Real Grass, Real Heroes [Paperback]

Dom DiMaggio (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp. (February 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075820924X
• ISBN-13: 978-0758209245
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book not only for Red Sox-fans!, January 28, 1998

By 

Librarian (Berlin, (b)east germ money) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Grass, Real Heroes: Baseball's Historic 1941 Season (Mass Market Paperback)

The author of "Real Grass, Real Heroes", Dom "The Little Professor" DiMaggio (For those of you who don't know about him: He was a terrific outfielder with the Red Sox from 1940-41, 46-53), looks back at the "good old times" (sometimes a little bit nostalgically) and the historic baseball season of 1941 which most of us haven't experienced personally. In this time teams still used to travel by trains, there were only 10 Major League teams in 16 cities, no astroturf, no expansion, no Division or League Championship Series, and baseball wasn't played just because of money but because of dedication and love for the game! He describes not only the love for his brothers (especially the more famous Joe who played for the Red Sox' arch enemies, the Yankees) and the game of baseball but also the feelings of people living on the eve of WWII. He also tells us about such unique historical things like the first baseball night game, Johnny Vander Merr's two consecutive no-hitters, the first televised MLB-game, Lou "Iron Horse" Gehrig's farewell and death, Lefty Grove's 300th win, the dramatic ninth All-Star Game, Joe DiMaggio's Major League record consecutive hitting streak of 56 games, Ted Williams hitting .406, the World Series (and the Mickey Owen game). But he also criticizes some conditions which the players of that time had to endure: many of them were under-paid bond man, e.g. This book also contains lots of small details about life in that time when radios were just becoming common and cars were still considered a luxury, that's why I think even somebody who doesn't like baseball will like this book! "Real Grass, Real Heroes" also features lots of autobiographical notes about Dom, great anecdotes about such heroes as Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Enos Slaughter,... ,and 41 great photos (mostly from the 1941 season)! He doesn't even forget the umpires (of which there were only two in each game at that time, by the way!).

In my opinion this book is very well written, sometimes funny, sometimes sad (just like life itself!) and exciting! Although it's non-fiction it isn't dry at all. The only thing I miss in this terrific book is an index because it's really hard to find some detail again without it! I think this book is good for anyone who wants to find about more about life just after the great depression and before WWII. It's great for all baseball-fans, and it just is a must-have for all Red Sox-fans (and especially for Dom DiMaggio-fans, like me!!!)!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best baseball books around, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Real Grass, Real Heroes: Baseball's Historic 1941 Season (Mass Market Paperback)

As the jacket cover states: "1941 was the last original baseball season." Although I wasn't around to see 1941, this book made me feel like I was. Dom DiMaggio's perspective on this historic year is fabulous. I've read lots of baseball books about all the great players of the past and this one outshines them all. It's written with passion and "insiders knowledge" that makes the season itself seem like an all-too-perfect script. It's warm, engrossing, and highly dramatic, without being overly sentimental.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How baseball once was in America, November 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Real Grass, Real Heroes: (Zebra books) (Hardcover)

One of the best Center Fielders of his era tells the story of his brother and good friend's chases of the record books. He tells Joltin' Joe's story of the 56 game hitting streak like it was yesterday. The more poignant part of the book comes in the retelling of the forgotten heroes of that long ago summer. Pete Reiser and Johnny Vander Meer come to life. Mickey Owen and Hugh Casey's shamed moment is also retold with a tear in the reader's eye. This book tells the story of a recovering America right before another nightmare would crash over the country.