12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Regurgitation of information found elsewhere, April 6, 2009
This review is from: Theology: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land (Paperback)
After reading an article about the writing of this book in the UConn daily newspaper, I was hesitant to buy it. Being a Red Sox fan, I did so anyway. Unfortunately, after reading it, I feel that my initial reaction was correct.
The positive: it was an easy, quick read. And it only cost $10. There were a few bits of new information in there that were interesting; Frascella seems to have gotten at least a few people to talk to him.
The negative: According to the UConn article and Frascella himself, this book was written over the vehement opposition of Theo Epstein, who did not cooperate with the project. Unfortunately, in his indefatigable efforts to violate Mr. Epstein's privacy, Frascella has accomplished little of note and could have left well enough alone. Most of the information in this book is a compilation of quotes and tidbits that most Sox fans will recognize from feature pieces done on Theo over the years by the Globe, the Yale Daily News, and other news outlets. You can read it all yourself for free by simply typing "Theo Epstein" into Google.
The book is written in a style that is easy enough to follow but is unsophisticated and often grating. For example, Frascella describes John Henry's business by quoting straight off the company website with no other information, leaving the reader with the impression that he did not actually do any in-depth research and has no real understanding of what Mr. Henry's company does. This repeats itself several times throughout. Quotes from Theo are twisted and placed to seem like Theo said this to Frascella when in fact it is something from a newspaper story, but there are no footnotes. It is woefully apparent that Frascella is short of primary sources. He seems to have gotten former Sox assistant Bill Lajoie to open up, along with Craig Shipley, and relies heavily on them for baseball operations information throughout; the slant shows. In one section, Frascella implies dubiously that during the 2005 offseason, Shipley and Lajoie did the vast majority of the work while Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer took all the credit, and that Shipley and Lajoie were shafted by John Henry. This would be interesting, except that Frascella leaves us with nothing except Shipley and Lajoie's perspective. He includes nothing from Henry, Cherington, or Hoyer, and the reader has no idea what their interpretation of this actually is; I can only assume that they refused to talk to him because they are reportedly much closer to Theo and did not wish to violate his confidence. The section left me feeling that Hoyer and Cherington had been unfairly maligned. This is really too bad, as it was one of the few parts with original information.
Further tainting this book is the intermittently terrible baseball analysis contained within. Some of it is solid, but some of it is simply flat-out wrong. Anyone with an affinity for sabermetrics should probably avoid these parts.
In conclusion, I think the idea of this project is an excellent one; the problem lies in the execution. It is not possible to write a truly good biography of someone without that person's cooperation and with those who will talk to you doing so in violation of his confidence. It is also quite difficult to write an appropriate perspective when your subject is only 35 years old and still in the middle of his career. This should be redone in about 40 years with a mature writer (perhaps Frascella himself with more polish; the talent is there) who can get Mr. Epstein to cooperate with the project. Until then, it is going to be sorely lacking.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book!, September 12, 2009
This review is from: Theology: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land (Paperback)
This is a very well written book. The subject is in his early 30s, so there isn't a whole lot of lifetime to cover. Being a large baseball fan, I enjoyed the coverage of his rise to GM of one of the most popular teams in the Majors and his tactics for unprecedented success. The author's writing style is easy to follow and very clear and concise. I read the book in less than a day because I could not put it down. If you love baseball and the behind-the-scenes workings, then you must read this book.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Replete with entertaining anecdotes, August 17, 2009
This review is from: Theology: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land (Paperback)
In a decision that was to stun the faithful fans of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, Theo Epstein, their young and dynamic general manager at the age of 32 resigned from the team just a year after leading them to their first World Series title in 86 years. In "Theology", sports writer and baseball fan John Frascella provides a fascinating account of a remarkable man and his equally remarkable decision. Of special note is the chapter focused upon Epstein's best and worst management decisions that allows the reader to evaluate and make their own judgments. Replete with entertaining anecdotes, insights, and more than a few 'behind the scenes' secrets, "Theology" is a riveting read and recommended for all baseball enthusiasts in general, and Boston Red Sox fans in particular!
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