Customer Reviews

The Entitled

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a baseball freak. However, I do not generally read books about it (never read a Halbertsam). Reading "Entitled" still keeps me baseball book free, because only the setting is baseball. The book is about far, far more - culture diversity, natural talent as opposed to blue collar talent, public images and their accuracy and a bit of a mystery to boot.

The main character is the blue collar manager who worked his way up through the minors to get a major league managerial job. He has a super-superstar that reputedly really runs the show.

One of the joys of this book is that these stereotypes are shown to be just that - shallow images propagated by those who do not know the characters better. As the former editor of Sports Illustrated, Deford has an insider's knowledge about what makes images in the public's eye and how hard it is to shift them. He also shows the baggage and prejudice that comes with each image.

The superstar, who appears to be a shallow, self-centered prima donna surprisingly, may not be, or...maybe he is. The last quarter of the book tumbles with surprises and twists and turns when it is shown that nothing - seemingly - is as it seems. There is a bit of a mystery plot, but the thrust of the novel is the characters, their characterizations and how they both differ and are true to those characterizations. It is a wonderful character study.

One word of cauation. If you are a sports page reader, many of the descriptions of the workings of baseball franchises will be old to you. However, they are necessary and make the book very readable for those not familiar with baseball; much as if the book were set in a mining town or in some specialized industry.

The bottom line is that this is not a book about baseball. Primarily it is a character study and a close second, it is a book about how public images are made, accurate or not, and how those images influence the characters and those around them.

In addition to the above accolades, the writing is terrific. Highly recommended for baseball fans and non-baseball fans, alike.

I love baseball, and I enjoy listening to Frank DeFord on NPR, so this book looked promising. When it comes to a great insider's knowledge of baseball, the book delivered on its promise. It was also a great character study of Traveler, the manager, and his relationship with Alcazar, the star player.

Where the book goes horribly wrong is with the rape plot. What woman who has been raped would hunt down the only witness and tell her story matter-of-factly? What lawyer would let her? And worse -- what second woman who had been raped in the past and not told anyone about it would go talk to the accused rapist unemotionally -- and believe him to the extent of convincing the only witness not to tell the cops what he saw in return for an old-boys wink-wink agreement that gets witness a job? It is astounding to think that someone of Frank DeFord's depth of observation about men in sports would see this plot as legitimate. And why does every major female character in the book have to be a victim of rape? Yes it happens, but come on, this is a big cliche.

I wish the plot had been different because I really did enjoy DeFord's knowledge of baseball and all the male characters (like the pitcher who speaks of everything in terms of the weather, and the team owner who subjects everyone to his complaints about being tall). But the rape plot and treatment of female characters was so ludicrous as to be patently offensive. I simply couldn't get past this enough to enjoy the book.

I bought the book on Tuesday and finished it on Thursday. Deford drew me into his baseball world and I didn't want to leave. The author is a gifted writer who has seen, heard, and thought about the game of baseball from its roots to its present day incarnation. Sport can present as sorted a drama as any political or criminal case. Deford recognizes that baseball players (like other celebrities) are "Entitled" because players, coaches, owners, the media, and, ultimately, we fans "curse" them with this affliction. The joy in this instance is that Deford shows us the process and the humanity behind the creation of a baseball superstar. I dare any regular NPR listener to read the words of the sage sportswriter Mickey Huey and not hear the voice of The Sport Curmudgeon, Frank Deford. Thank you Mr. Deford for a delightful summer read.

I don't know a thing about baseball. I don't even know which way of the bat is up. But I've always loved reading, I was a literature major in college, and this is not just a classic baseball book, it's a classic book period. Frank is an amazing American writer.

I couldn't bear to be away from baseball, so I picked up this novel by the great sportswriter Deford. The dust jacket proclaimed it to be "a novel of modern baseball," and that's about right. There's a megastar and his manager and each of them has a life which we get to peek into. The writing is solid and good, the prose isn't too purple (the baseball writing is great), and the characters really do come to life in their nuanced struggles. I especially loved the baseball-insider perspective, and I loved the insights into the game (which much be Deford's own pawned off on his characters). I really and truly enjoyed this; a great summer read!

I've always loved baseball novels and, with this one, Deford proves he is a master. This has all the detail of major league life - the scenes behind the thrilling games highlighted with biting wit and great originality. Set amidst accusations of a horrible crime, Deford's characters tactfully weave through the intracacies of a moral dilemma in a brilliant manner. I highly recommnd this book.

I guess books are ultimately judged by their endings and judging from the editorial reviews on Amazon, the ending of this one leaves something to be desired. But I believe in the journey, not the destination. I'm halfway through this book, so I can't judge the ending, but Deford has written an engaging baseball novel that leaves me anxiously awaiting for time to read the next chapter.

I've always chastised John Grisham for his ending to The Partner - it was nonsensical and contrived But it was still one of his best novels.

So no matter how this one turns out, it is a great journey.

This book is a well-crafted take on what goes on behind the closed doors of the locker room, blending the dramatic elements of the plot seamlessly with its baseball backdrop. "The Entitled" is an engrossing story that pulls the reader in with grace and subtlety. While undoubtedly fans of the sport will enjoy Deford's novel, "The Entitled" is an accessible and enjoyable read for anyone who is simply looking for a good story.

I have a hard time finding books that will interest my teenage son. The Entitled is going to the top of my list for him. Although I would not recommend the book for pre-teens or early teens (due to the sexual nature of part of the plot), it's a great read for older teens and adults in general regardless of whether they are sports fans or not-so-sporty. I loved the appreciation of baseball and the insights into what has happened and is happening to the sport and the people who make it happen. A good story keeps you turning the pages. I read it in record time and wished there was more. Highly recommended.

A little like John Grisham's "Playing for pizza" and with a lot of the hyper-cliched simplicity of Deford's "Everybody's All-American" (a much better movie than a book), "Entitled" left me feeling that I was entitled to more substance, character, story, and something you might call a conclusion.

Early on, Howie Traveler is the well-traveled (pun intended) manager of the Cleveland Indians who, struggling and grateful just to survive for a few years on a manager's fat salary, witnesses a Kobe Bryant-like moment with his star player in a Baltimore hotel. The rest of the "plot" meanders more than Howie has over his career, around time and people to fill out the pages before arriving at a rather vapid conclusion, leaving the reader to look to see if a few pages were missing at the end of the novel.

Deford has been around a long time. It may be safe to assume that he has witnessed many of the scenes he depicts. The articulate sportswriter character he employs in "Entitled" may even be a self-indulgent self-parody. At least the sportswriter recognizes and laments the decline of the print media to baseball, while Deford notes some of the ways in which baseball is unlike other pro sports, e.g., baseball is the only sport where the coach dresses like a player. What Deford could have spent more time writing about would have been the demise of baseball as the national past time, from the ill-conceived designated hitter to the loss of daytime World Series games. As the sport continues to decline, the sense of entitlement of the major stars only seems to increase, accelerating the sports' loss of share of the American sports heart. Save your time, money and heart and read something moving, like the recent Robert Clemente biography.