The Only Game in Town: Baseball Stars of the 1930s and 1940s Talk About the Game They Loved (Baseball Oral History Project) [Paperback]

Fay Vincent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2007 | Series: Baseball Oral History Project (Book 1)

The 1930s was the era of such baseball legends as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio. In The Only Game in Town, pitcher Elden Auker recalls what it was like to face these sluggers, while Red Sox outfielder Dom DiMaggio remembers how he nearly ended his brother Joe's record hitting streak. Then, in the 1940s, baseball underwent tremendous change. First came World War II, and stars such as Bob Feller and future star Warren Spahn -- both among the ten ballplayers who discuss their playing days in this book -- left the game to serve their country. When the war ended, integration came to baseball. Jackie Robinson was soon followed by other outstanding African-American ballplayers, including Larry Doby and Monte Irvin, both of whom recall their pioneering experiences in Major League Baseball. Buck O'Neil describes scouting and coaching the next generation of African-American ballplayers and helping them make it into the major leagues. Johnny Pesky and Tommy Henrich recall great Red Sox-Yankees rivalries, but from opposite sides, while Ralph Kiner remembers his remarkable ten-year stretch as the most feared home-run hitter of his day.

The ten ballplayers who spoke with Fay Vincent for this fascinating book bring back to life baseball from a bygone time. Their stories make The Only Game in Town a must-have for all baseball fans.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first entry in an ambitious, multivolume oral history of baseball compiled by former commissioner Vincent collects the memories of 10 notable players from the 1930s and '40s. The tone is primarily upbeat, as when Dominic DiMaggio—one of the almost-as-talented but often forgotten brothers of Joe—sticks to the sunny side: "I think it's just a wonderful, wonderful game." The athletes have a forgivable tendency to ramble down memory lane and avoid deep analysis, often simply offering play-by-plays of famous games. Not surprisingly, then, it's the early integrators and Negro League pros like Larry Doby whose comments make the best reading; their stories have a drama and gravitas that some of the others lack. Vincent did not impose structure on his subjects, and there are a few redundancies in the narrative (although the twice-told story of Hank Greenberg storming into the White Sox locker room and calling out whoever made anti-Semitic remarks during the game is worth repeating). Dedicated fans stand to gain the most from this nostalgic spin through one slice of baseball history. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* A decade ago, Vincent, the former commissioner of major league baseball (1989-92), listened to the audiotapes that were the basis of Lawrence Ritter's classic baseball oral history, The Glory of Their Times. Eventually, Vincent, who unapologetically loves the game, decided to undertake a similar project, interviewing the great surviving players of the 1930s and 1940s as Ritter had done with those who played in the early twentieth century. The result is the first volume in a projected series to be called the Baseball Oral History Project. Included in this inaugural offering are interviews with Hall of Famers Warren Spahn, Bob Feller, Larry Doby, and Monte Irvin as well as numerous less accomplished but no less fascinating players of the era. What set many of these players apart was their participation in two events, World War II and the subsequent integration of baseball. But this isn't about personal sacrifice or carving out a historical niche. It's about playing baseball. Vincent's first questions to each of his subjects were, "Who got you interested in baseball?" and "Who gave you your first ball and glove?" Dom DiMaggio remembers his father throwing his boys' balls and gloves in the trash because he thought the game frivolous. This is wonderful book on its own, and the series is sure to become a cornerstone of any baseball collection. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743273184
• ISBN-13: 978-0743273183
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For all baseball fans, October 19, 2006

By 

M. Fisher (Yukon, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Only Game in Town: Baseball Stars of the 1930s and 1940s Talk About the Game They Loved (Baseball Oral History Project) (Hardcover)

This is a book that any baseball fan needs to read. It makes us appreciate the game back when it was pure. When the game was truly the national pasttime, and the players such as Monte Irvin, Ralph Kiner, and so many others played a game they loved. Yes, it was a business, but it was also a game, which it's not anymore. It's a sport, no more, no less.

The stories of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx, Casey Stengel, and the ones we love reading about are there, along with Warren Spahn and Tommy Heinrich, Bob Feller, and Larry Doby. The discuss their lives, teammates, and what made baseball great.

I wish I could give this more than five stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The rapid shifts from subject to subject greatly diminishes a good book, October 5, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Only Game in Town: Baseball Stars of the 1930s and 1940s Talk About the Game They Loved (Baseball Oral History Project) (Hardcover)

The personal reminiscences of former players are excellent ways to learn additional information about the history of major league baseball and in a few cases debunk some of the myths. However, it must be done well, specifically it must be organized so that it flows. That was not done here, there is little flow to the comments of the players, the stream of consciousness regularly undergoes a dramatic shift and it takes a sentence or two before you realize that the subject has changed. The two most interesting new bits of baseball history that I learned were both recounted by Elden Auker. The first was that Leo Durocher was once Babe Ruth's roommate and Durocher was caught trying to steal a gold watch and $500 from Ruth. The second was that when a group of baseball players went to Japan before the Second World War, one of the players, Moe Berg, served as a spy for the U. S. government.
The players interviewed for the book are:

*) Elden Auker
*) Bob Feller
*) Tommy Henrich
*) John "Buck" O'Neil
*) Dom Dimaggio
*) Johnny Pesky
*) Warren Spahn
*) Larry Doby
*) Ralph Kiner
*) Monte Irvin

Since there were great changes in major league baseball during the careers of these players, if you can get past the disjointed presentation, this is a good book of baseball history.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting memories by old-time players, April 30, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: The Only Game in Town: Baseball Stars of the 1930s and 1940s Talk About the Game They Loved (Baseball Oral History Project) (Hardcover)

Former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent provides an interesting oral history of baseball by recording the words of ten of the game's top players. The players include stars of the big leagues (Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, Bob Feller, etc) one Negro Leaguer (Buck O'Neill), and two that played in both venues (Larry Doby, Monte Irvin). Each player spoke into a tape recorder, and their words are printed here, apparently verbatim. I liked the memories and insights from this diverse group of stars, not all of whom were educated or articulate. One wonders how many of today's pitchers follow Warren Spahn's method of stretching his arm between starts. I'm glad these interviews were conducted; Doby and Spahn both passed away in 2003, while at this writing the others range in age from 83 (Ralph Kiner) to 95 (Eldon Auker).

Some note that Lawrence Ritter (GLORY OF THEIR TIMES) and Donald Honig (IMAGE OF THEIR GREATNESS) wrote similar books about baseball's past, and perhaps in better fashion. Still, this version is a readable and interesting first-person look at baseball.