Hornsby Hit One Over My Head: A Fans' Oral History of Baseball [Paperback]

David Cataneo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1997

Drawing on the reminiscences of forty-five fervent fans, this spellbinding oral history celebrates baseball’s powerful hold on our national consciousness-from a journalist who remembers his excitement when he first saw Jackie Robinson in the majors to a nun who looks back fondly on her stint at the Texas Rangers’ fantasy camp.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Baseball is the most Homeric of games, a game of voices telling stories, of transmitting lore in that most ancient technology: word of mouth. Everyone who's been to the ballpark has a story to tell; sportswriter David Cataneo has done heroic duty by gathering and disseminating the rich voice of the common fan in this collection that runs the gamut from exuberance to poignancy. As diverse as the several dozen fans Cataneo interviewed are--they range in age from 17 to 94, live all over the country, and are as different in careers as a district attorney and a registered nurse--their reminiscences share a certain gauzy love for a game that seemed much purer when they were young. There are gems to be found here, such as the 79-year-old retired garment worker who still revels at once tossing a peanut at--and hitting--Babe Ruth, and, most moving of all, the nun from Texas who, unable to shed her life-long habit, began donning a Rangers uniform and going to fantasy camps in her early 60s.

From Booklist

Angell, Kahn, and Boswell take notice. Cataneo, Boston Herald sports reporter, talked to baseball fans of all ages, and what they had to say is every bit as poignant, insightful, and plain entertaining as anything penned by the summer game's power hitters. That's not to diminish their work, but it's satisfying to hear from the forgotten element of sports: the fans. And as the author says in his introduction, every player and owner who treats the game poorly ought to read this book so that maybe they can begin to fathom the emotional hold the game can have on its fans. The fans are presented in order of age, with the oldest offering their thoughts first. They range from Joe Derba, a retired 94-year-old Quincy, Massachusetts, cabdriver, to a 17-year-old Kansas student who recalls the 1985 World Series with the same fondness as Derba does musing on the 1912 Boston Red Sox. What emerges throughout is that baseball memories age well: the grass gets greener, the players better, and the hot dogs tastier, and the folks we shared those times with take on a halo, at least when there's two on, two out, and the count is full. Great reading. Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156002183
• ISBN-13: 978-0156002189
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,737,201 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chapter One brought tears to my eyes., July 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hornsby Hit One Over My Head: A Fans' Oral History of Baseball (Paperback)

Chapter One is about my grandfather. Reading about him brought tears to my eyes as Mr. Cataneo did a brilliant job capturing his personality and re-telling his baseball stories. For me, what makes this book so unique is the fact that ordinary people were interviewed and this enabled me to better relate to their stories. Its a must read for all baseball lovers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only problem with this book: It's too short., June 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Hornsby Hit One Over My Head: A Fans' Oral History of Baseball (Paperback)

When the 1994 World Series was canceled, I publicly severed
my ties with baseball. Reading this book reminded me of why I loved
it in the first place. The voices of 45 "regular people" create
a chorus of affection and nostalgia, love for vanished ways of life
and hope for the future--and not just of the game.

I laughed, I cried. Read this book!<P

4.0 out of 5 stars The game matters more than the actions of the participants, August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hornsby Hit One Over My Head: A Fans' Oral History of Baseball (Paperback)

A perfect counter-point to Ritter's "Glory of their Times," these are the fans' stories. (Old, middle-aged, young, black, white, hispanic, female, male, blind, etc . . .) This is a brilliant collection of diverse points-of-view, experiences and relationships to our game, baseball.

Like a mosiac that blends individual pieces into a whole that's a much richer picture, Cataneo reminds us that the game of baseball, and our relationship to it, is more than what we think of the MLB product (too expensive!) or how our favorite team is doing (since Fox took over, it's been all down hill).

The game is still a perfect blend of tedium and urgency; heroics and teamwork. Somehow I was enchanted to again pick up a glove and play softball this weekend -- the 1st time in 4 years.

Out-of-shape and slow, I still fielded groundballs, caught (and missed) pop-ups, hit line drives and groundballs . . . I got another reminder of why baseball is (in Babe Ruth's words), "the only real game."