Customer Reviews

Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the best baseball books I have ever read- easily on my top ten list and maybe even in my top five. I was not aware that the book was written by Johnson's great grandson until I began reading; this certainly gave the material a lot of credibility.
Walter Johnson was, without question, the greatest pitcher in baseball history. Along with Al Stump's work on Ty Cobb, Robert Creamer's work on Casey Stengel, and the recently published Cy Young biography (author's name escapes me), this book establishes a lasting legacy of Johnson on and off the field.

Simply stated, this is the most detailed as well as accurate baseball bio, at least of a player from pre-WWII years, we have. Yet Thomas keeps the story moving, and we get the full picture of the man and his family life as well. Jack Kavanaugh's "Ol' Pete" (Grover Alexander), and Reed Browning's "Cy Young" make excellent relievers, but here's your starting pitcher, and Big Train didn't need bailing out very often.

Henry Thomas seems to have inherited the Big Train's genes. One gentleman does a big service to another (his grandfather)as Walter johnson is depicted in this well researched and written biography. If you are an avid fan of great pitchers, dead-ball era ballplayers, or just enjoy a heartwarming story of a well respected gentleman baseball player, this book will not disappoint. Walter "Barney" Johnson was more than just the second winningest major league pitcher of all time with a blazing fastball. First and foremost he was the sports main ambassador of goodwill as well as the idol of Washington Senator fans and the entire baseball community. The only matter that the book did not clear up with me was how he derived the nickname "Big Train." In other aspects, the book was extremely well done.

Written from the heart, and it shows. Truly a magnificent piece of work from Henry Thomas. I loved this book from beginning to end. Follow Walter Johnson from beginning to end through the eyes of someone that actually cares about Walter Johnson, his grandson. I cannot say enough great things about this book. Such a teriffic treat about a wonderful character in the history of baseball.

If you have some time, and enjoy reading about one of baseball's best eras, then I strongly recommend this book. Henry Thomas has written a meticulously researched, 400 page account of the life of Walter Johnson. Not only does it expound upon his on-field brilliance, but it demonstrates the love and respect that everyone associated with baseball had for Walter. The foreword is written by longtime Washington sportswriter, Shirley Povich, and the book contains many fine photos. If you are not a baseball fan, the wordy and intricate game descriptions may be tiresome. But if you enjoy the game, you will enjoy this book.

Henry W. Thomas helps tell his grandfathers life story. It is a well reasearched book with a lot of interesting facts about the greatest pitcher of all time. I highly recommend this book to any one who enjoys the golden-age of baseball.

This biography, by Johnson's grandson, fills a gap in the historical literature of baseball. Though Johnson comes through as a very admirable character, by all accounts that is an accurate portrayal of man respected by all his peers. For a Washington Senator fan, the book was especially welcome, as the exploits of one of baseball's most hapless teams is rarely the subject of any publication

This very secial baseball book is featured as of the 12 best baseball books on yankeedave.com.

This is a very enjoyable book for anyone wanting to know about baseball's golden age and a different American age.The author's research and attention to detail are superb.His writing style is also quite enjoyable.A minor criticism: the number of footnotes is a little distracting(usually 60 or so per 20 page chapter).It is,after all,a book about baseball,not an academic text.On the positive side again-the "play-by-play" of the World Series games are riveting

I will just one particular reason why I like this book. It will seem trivial to some readers, and I will not be surprised if this review gets negative recommendations because of it. After all, the author did not deliberately intend for this "selling point" to occur, but it did. What is it? Well, Henry Thomas is a stickler for names. He insists on calling teams and places what they were called at the time instead of what we refer to them today. The Washington ballpark is not referred to as Griffith Stadium until the early 20's. References are made to the Cleveland Naps and the New York Highlanders. where am I going with this? In the third chapter, Thomas explains how the owners of the Washington American League team decide to officially change the name of team from "Senators" to "Nationals" for good luck. The name did not catch on with fans, who still preferred to call them "Senators", although "Nats" (short for both seNATorS and NATionalS) was a common nickname. Still, Thomas consistently refers to Johnson's team as the "Nationals" since that was the franchise's official name until 1956.

This book was written in 1995. Although there were fans who dreamed major league baseball would eventually return to Washington, D.C., it still seemed like impossible for many people. But eventually, the Montr?al Expos WERE moved to Washington, and Thomas' choice of words proved prophetic. Commissioner Bud Selig wanted to rename the team the "Washington Senators" after the team he remembered in his youth. D.C. Mayor Tony Williams was adamantally opposed to "Senators" since D.C. had no voting representation in Congress---he wanted the team named "Washington Grays" after the champion Negro League team that used to play at Griffith Stadium. "Washington Nationals" was chosen as a compromise.

The result is that if you are sitting in the stands at RFK Stadium watching a Nats game (perhaps the home opener, as I was doing today) and you turn to read Thomas' biography of Walter Johnson and his "Nationals", you realize that the current team is part of a long tradition of Washington baseball, and it is a proud tradition. The proudest part of the history of Washington baseball was the career of Walter Johnson. This book reminds finds why.