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Growing Up Baseball: An Oral History

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From the very prolific writer Harvey Frommer and his son Frderic comes 241 pages of exciting reading. This story of how some 67 major league players got started captures the heart of the artichoke of how players feel. The book is great reading, one that you can pick up at any time - filled with great stories of the growing of years,told in an oral history format by such as Dom DiMaggio, Jim Palmer, Nolan Ryan, Keith Hernandez,Bob Feller and lesser known but no less eloquent types. Very enjoyable!!

The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues." I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there?

Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game? Even presidents are drawn to the game. Our current president owned a team. Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball." It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game.

In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present - ones who had a fleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons - discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and/or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game.

Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization.

Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old.

Jose Cardenal - Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball. His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors.

The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men.

While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of major leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be.

On city streets and suburban sandlots, millions of boys have played the nation's game. Growing Up Baseball recounts the stories of those few whose childhood dreams of playing in the big leagues came true.

Noted oral historian Harvey Frommer joins his son Frederic in collecting interviews and published commentary together with photographs to create the first thorough oral history of the "growing up" years of baseball's greatest heroes. Readers will discover new experiences in the words of those who lived them, including:
-- Bob Feller, the winningest pitcher in Cleveland Indians history
-- George "Sparky" Anderson, the only manager ever to have won championships in both leagues
-- Monte Irvin, who was already past 30 years of age when he made his major league debut in 1949
-- Jim Palmer, who won three Cy Young Awards and four Gold Gloves with eight 20-win seasons

In addition, Growing Up Baseball features interviews with singular figures such as Bobby Thomson, Don Larsen, Red Murff, Keith Hernandez, Mel Parnell, and Ralph Kiner, and is framed with inspiring commentary by coaches, relatives, teachers, friends, rivals, and scouts.

Growing Up Baseball contains a rich and varied montage of memories from players and fans across generations and cultures. Compelling, informative, and overflowing with a deep and abiding love of America's Pastime, it will delight and inspire anyone who's ever treasured a well-worn glove or thrilled to the crack of a bat.

A new book is out that takes an original approach to baseball. "Growing up baseball, an oral history," lets players tell their stories in their own words. Among those who write about their childhood baseball memories: Mark Grace, Bob Feller, Dom DiMaggio, Sam McDowell, Don Larsen and Mike Scioscia, manager of the Anaheim Angels, who vanquished the Giants in the World Series.

By Harvey and Frederic Frommer, the book is a quick and satisfying read about the innocent youth of baseball stars.

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The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues". I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there.

Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Kostner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game. Even presidents are drawn to the game, our current president owned a team, Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball". It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game.

In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present, ones who had afleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons- discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and /or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game.

Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization.

Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old.

Jose Cardenal -Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball. His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors.

The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men.

While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of majors leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be.
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Growing Up Baseball is the first oral history that reveals the dreams of a select few who actually made it to the major leagues. In their own words, players like Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, "Sparky" Anderson, Jim Palmer, and Bob Tewksbury share their early memories of playing catch with their dads or baseball with their brothers in the neighborhood or on the farm. These experiences ignited the dream and indelibly shaped the futures of the sixty-nine players highlighted in this book authored by father and son, Harvey and Frederic Frommer. During their first-hand interviews, the authors discovered such interesting facts as:
* Dom DiMaggio polished his fielding skills playing catch with brother Joe on the steep hills of San Francisco
* Bob Feller was lucky to have a father who built him a complete baseball field in a pasture on their Des Moines, Iowa far m in 1930-the first "Field of Dreams."
* Keith Hernandez started at age five to catch and hit tennis balls thrown to him by his minor league infielder father.
* Monte Irvin played many years in the Negro Leagues until his dream of making it to the majors came true at age 51.
* Bob Tewksbury still has memories of wet baseballs from playing in the early spring snows of New Hampshire.
From baseball's greatest players to those less frequently remembered, the heart-warming stories in Growing Up Baseball are a reminder that there is a time in a player's career when everything seems possible.

The Book Shelf/Purebaseball.com

Growing Up Baseball is another type of oral history, one which encompasses a common theme. In this case, as the title indicates, current and former major leaguers relate their introduction to the game. Most, as tradition might dictate, learned at the feet of dad, the pastoral image of fathers and sons playing catch. Some praise the help of a little league, high school or college coach as pointing them in the right direction. Those who share their experiences run the gamut from all-time legends such as Bob Feller and Ralph Kiner to todays role players like Darryl Hamilton and Adam Kennedy. It also spans the decades, from Elden Auker, who first pitched for the Tigers in 1933 to players currently plying their trade. Its eye-opening to see the differences between the childhood experiences of a Feller and the modern player: the advantages of the latter (and not just financially) makes one wonder why the quality isnt better. Frommer, with the help of his son, does his usual excellent job, whether the topic is New York City baseball, Joe Jackson or photographic compilations.

Before these major leaguers were raking in the millions, they were just kids playing ball wherever they could find some space -- in the street, in a field, by the side of the house. In their own words, you read their stories of childhood baseball innocence. An excellent, insightful read, including some of the biggest names in baseball.

Before these major leaguers were raking in the millions, they were just kids playing ball wherever they could find some space -- in the street, in a field, by the side of the house. In their own words, you read their stories of childhood baseball innocence. An excellent, insightful read, including some of the biggest names in baseball.

The Frommers interviewed 69 former big leaguers from Dwight "Red"
Adams who played just eight games in the majors, to Don Zimmer who seems like he's been in baseball so long he could have been Abner Doubleday's bench coach.
The book records the stories of former kids who made it to the major leagues, most of whom started out playing catch and games for hours, sometimes dreaming of bigger fields and far away places. It's an oral history, so the ballplayers' stories are told in their own words, sometimes pedestrian, sometimes poingnant. They concentrate on the journey to the big leagues from the backyard games of catch to the first major league game.
This is a book for baseball junkies. It's readable and light.