Spring Training: Baseball's Early Season [AUDIOBOOK] (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Stan Grossfeld (Author), Cal "Ripken Jr." (Foreword)
Key Phrases: Red Sox, Winter Haven, Fort Myers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Suspended between the grind of winter contract negotiations and the tension of summer pennant races, spring training is a brief respite when the pressure is off, the weather is fine, players are approachable and even Cubs fans can have hope. The magic of this liminal period is captured in this lavishly illustrated homage. Sportswriter Shaughnessy, author of The Curse of the Bambino, recounts the history of spring training, referees the vicious Arizona-Florida rivalry, provides unnecessary information about spring training stadia, and generally soaks up atmosphere ("Touch the players. See them sweat. Hear them swear.") Awash in trivia and replete with anecdote upon aimless anecdote about springs past, his prose is as slow and meandering as the play-by-play for a game that doesn’t count. Reminiscences by baseball stars and writers like Roger Angell and Stephen King round out the text. Half of the book is taken up with a vibrant photo essay by Stan Grossfeld, which captures the relaxed feel of the training camps with pictures of ball players stretching, squatting, sunning themselves, gawking at girls and occasionally playing ball. Fans will enjoy this glimpse into the brief yearly interlude when baseball really is a game.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A juicy hot dog of a treat for fans, with about as much nutritional value. Shaughnessy writes of the sweet spring of baseball, the play before the season, as it unfolds in both the Florida Grapefruit League and the Arizona Cactus League. He's talking about cozy ballparks and getting close to the players in almost the same breath as he says how all that's changed now. There's a certain amount of gossipy insider stuff, too--Clete Boyer needing the Heimlich maneuver at the Pink Pony in Scottsdale--but, finally, it's Grossfeld's photographs that are the real stars here. They are large, luscious, and gorgeously composed, and it's hard not to slaver over them: Mr. Met with a bevy of cuties; both Pedro Martinez and Mariano Rivera with their arms wrapped in so much ice they look like manga characters; and spring-training parks from every angle, dazzling in emerald green and lapis blue. The last chapter holds short reminiscences of spring training from the likes of Doris Kearns Goodwin and Roger Angell, slow, easy, and unpolished, like spring training itself. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618213996
• ISBN-13: 978-0618213993
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,449,619 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book clears the bases, December 13, 2002

By	Paul Comerford (Marshfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The passion of the authors is expressed brilliantly in the pictures and words found in this book. If you have been fortunate enough to have attended spring training you will be reminded of how special the atmosphere is to take in a ballgame in the most informal of settings where players and fans interact casually. If you have never attended spring training this will inspire you to get to Florida or Arizona to experience baseball the way it was meant to be.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Baseball Reader, June 4, 2004

By	Tom Wilcox "baseball fan" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

It is unfortunate that Shaughnessy did not contribute more text to this collaboration with Grossfeld. By virtue of the photos alone, the book makes a decent coffee table book, but more history related to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, their histories and ballparks would have made the book more worthwhile. It would be nice to see a book devoted to the history of the two leagues and to the ballparks, fans and players that have participated in spring training through the years.

I echo another reviewer's sentiment that some of the photographs seemed to be included simply because they accented the female form (from a variety of angles), rather than for their relevance to spring training baseball. While I was not offended by these photos, from a baseball fan's point of view they did not strengthen my reading experience.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spring Training by Dan Shanghnessy and Grossfeld, September 18, 2003

By	Joseph S. Maresca "Dr. Joseph S. Maresca CPA,... (Bronxville, New York USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book would make a fine reference for a class project
on baseball. Attractions from Florida to Arizona depict
young rookies demonstrating their considerable skills. There
is an excellent introduction called "Renewal in Spring Training"
by the legendary Cal Ripkind. Cal explains how the busy spring
season brings together players with a job to do and rosters
to write. The author explains that a visit to teams in spring
training provides the best opportunity to view players in
close proximity. This work is perfect for baseball enthusiasts.