Customer Reviews

The Suitors of Spring

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This book is a collection of essays -- long magazine articles -- by a freelance writer who used to be a professional baseball player. His careers (baseball and writing) are documented in his memoirs, A False Spring and A Nice Tuesday. Having read those books first, I had a good insight into the author, which made this book more enjoyable but was not really necessary to appreciate the writing in it.

Jordan has a very good eye for detail and is not hesitant to give his opinion of why certain people succeed and others fail. Of course, it is an opinion, but his writing style is so persuasive that the explanations are as satisfying for the reader as if they were proven facts.

I believe that the pieces in Suitors of Spring appeared in Sports Illustrated in the '70s. I wish that SI would run this type of article now. However, they have succumbed to the ESPN Magazine syndrome and now favor the hip, smack-talking articles that fit neatly on a page or two.

If that is what you prefer, this book is not for you. Instead, Jordan explores a range of baseball players some of whom had tremendous success (Tom Seaver) and some nearly none (Steve Dalkowski) and takes the time necessary to do so. Some wof these players were good organization men (Woody Huyke) and some were so nonconformist as to make you wonder how they ever played professional baseball in the first place (Bo Belinsky). What this wide range of characters share, besides baseball, is being revealed to us by a writer of uncommon insight and skill.

One note for other Pat Jordan devotees: you may want to skip the smarmy 70s-style introduction. In that introduction, Jordan uses the "I'm OK, you're OK" style so prevalent at that time and describes how writing what would be "A False Spring" was excellent therapy for him and helped him to exorcise his demons. Those of us who have read his other work know better. All-in-all, that is a minor detour that does not detract from a very enjoyable read.

Those of us who are profesional sportswriters spend a lot of time in press boxes with other writers who criticize what they see on the field, but either never played the game or never played it well. "The Suitors of Spring" is brilliantly written by Pat Jordan, who did play the game. It also brings to mind some of the best sports books ever. "Ball Four's" Jim Bouton played the game. "North Dallas Forty's" Peter Gent played the game.
Having stood on the mound, facing down a hitter with the bases loaded, the crowd yelling, the opposition hurling insults, your future on the line and the hair standing up on the back of his neck, is an experience known by few. Jordan knows it.
Here he writes about pitchers, his specialty. He writes about superstars like Tom Seaver, playboys like Bo Belinsky, hardthrowing drunks like Steve Dalkowski, 6-6 lefties who never lived up their potential, like Sam McDowell, and prep phenoms from his home state of Connecticut who met the same fate as the author.
Jordan's talent is not one that can be learned in a literary class. He is of the school of hard knoocks, rough hewn, real, human. Bravo, Pat.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"

this book ships in 1 to 2 days. it is a very great book about sports. many sports writers hve never played the games they cover or had poor college careers that they blow out of proportion in order to fill out their resume, but pat jordan is not one of those people. he knows his stuff. he can compete. i think all sports fans should read this great book.