Customer Reviews

Seasons in Hell

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wasn't quite sure what to think of this one either. I bought it because of the tagline on the front about it being funny. I admit to not knowing a whole lot about the very early years of the Rangers (I didn't move here until 1992, and didn't really follow 'em until 1995), and the thought about reading a book all about them didn't thrill me.

However, I quickly found out that this was a hysterically funny book. Mike Shrophsire has a very funny wit, and isn't afraid to let it fly when talking about the Rangers of this era. His recollection of events is awesome, and makes for very funny reading. If you're a fan of the Rangers, or even if you're not, GET THIS! It's a very great read, although I don't recommend it for very small kids, as there's more than just one or two cuss words in there. Still, for adults, it's well worth it.

This is by far the best sports book ever and probably my favorite book period.Shropshire gives an unparrelled view into the world of baseball in the early 70,s By his account, this book is a reflexion and timeline of that era,not just baseball.An essential element of a book like this is for the author to capture the lifestyle,current events,and the essance of the time in which he is writing.Having grown up following this team,the names and places are very familar,but you don,t have to be a rangers fan for this book to make sense and be a pure delight.You will never feel the same about pro atheletes again.I encourage anyone to read this book and prepare to laugh out loud and take a trip back in time to an era we will never see again

I bought this book purely out of curiosity, because I wanted to know whay anyone would write a book about the Rangers. Within a few pages, I knew that the Rangers, important as they were to the story, were not the ENTIRE story. Shropshire is an articulate writer, and many passages are, as a previous reviewer, "laugh out loud" funny. It's a tale of bad baseball, marginal players, marginal people, and it evokes a sense of time and place that I never thought a sports book could have. even if you don't like sports, this book is worth reading just because it's well written.

Seasons in Hell is laugh-out loud funny, even if some truly scary scenarios (the destruction of David Clyde's career for the sake of a few ticket sales, to name one) lurk behind the laughs. The book is a sportswriter's memoir of three seasons following the truly wretched Texas Rangers of the mid-70s from spring training through the regular season (and places like Hot Sam's Menswear and 10 Cent Beer Night in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium). Along the way, the reader is treated to a whole slew of oddities and insights, most of which provoke gales of laughter from anyone who knows the slightest bit about baseball. If you love the game - and are tired of endless paeans to "green cathedrals" - then by all means pick up this book and have yourself a good laugh.

I wasn't quite sure what to think of this one either. I bought it because of the tagline on the front about it being funny. I admit to not knowing a whole lot about the very early years of the Rangers (I didn't move here until 1992, and didn't really follow 'em until 1995), and the thought about reading a book all about them didn't thrill me.

However, I quickly found out that this was a hysterically funny book. Mike Shrophsire has a very funny wit, and isn't afraid to let it fly when talking about the Rangers of this era. His recollection of events is awesome, and makes for very funny reading. If you're a fan of the Rangers, or even if you're not, GET THIS! It's a very great read, although I don't recommend it for very small kids, as there's more than just one or two cuss words in there. Still, for adults, it's well worth it.

Have read this a couple of times & will go back to it again. From David Clyde as an 18-year-old in the majors, Rico Carty's "knees of a camel", terrorizing passengers when forced to fly coach, the anatomical excesses of Jim Bibby, Whitey, Billy & a cast of drunken, misfit players, coaches and, for that matter, writers, you will have trouble putting this one down. If you are easily embarrassed, don't read it in public - your snickering will attract attention.

The Texas Strangers--that's what the Lone Star State called the team in the 80s. And despite making the playoffs a couple of times recently (only to be swept by the Yankees), the team's legacy of frustration, futility, and fumbling continues to this day. What _Seasons_in_Hell_ succeeds in doing is reminding everyone old enough to remember just how much progress the Rangers have made.

Once you accept how bad the Rangers were, this book becomes delightful, and in some cases, laugh-out-loud funny. Hearing Whitey Herzog's evaluations of his charges are hilarious; Shropshire's account of Ten Cent Beer Night in Cleveland should be required reading for any student of the game. This book is not literature, but is a first hand look at the underbelly of the game of baseball as played by the underdogs--sort of like a cross between Ball Four and Hunter S. Thompson.

A perfect introduction to the "culture" of baseball.

Quite possibly one of the funniest books I've ever read. I would look forward to coming home to read this and then I read it again. Images of Texans being "beaten to death with their own six pack" and Whitey Herzog/Billy Martin stories killed me throughout. I'm certain Mr. Shropshire is embellishing a WEE bit in certain scenarios, but that's ok. This is the best baseball book I've ever read. Hilarious and highly recommended.

Seasons in hell is ,by far the most entertaining and funny sports book I have evr read. Hey, its one of the funniest books I have ever read,period. It chronicles the first 2 seasons of the Texas Rangers[before they were owned by the current president]in hilarious,psychotic scattershot prose and anecdotes. From whitey herzogs opening assessment of his Team"we are 2 players short from contending...Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax",to Willie Davis' brief hilarious exit,form the all night parties to Bob Shorts attempts to draw fans,this is one funny funny book.It is the beginning of an era,free agency is just around the corner,the money is not yet obscene. The ballplayers still have not lost touch with reality,and that makes this so much more enjoyable. Seriously,search for this book. It is well worth it.Raucous,howlingly funny.

This book is the funniest sports book Ihave ever read, bar none. It's filled with witty anecdotes and really goes behind the scenes in a way few other sports books do. Shropshire shows how listless Whitey Herzog became while managing the team. The way he writes, you almost feel like you're there with Shropshire, getting drunk before having to write about another Rangers loss. I would recommend this to all people, not just sports fans.