The Long Ball: The Summer of '75--Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever Played [Hardcover]

Tom Adelman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

The 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds is generally considered the best of all time, and baseball historians often rank its sixth game as the greatest single game ever played. Adelman opens his story of this epochal summer with the dramatic preseason showdown between owners and players that catalyzed free agency, increased player salaries, and launched an age when baseball would be less about the game and more about 'the green.' THE LONG BALL then tells the dramatic story of the star-studded season that followed and the heart-stopping series itself. With unforgettable portraits of some of baseball's most colorful characters, this is an affecting look at baseball's last great days-all of it leading up to a magical home run that wins a game for a losing team and leaves the bat with the thump of a heartbeat.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There's something about a good baseball yarn that brings out a writer's childlike enthusiasm; in this case, Adelman's gusto makes this account of the legendary 1975 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at once a joy and a bit of a pain to read. Adelman's retelling of one of baseball's greatest showdowns goes in so many different directions that the reader is sometimes hard put to relax and enjoy it; skipping between teams, players and games with the ferocity of a suicide squeeze, Adelman jumps from Casey Stengel to Steve Garvey with a story about a missed steal sign thrown by Don Zimmer as a segue. He tosses in bits about players' personal lives, too-Johnny Bench's rocky marriage to an Ultra Brite model; Mickey Mantle's nightmares; Luis Tiant's longing for his family in Cuba-for added color. And he still manages to depict in gripping detail the split-second decisions of legends like Pete Rose, Sparky Anderson, the elder Bonds and Griffey, Billy Martin, Johnny Bench and Yaz-uncovering some great inside stories and little-known anecdotes along the way. Also, 1975 was the year free agency came to baseball, when Catfish Hunter challenged the indentured servitude practiced by the owners and won, later becoming the game's first free agent and signing with (who else?) the Yankees. It signaled the end of the era of players being contractually bound to one team and ushered in the high-priced bidding wars that are now the hallmark of the sport. While Adelman doesn't explore the advent of free agency nearly as much as he could, choosing instead to analyze pitching decisions and the positioning of the second baseman on a hopper up the middle, he's still written a thoroughly enjoyable baseball book. 16 pages b&w photos
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Tom Adelman was a bad Little League first baseman, a poor right fielder, a mediocre pitcher, and a terrible hitter. He and his wife live in the Boston area.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316068993
• ISBN-13: 978-0316068994
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nostalgic look at the baseball I grew up with., April 21, 2004

By 

R. Jones (King, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Long Ball, the Summer of '75-Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever Played (Audio Cassette)

I'm not much a baseball fan anymore, but I was in 1975 and this book reminded me why: Catfish Hunter, Bill Lee, The Big Red Machine, Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and on and on. If those names mean anything to you, you'll love this book. And if they don't mean anything to you, you should read the book to find out who they are. Adelman does a wonderful job telling their stories (and many more, as well as the story of the season and how the events of 1975 changed baseball forever). One other note: I listened to the unabridged audio version of the book, and it included an extra tape with a very interesting author interview. Probably not worth paying the premium price for the audio edition, but worth checking your local library to see if they have it on their shelves.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read on the 1975 Season, June 13, 2003

By 

C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Long Ball: The Summer of '75--Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever Played (Hardcover)

It has become popular during the last several years to have books published which are devoted to certain years during a baseball season. Some of them have been good while others have been found wanting. The Long Ball by Tom Adelman fits into the former category especially if you are old enough to remember the memorable 1975 season. There is a heavy emphasis on that year's World Series as it should, but it also includes a number of incidents and individuals that made headlines during that year such as the advent of free agency looming ominously on the horizon, and anecdotes on Casey Stengel, Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Bill Lee, Catfish Hunter, and Carl Yastrzemski, and many others. Half of the book is devoted to the post season playoffs and World Series. I like the author's use of humor in telling stories such as Bill Lee describing Bernie Carbo as "pure oxygen looking for a flame." The relationship between Sparky Anderson and Bernie Carbo is built up prior to that fantastic 6th game of the Series, and I thought Anderson's reaction to the ending of that game was precious as he felt betrayed by Carbo's 8th inning three run homer. I notice that this book has received mixed reviews, but I found the book to be enjoyable and it was fun to relive the '75 season through this book and be reunited with those individuals who were in the game during that time. Whether you were old enough to be a fan during this season or not, I think you will find this to be a very enjoyable book. It is worth the space on your bookcase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why didn't I hear about this book sooner?, April 30, 2005

By 

ErikEE (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long Ball: The Summer of '75 -- Spaceman, Catfish, Charlie Hustle, and the Greatest World Series Ever Played (Paperback)

I just discovered this book at a local bookseller. I read it over the course of a few evenings, and I continue telling friends about cool tidbits I learned from The Long Ball.

Adelman's done his research, and his crisp, fast-paced writing gets you in the game quickly. Even if you're not a Reds or Red Sox fan, there's plenty in the book to enjoy, as it celebrates not only numerous players' personalities, but the nuances that make baseball so enjoyable for so many.