves chapters. Even I if knew all about those teams beforehand, I really enjoyed the authors version of their difficulties.

However, the treatment of the 1962 Mets and the 1988 Orioles could have been better. All in all, a quick, funny experience and it may make you want to find more about those teams of the past.

There's no game like baseball!