Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, and Eerie Events [Paperback]

Mickey Bradley (Author), Dan Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Haunted | Publication Date: August 1, 2007

A collection of "otherworldly" stories collected from baseball players, stadium personnel, umpires, front-office folks, and fans, which explores the sometimes amusing and sometimes spooky connection between baseball and the paranormal.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Baseball and ghost stories are as American as apple pie. Haunted Baseball combines both in this fun and freaky collection of otherworldly yarns.
Assembled from baseball players, stadium personnel, umpires, front-office folks, and fans, the tales told here explore the spooky connection between baseball and the paranormal. We learn of the Curse of the Billy Goat that still haunts the Chicago Cubs, of hidden passageways within the depths of Dodger Stadium, and of the spirits of legendary stars that inspire modern-day players at Yankee Stadium. We hear why Johnny Damon believes in ghosts and how the memories of a 9/11 hero inspired Ken Griffey Jr. to hit a home run against the Phillies—a team against which he’d never even gotten a hit! There are the stories of how Sam Rice settled a decades-old baseball controversy with a message from beyond the grave and how the late Roberto Clemente had premonitions of his own death in a plane crash. With a wealth of anecdotes that have never before been told, the authors present an entertaining and eerie look at our national pastime. 

About the Author

Dan Gordon is the author of Cape Encounters: Contemporary Cape Cod Ghost Stories. He lives in Providence, RI.

Mickey Bradley is a freelance sportswriter and has written on topics ranging from sports to science to humor and entertainment. He lives in Schenectady, NY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; Reprint edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599210223
• ISBN-13: 978-1599210223
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tasty Halloween treat for baseball fans, August 11, 2007

By 

Randym - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, and Eerie Events (Paperback)

If you're a baseball fan, you'll love this one - whether you believe in ghosts or not. It's as much about baseball tradition and folklore as it is about spooks. And unlike the typical baseball history books, there's a lot of information from current and upcoming players.

For this reason, I probably would not recommend this book to someone who doesn't like baseball. There are many interesting ghost stories in it, but there are also fairly long segments that only a baseball fan will enjoy. (It's certainly worth a look for anyone, but there are a lot of other books of true ghost stories that would be a higher priority for a non-baseball fan.)

And don't worry - even though the book is written by a Yankee fan and a Red Sox fan, other teams are covered, too. It's not all-AL East, like some national sports channels we know. ;-)

This one is great fun. Highly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baseball in America, October 3, 2007

By 

J. E. McDonald "jemaz" (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, and Eerie Events (Paperback)

This is a book that in a compelling way tells interesting stories that make you wonder, that inspire questions and even, at times, raise goose bumps. The ghosts are mostly good -- of the W.P. Kinsella and the Shoeless Joe variety -- but mostly this is a book of baseball and why we so much love the game.

It is part of the fabric of America and inherently carries with it a nostalgia that takes the reader on a personal journey back over the years. The chapter of the Yankees old spring training site in St. Petersburg sent my mind racing back to my own experiences at City Stadium in Lynchburg Va and players obscure but important to me and my own recollections that could be considered "haunted." Guys like Billy Voss, Duane Josephson, Cisco Carlos, George Noga, "Shot" Johnston, Ed Stroud, Danny Murphy, Ed Nottle, Dick Kenworthy and Carlos May.

It's not just the stories, which are consistently interesting, but also the writing. Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon have an easy, clear style that make the pages turn quickly and sometimes even a lyrical quality that make this a book to turn to for more than one read. It gets five stars and a permanent spot on the shelves of my baseball library, standing strong alongside Five Seasons, October 1964 and even the Boys of Summer. This is a gem that needs to be read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a ghost book, October 17, 2007

By 

Christopher L. Balzano "Alosa1066" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, and Eerie Events (Paperback)

Haunted Baseball is more than just a solid collection of ghost stories and odd happenings. Dan Gordon and Mickey Bradley have given us a book filled with scares and spirit. The book, like the sport itself, tell something about the people in it, and transcends the sport and the ghost book genre. The ghosts are there, and the tight research from the authors offers background into such famous haunts and Yankee Stadium and the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg. The stories are well researched and delivered in a subtle eerie way. You become comfortable with the facts and then they slip the rug from under you. The ghosts invade the tales rather than overwhelming them. The first hand accounts from some of the most respected and well known names in the game makes the stories seem that more real.
But this book is much more than that. The book tells the history of such infamous curses as the goat of Chicago. These stories are known, but Gordon and Bradley get into more detail and reveal the truth behind the myths. The stories of the deceased still mourned by those left behind are touching, especially when you consider the macho athletes retelling them. It asks bigger questions and gives the reader the ideas of average men who happen to be professional player.
Perhaps the real strength of the book lies in its scope. The stories cover the spectrum of the weird and crosses culture lines. Some of the strongest stories are the ones of the Latin players who cherish the ghosts stories are part of their culture. The book even takes us to the Dominican Republic to hauntings players experienced when they were younger.
The audience for Haunted Baseball might be hard to get a handle on. Are there enough ghosts to satisfy the paranormal world and will sports fans be turned off by an mention of a phantom in Fenway. The authors shouldn't have to worry. The balance they create allows the reader to enjoy each story while keeping an eye on the bigger questions.