The Heart of the Order (Penguin Sports Library) [Paperback]

Thomas Boswell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Sports Library | Publication Date: March 1, 1990

Boswell, longtime Washington Post sports columnist, has been called "the best all-around baseball writer in America" (San Diego Union). Hand-picked from his columns of the last five years, this funny, insightful, and moving collection of pieces proves that when it com es to baseball, Boswell is in a league by himself. (Penguin)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thomas Boswell, who consistently turns out elegant prose on deadline for the Washington Post, has a knack for finding eternal themes in what might otherwise pass as insignificant on-the-field encounters. It's hard to believe that most of his graceful compilations from the '70s and '80s--like those of the incomparable Roger Angell's--are out of print today, but then publishers, like shortstops with hands of lead, have been known to make their errors. In the heart of Boswell's 1989 collection, The Heart of the Order, he breaks down the game position by position, profiling the player at each whose style of play and attitude about the game best suggest why "heart" isn't just a cliche. Heart also pitches the delightful essay "99 Reasons Why Baseball is Better Than Football"; reason 100 should be that Boswell writes about it with such clarity.

From Publishers Weekly

Baseball, writes Boswell, is meant to be "silly, lyric, inexplicable, slightly rebellious and generally disreputable." In this collection of his sports columns from the Washington Post , he captures those elements and many more in an exceptionally fine examination of the national pastime that rivals his earlier Why Time Begins on Opening Day and How Life Imitates the World Series. The two main sections of the anthology are "The Heart of the Order," about the single player at each position who has the most "heart," and "Five Octobers," about the World Series from 1984 to 1988. There are also essays on heroes like Joe DiMaggio and Ozzie Smith, managers Earl Weaver and Sparky Anderson and observations on the game, such as "The Worst Damn Team in Baseball." This is sportswriting at its most literate.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (March 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140129871
• ISBN-13: 978-0140129878
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boswell does it again, July 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heart of the Order (Penguin Sports Library) (Paperback)

As usual, Thomas Boswell has given baseball fans a treat. "Heart of the Order" is a wonderful collection of Boswell's best work from the mid to late 80s. Highlights include reviews of pennant races and an intriguing portrait of Ozzie Smith. "Heart of the Order" is wonderful read for those who love baseball

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, Humane look at Baseball, September 6, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: The Heart of the Order (Penguin Sports Library) (Paperback)

Thomas Boswell hits another home run with this graceful collection of his top writings from the 1980's. This Washington (DC) Post sportswriter takes us into the locker room and the board room, letting us get to know figures such as Earl Weaver, Tommy John, Rod Carew, Edward Bennett Williams, Gary Carter, Davey Johnson, etc. We see Joe DiMaggio emerge from semi-reclusiveness at age 68, and Ozzie Smith add verbal acrobatics to those he performs on the field. These warm pages flow with humanity, delve into tragedy (Dick Howser's death from cancer), and remind us that in the 1980's top stars made "only" $2 million per season. Boswell offers a host of predictions, focuses heavily on the Baltimore Orioles, and as often happens in the media, barely mentions the non-glamour teams (Twins, White Sox, Pirates, Mariners, etc.). But the author captures the romance of baseball, which engulfs him as solidly as it does so many of us fans.

This is superb baseball writing, as were his earlier books, WHY TIME BEGINS ON OPENING DAY and HOW LIFE IMITATES THE WORLD SERIES.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All About The Author, June 18, 2011

By 

Zachary Koenig "K-Dawg" (Forest Lake, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of the Order (Penguin Sports Library) (Paperback)

On most occasions, I am wary of "story collections" like this one. Too many times, they are just a hodge-podge of writing with no coherent underlying theme. However, this book is an exception due to the enthralling prose from author Thomas Boswell.

In "The Heart of the Order", Boswell (a noted baseball columnist for the Washington Post) brings together a selection of baseball columns from the 1980s. From the early-80s Tigers/Orioles, the '86 Mets/Red Sox, to the '87 Twins, many key teams/moments are covered. Also, individual profiles of such players as Pete Rose, Carl Yazstremski, and Bill Buckner (among others) are given.

Being born in 1985, this tome is more "history" than "nostalgia" for me, but it can easily be enjoyed as either. The true key is the magical writing of Boswell. I've been reading baseball books for over a decade now, and the writing in this one is not surpassed. It takes a true gift with words to make us care about one man's opinion about the game of baseball, and Boswell is blessed with that gift.

Basically, this is the perfect baseball read for those long, lazy days of summer. Get out on the swing overlooking the lake, grab a cold beverage, and immerse yourself in Boswell's interpretation of the Great American Pastime in the 1980s.