The Forever Boys [Hardcover]

Peter Golenbock (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Golenbock displayed his talent for oral history in his books on the Brooklyn Dodgers ( Bums ) and New York Yankees ( Dynasty ). Here he profiles the first year of the Senior Baseball League, a competitive league of former professional players over age 35. Golenbock, who followed the pennant-winning St. Petersburg Pelicans through tryouts, winning and losing streaks, injuries and bus rides criss-crossing Florida, conveys vivid portraits of individuals determined to extend their declining but still formidable talents. Some, like St. Pete manager Bobby Tolan and his pitching coach Dock Ellis, were controversial stars in the major leagues. All describe the family hardships, organizational politics, racism and personal disillusionment that accompany the joy of playing the game. Briskly written and entertaining, the book also records, perhaps for the first time, a well-known player tradition: the hilariously biased proceedings of a ``kangaroo court''--a cherished opportunity to hound teammates about misplays on the field, gluttonous eating habits or anything else that amuses the court ``judges''--an experience not to be missed. Photos not seen by PW.

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The controversial Golenbock, author of Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964 ( LJ 4/15/75) and Personal Fouls (Carroll & Graf, 1989), among other books, takes us behind the scenes of the first season (1989-90) of baseball's new Senior League. Traveling with the St. Petersburg Pelicans, he interviewed the players and relates stories about their personal lives, their troubles once they left the majors, and obligatory anecdotes from their professional careers. Acting as something of a spokesperson for the players, Golenbock goes to great lengths to show the ugly side of the baseball business, lamenting from a paper soapbox unfair management, careers that ended too soon, discrimination, and of course the infamous owners' collusion scandal against free agency. Although one-sided, many stories are heartbreaking and all are interesting. An unusual glimpse at heroes from the not-so-distant past. Recommended.
- John Turner, New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 391 pages
• Publisher: Carol Publishing Group; First Edition edition (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559720344
• ISBN-13: 978-1559720342
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Little known, highly recommended, December 20, 2002

By 

Gordon MacPherson (New Providence, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forever Boys (Hardcover)

I was surprised that this book didn't make Sports Illustrated's recent (12/02) list of the top 100 sports books. I've read three or four of Golenbock's better known titles - this one was the best. Intriguing mix of laughs and bitter memories on the part of a group of over-35 ballplayers who were given one more desperate chance to play professionally (about a dozen years ago).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars VH1 presents "Behind The Music: Baseball", February 18, 2002

By 

Jason A. Miller (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Forever Boys (Hardcover)

Peter Golenbock, best known as the author of the definitive oral histories of several Major League Baseball teams (most notably the Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs, and Stengel-era Yankees), swings for the fences and misses, with a book about the short-lived Senior League of 1989-1990.

The Senior League, a failed experiment since consigned to the "amnesia" portion of baseball's memory, established 8 teams in Florida and filled the rosters with 35-and-over major-league castoffs. The bulk of "The Forever Boys" tells their stories. Nearly every story sounds the same: Drugs. Alcohol. Injuries. Myopic management. All the stories are told in an omniscient voice, with phrases so cliched and hackneyed, they rise to the level of "VH1's Behind the Music" art-kisch.

"Forever Boys" is most memorable, perhaps, if you came of baseball age between 1976 and 1983. In the book are the life stories of Pat Zachry and Gary Rajsich, both of whom played in the first baseball game I ever went to. I recognized all the names from my late '70s Topps baseball card collections. Golenbock is at his best when the stories don't have happy endings -- the fall from grace of Sammy Stewart is perhaps the book's most effective writing.

But for every objective look at why a player failed, there are another ten instances of poor research (when Golenbock states that the 1981 Brewers had the best record in baseball before the strike, take out your pencil, cross it out, and write "tenth-best" in the margin. Go ahead!) or subjective reporting. Every game won in the Senior League is a test of wills, or a validation of an entire career, and the screening of Tom Hanks in "BIG" on the team bus becomes an epiphany worthy of James Joyce. Or not.

"Forever Boys" is an excellent source of anecdotes, but is not a keeper for your all-time collection.

4.0 out of 5 stars Little known, highly recommended, December 20, 2002

By 

Gordon MacPherson (New Providence, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forever Boys (Hardcover)

I was surprised that this book didn't make Sports Illustrated's recent (12/02) list of the top 100 sports books. I've read three or four of Golenbock's better known titles - this one was the best. Intriguing mix of laughs and bitter memories from a group of over-35 ballplayers who were given one more desperate chance to play professionally.