Something to Write Home About: Great Baseball Memories in Letters to a Fan (Hardcover)

by Seth Swirsky (Author) "Known as "Spikes" at Yale, the president kept his college mitt in his Oval Office desk drawer..." (more)
Key Phrases: typed letter, Lou Gehrig, Red Sox, World Series (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A noted collector of baseball memorabilia, Swirsky has acquired everything from the ball Babe Ruth hit for his 714th home run to the one Reggie Jackson clobbered for his third homer of the game that decided the 1977 World Series. But his biggest cache consists of letters-most of them written to him-by ballplayers, owners, executives, managers, sportswriters, broadcasters and fans, both famous (both George Bushes and Paul McCartney) and not-so-famous (his dad). This is the author's third compilation of such correspondence (following Baseball Letters and Every Pitcher Tells a Story), and it's the first that shifts the emphasis from the player's perspective to a more varied viewpoint. But what it shares with the other books are the reproductions of mostly handwritten letters, a generous supply of vintage photographs, and an obvious love of the game, as expressed by dozens of different voices. Some letters (photographer Flip Schulke's remembrance of watching Martin Luther King, Jr. show his son how to swing a bat) are more memorable than others (habitual "Impostor" Barry Bremen's account of how he passed as a New York Yankee at the 1979 All-Star game-which, after one paragraph, turns into an anecdote about a similar stunt he pulled an NBA All-Star event). Though the worthy entries outweigh the weak ones, this book is recommended only to its obviously intended reader: the insatiable-and easily entertained-fan of all things baseball. Bb&w photos throughout
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A book for the Ages, for all ages, even mine!" -- Bob Hope

Seth Swirsky's new book Something to Write Home About is truly in 'a league of its own' --a great read." -- Penny Marshall, Director

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (March 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609608940
• ISBN-13: 978-0609608944
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,184,426 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you find it, buy it., May 7, 2003

By A Customer

Not the typical book--not even just a 'baseball' book. Needs to be seen to be appreciated. Every page is a visual and emotional feast. From pinch hitter Gates Brown writing (the book is made up of all the actual handwritten letters Mr. Swirsky received from these people) about the day he was told to pinch hit an inning before he normally was asked too. He stuffs his half-eaten hot dog in his jersey and then, against his own wishes, slams a ball into the gap. He slides in and when he gets up, his uniform is covered with hot dog and mustard, ketchup and pieces of the bun.Hilarious. I found President George W. Bush's letter very poignant (amazing that he handwrote a 2 page letter)....There are many more. Try and find this book.You will not regret it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something to Treasure, July 17, 2003

By A Customer

This book is truly great in the fact that even after you've read the letters in it, months later, you remember what some people said--and those things were so inspiring: peter tork of the monkees talking about how 'participating' in an event is, in itself, such a great thing to do. Or, Martin Luther's King's photographer, Flip Schulke, remembering what a great dad Dr. King was...i never thought of dr. king as a father, only as a civil rights leader. Or the guy who's grandfather invented wiffleball and what makes it such a special game.With baseball as a backdrop, all of these intyeresting people wrote to the author (along with some of my favorite baseball players).This book is a true gem, not only for what it is when you're reading it, but for what it is when you are NOT reading it.If you just took away from this visually beautiful book a simple life lesson or two (and you take away many more than that), it would be well worth it. it has been to me and those i've given it to. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who likes...life!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something to Enjoy, March 30, 2003

By A Customer

Reading "Something to Write Home About" made me recall something the photographer Diane Arbus said about her own work: that if she did not photograph certain things, no one would see them. By that she meant not that her subjects--people--were fleeting; rather, that she could see something in people or coax something from them that others could not. Similarly, I am convinced that if Seth Swirsky did not to get people to tell stories, no one would hear them.

One of my favorites is a letter from Margaret Chapman, whose brother Ray became the only major league player to be killed by a pitched ball in 1920. She recalls her brother's life and death, the crowd at the funeral. Her letter is juxtaposed with an image of the funeral that makes you realize the photo-graphic nature of her recollection. Margaret closes by thanking Swirsky for his interest in her brother. How many times in the last 82 years has anyone asked?

Then there is a series of stories that demonstrate how the Red Sox's "Curse of the Bambino" makes itself felt through time:
--Mookie Wilson writes that "my hustle caused the error," and draws a life lesson from game six of the 1986 World Series;
--Bob Costas recalls, that same night, the championship trophy being wheeled into the Red Sox clubhouse together with the frail Mrs. Jean Yawkey, "anticipating the first Bosox title since she was a girl"; minutes later, Mrs. Yawkey, "head down, saying nothing, was gently escorted away";

--Max Frazee, whose great-grandfather Harry sold Babe Ruth to NY, is booed at Fenway in 1993; and
--Paul Giorgio climbs Mount Everest in 2001 to place a Red Sox cap at the summit in an attempt to "reverse the curse."

The book's epistolary form makes it easy to pick up and open at random for a good story. It is a book, like Ritter's classic "Glory of their Times," that can be re-read with pleasure every summer. Somewhere, Stephen Jay Gould is smiling.