9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sox fans - buy this book!, March 3, 2005
This review is from: Idiot-Syncrasies: How The Red Sox Were Smart Enough To Win The World Series (Paperback)
Somehow this book is flying under the radar, and I'm afraid it's going to be lost under the deluge of titles hitting the market about the 2004 Red Sox. Too bad, because there is only one word to describe "Idiot-syncrasies" - Gem.
This book is difficult to describe precisely. It's not a nuts-and-bolts examination of the strategy of the 2004 season. It's not a retropective of the year. It's not a behind-the-scenes look at the team. I suppose it's best described as a look at the philosophy of and the lessons imparted by the "Idiots," and how we as fans related to them, and they to us.
What's best about this book is its style; it utilizes magnificent turns of phrase and builds profiles with the lyricism of Roger Angell (with perhaps a bit of the wryness of George Plimpton as well). At various moments I was nodding in agreement, then laughing out loud, and then breaking into tears. It's a magnificently crafted series of essays on most of the key players of the 2004.
This is a MUST read for any Red Sox fan. Treat yourself, or buy it for a Sox fan you love.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book Stephen King will wish he wrote., March 13, 2005
This review is from: Idiot-Syncrasies: How The Red Sox Were Smart Enough To Win The World Series (Paperback)
We all knew it would hit--the onslaught of books, each claiming to be "the" definitive documentation of how the Red Sox won. I've perused most of them--except the O'Nan/King debacle which I blindly purchased thinking, "Hey, it's Stephen King--it's got to be good--right?" Wrong! Boy, do I wish I had my money back. The last time I read something so boring I think Joseph Conrad wrote it.
The first warning to every fan looking for a definitive documentary of the Red Sox 2004 season is to not be put off by the cover of Idiot-syncrasies. The cartoonish caricatures would make one believe the book is another in the long line of box score recaps that populate the market. Jerry Remy's forward certainly does nothing to alert readers to what will follow. Rather, it appears to simply be a vehicle for Remy to remind us of his playing days.
Then--then, if you will simply take a moment to read Longest's introduction, The Eternal Sunshine of Terry Francona, you will know that Idiot-syncrasies holds the promise of something as special as the 2004 season itself. I must admit that Longest knew how to hook me when he begins his season-long narrative with the grandest "idiot" of all--Johnny Damon. After a delightful analysis of how JD fit into the overall dynamics of the team I was captured. If Longest was to dissect the entire team as he did Damon I couldn't wait to read on. There they were: Manny and Ortiz. Varitek, Millar and Pokey--Mueller--well, count on it--they're all there. While many championship season books include only the post season, Longest puts us on a season-long path with the Red Sox--potholes and all.
Longest takes us far beyond the mundane stats of a season. He engages us in a deep analysis of what makes these men tick and how they converged to make a team tick. There are some who might argue his analysis, but this is precisely the point--you can't argue finite, historical statistics, but you can debate the elements, and eccentricities, of personality. It's the same as debating how one man won the presidency--a conversation of personality, character, soul and many intangibles we can never really quantify. This is what we'll discuss over the years rather than the stats--well, except "the walk"--a stat we'll not soon forget. Longest doesn't completely ignore statistics, but couches them in game situations that assist in explicating his analysis of character and skill.
Longest's compelling analysis of a season is enhanced by his generous inclusion of sidebars he labels "MONSTERminutiae" and his final words at the conclusion of each chapter (Idiot Rule) are thoughts one might choose to live one's life by.
A few hours later when I read the last Idiot Rule--The Future Can Wait--on page 288, I felt I had been in the stands for every precious moment of a precious season. I really didn't care there was very little box score trivia like so-and-so was lifted in the seventh for so-and-so; so what! Rather I now have a vivid portrait of a team of players who performed magic tricks for us. I agree with another reviewer who compares Longest to Roger Angell. While I think this is Longest's first book, it's obvious he's a student of baseball and probably a student of Mr. Angell's prowess at capturing so much more than statistics. In fact Longest may have an even keener sense of vision in his ability to seize nuance.
You might buy one of the "box score" books, but if you want a documentary to consult over time in reliving the 2004 Red Sox season--something to pass along to your children and grandchildren--then Idiot-syncrasies is the one book you should have. I've only owned the book two weeks and I've relived the season cover-to-cover three times.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Voice of a Generation, April 9, 2005
This review is from: Idiot-Syncrasies: How The Red Sox Were Smart Enough To Win The World Series (Paperback)
This is the premiere book of its kind on the Red Sox. Knoefel has clearly established himself as the Bob Dylan of sports writing. He is able to make sense of and put into words the things the rest of us only wish we could. No one his age has ever understood the psychology of the game as he does. How many masterpieces must a writer publish before you call him a sage? The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind but this kid has it!
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