Cracking the Show [Paperback]

Thomas Boswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

"Anyone interested in baseball can not fail  to be captivated by Boswell's penetrating look at  the game, and by his graceful  prose."--USA Today



Thomas  Boswell, longtime Washington Post  syndicated sports columnist, has been called  "an astute observer of the human condition disguised  as a first-rate sportswriter." Boswell will  be featured as a major on-screen spokesman in Ken  Burns's PBS series on baseball, which airs in fail  '94 and will attract millions of viewers. His  three previous baseball collections have won wide  praise across the country and sold close to two  hundred thousand copies. In this latest book, Boswell  has handpicked his best baseball pieces of the past  five years to create a collection that will be  must reading for fans across the country. These  pieces, from The Washington Post  and national magazines, are arranged thematically so  there is a narrative flow to the book and cover  everything from Fay Vincent's ouster to Pete Rose's  gambling to the Bo Jackson saga to the return of  Steinbrenner. Another splendid gathering of smart,  witty, beautifully written stories aboutt our  national pastime, Cracking The Show  confirms that when it comes to baseball, Boswell  is in a league by himself. It's a sure hit for the  1995 baseball  season.



"Boswell...is the thinking person's writer about the  thinking person's sport...inexhaustibly interesting  and fun."--George Will

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A collection of baseball essays by Washington Post sportswriter Boswell ( The Heart of the Order ) is a major event for diamond fans. He has an abiding affection for the game and most of those involved in it and is optimistic about its future. A Baltimore Orioles devotee, Boswell is a great admirer of Cal Ripken Jr. and has fallen in love with the new field at Camden Yards, but he does not stint in his praise for opposing teams. He is enthusiastic about Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Juan Gonzalez, manager Whitey Herzog and commissioners Bart Giamatti and Fay Vincent. He was devastated when Pete Rose was banished from baseball for life in 1989 for gambling and seems to hope that the all-time hit leader will be elected to the Hall of Fame. Boswell is no Pollyanna, however: he is critical of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Dodger owner Peter O'Malley and views George Steinbrenner as a man with a serious psychological problem. This is an anthology of excellently written and humane selections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Washington Post sports columnist Boswell, whose three previous collections have sold nearly 200,000 copies, offers his best pieces from the past five years.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385477139
• ISBN-13: 978-0385477130
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,027,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ode to the Orioles, October 10, 2005

By 

Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cracking the Show (Paperback)

I have enjoyed reading other works by Thomas Boswell including "Why Time Begins on Opening Day", "How Life Imitates the World Series" and "The Heart of the Order". I found Boswell to be one of the very best baseball writers in America. I guess that's why I was so disappointed in "Cracking the Show". In the aforementioned books, Boswell gives a great and impartial perspective of major league baseball. In "Cracking the Show", he seem to hit nothing but "homers". I realize that Boswell writes from that neck of the woods and it seems logical to write about what you know best. I will also admit that I had a very sincere respect for the Orioles of the late 70's and early 80's when I lived in Milwaukee. As the Brewers were rising to their lone American League pennant, it was the Orioles, not the Yankees, we feared (and respected) the most. Billy Martin was a side show; Earl Weaver was a genius. However, Weaver retired and things changed (boy did they ever for the Brewers!). In his previous books, Boswell was forgiven his occassional excesses of the Robinsons or the Earl of Baltimore because he told us about plenty of other players, teams and events. Indeed, the section that he wrote in this book entitled "Five Octobers" brings his overall genius to enough light so that it enables the rest of us to see it's still there. However, for those of us who failed to recognize that Cal Ripken Jr. (or Sr., for that matter) was the Second Coming, this book is a disappointment. Yes, Ripken is a nice guy and, yes, he was one of the best of his era. However, the emphasis is on ONE of the best; not THE best. He's gotten the record, he single-handedly saved Baseball but through that time he was in ONE, count 'em, ONE post season. Ripken also continued his streak throughout each and every game of the famous 0 for 21 games that the Orioles started the season with in 1988. Many people, myself included, thought that Ripken should have sat at least one of those games after the streak got to double digits. It's called shaking up the team and that's what happened when his own father was fired during the streak. Obviously the son's "streak" was more important than the father's job and reputation. I could go on and on regarding this subject and it usually gets me in trouble. However, consider the example that Ripken set the record for most consecutive All-Star game selections. Keep in mind that there was no All-Star game prior to 1933 so some of the very best missed out on this record. However, does anybody actually believe that Cal Ripken Jr. is the greatest player since 1933? That is, besides Thomas Boswell.

Mr. Boswell seems convinced that the rest of us glory in the Oriole's transformation from the worst team in Baseball to almost clinching the division the very next season. He really talks this up while remaining nonplussed when the Braves and Twins did exactly that a year or so later. I wish I could find the quote where he bemoans the boredom of watching aging veterans chasing down magic numbers such as 500 home runs, 300 wins, or 3000 hits (not to mention 2130 consecutive games). His point was, I believe, that the joy in Baseball is not knowing what will happen next rather than keeping tabs on the inevitable. Still, he does give us some thought-provking essays on Pete Rose and the fall of the commissioner's office.

I guess the point is that we've been spoiled by his previous excellence as a sports reporter with national credentials. Instead of reading like a reporter for the Washington POST, he reads, in "Cracking the Show", like the local sports editor for the Baltimore SUN for too much of the time to make this a book worthy of his talents. Whew!, I'd been holding that in for a long time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boswell is the best baseball writer in America, July 9, 2000

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cracking the Show (Paperback)

The title of my review is not hyperbole, as you will find if you read any of Thomas Boswell's fine baseball books ("Craking the Show" is the latest). The book features essays about players, teams, stadiums, season, statistics and Boswell's own unique perspective on the game. For example, Boswell is of the belief that Ted Williams did more damage to the art of hitting than any other player because of his insistance that batters should not swing at the first pitch. Boswell provides ample statistical proof to show that batters who do hit better! This is a great book for anyone interested in the national pastime.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Solid Baseball from Thomas Boswell, February 28, 2010

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking the Show (Paperback)

This is another solid collection from baseball writer Thomas Boswell. As with the late Red Smith, reading Boswell is a treasure. He describes the 90 feet between the bases with literate, informative, heartfelt prose. This collection remains as readable today as when first printed in the Washington Post from 1989-1993. Boswell focuses on top players like Frank Thomas, Nolan Ryan, Cecil Fielder, Barry Bonds, and Cal Ripken. He examines each World Series played during that time (most exciting: Minnesota/Atlanta 1991), and starting with Baltimore's Camden Yards, the coming trend of fan-friendly, retro ballparks of which so many have since been constructed. Nor does Boswell shy from controversy. Readers learn about Pete Rose and his gambling vs. (the late) Bart Giamatti, deposed commissioner Fay Vincent, and the cynical efforts of many baseball owners to precipitate the 1994 strike and break the Player's Union - in time the players narrowly prevailed when the owners were cited for unfair labor tactics. There is also a brief look at Baltimore's now-gone Memorial Stadium, plus the addition of Wild Cards and expanded play-offs.

Some say Boswell over-rates RBI's as they measure opportunity more than productive hitting, and his claim that Cecil Fielder (low OBP, no speed or defense) was baseball's top player was foolish. Still, this is memorable writing. Fans should enjoy this book as much as Boswell's WHY TIME BEGINS ON OPENING DAY, HOW LIFE IMMITATES THE WORLD SERIES, and HEART OF THE ORDER.