Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls with Baseball Immortality [Paperback]

Michael Robbins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2004

Journalist and baseball historian Mike Robbins tells the gripping stories of dozens of players who came this close to baseball immortality. Their stories are dramatic, sometimes moving, even blackly funny—and they’re virtually unknown, even to die-hard fans. Robbins offers gripping accounts of the games, series, seasons, and careers that fell excruciatingly short—from forgotten near-heroes of the postseason such as Hal Smith and Chuck Hiller to players such as Harlond Clift (a great player trapped on a terrible club) and Jose Cruz Senior (a power hitter in a stadium that favored pitchers) who missed out because they spent their careers with the wrong team, in the wrong park, or in the wrong era. Robbins also tells the stories of players who missed their chance to join the all-time greats because of injury, illness, or other interruptions—the likes of Smokey Joe Wood (injured thumb) and Eiji Sawamura (killed in World War II). Baseball fans will come away with exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking stories, as well as a list of names, a treasury of surprising numbers—and a deeper sense of the men who have played the game.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (February 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786713356
• ISBN-13: 978-0786713356
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,845,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great present for baseball fans!, April 14, 2005

By 

M. Schwartz (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls with Baseball Immortality (Paperback)

My father is a huge baseball fan. I gave him this book for his birthday and he loved it. Many players he remembered, but lots of stories he'd never heard before and really enjoyed - he's been repeating them to us for weeks! I highly recommend this for the sports fan in your life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great baseball book, June 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls with Baseball Immortality (Paperback)

Best baseball book I've read in years. Full of fascinating stories about baseball's "not-quite" immortals that you won't find in other publications. Great read for the avid or casual baseball fan. Stories are both tragic & humorous. Author's incredible baseball knowlege is matched only by his outstanding sense of humor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good Book, December 29, 2008

By 

Jeffrey C. Bullock - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls With Baseball Immortality (Paperback)

Nice book by Robbins - you'll find some of the standard stories here but quite a few deal with players you've heard of before and some you haven't - some who were very good but just shy of any immortality, and others whose names you'll recognize - the book is sectioned off into sections, covering specific topics (ie - those who died young, etc) and makes for a good read.