Lefty Grove: American Original (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Former Sports Illustrated writer Kaplan gets to the core of this talented yet complex man on the anniversary of his 100th birthday."—USA Today Baseball Weekly

(USA Today Baseball Weekly )

"Grove was irascible, which makes for interesting reading. . . . (Kaplan''s book) is meticulously researched, with good historical sketches of Philadelphia in the ''20s and Boston in the ''30s. Because Grove pitched until he was 41, teammates such as Ted Williams, Billy Werver and Charlie Wagner are still around to relate memories."—Philadelphia Inquirer

(Philadelphia Inquirer )

Product Description

Lefty Grove may have been baseball’s best pitcher. He was certainly one of its most interesting. A three-hundred-game winner during 1925–41, he captured an unmatched nine ERA and five winning-percentage titles. While starring for the Philadelphia Athletics he was known for “a fastball and a mean disposition,” qualities best exemplified in 1931, when he won thirty-one games and wrecked a clubhouse. Grove finished his career with the Boston Red Sox, where he injured his arm and reconstructed himself as a fabulous control artist.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: Society for American Baseball Research; Possible First edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910137803
• ISBN-13: 978-0910137805
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,126,695 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lefty grove: American original, May 13, 2000

By	greg walker (panaca, nevada USA) - See all my reviews

Finally, an informative biography of the greatest pitcher of all-time. For the most part the bio is well written and covers the breadth of the long career and life of the greatest southpaw whoever pitched. There are a few grammatical mistakes that take away from the flow of the book, but overall it's clean. Definately well researched. The author interviewed former teammates, his family, and former friends from his hometown in Maryland. This is the only book I've ever seen on Lefty and I would recommend this book if your interested in learning about this tempermental baseball star.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding portrayal of Lefty Grove, September 25, 2002

By	J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I told friend of mine (a sports fan) that I was reading a book about Lefty Grove, he asked "Who is that?" Considering Grove was probably the greatest pitcher who ever lived, this public ignorance is unfortunate. Robert Kaplan in American Original does a very good job of letting us know who Grove was. Grove's terible temper and hatred of losing are brought to life in this book. Kaplan also includes a statistical breakdown of Grove's career and a detailed comparison between him and some other great pitchers. No true baseball fan should miss this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed Reading About a Great Past Pitcher, June 15, 2000

By	Michael Charton (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews

I just joined SABR and enjoyed reading the Kaplan book about Lefty Grove. It covered his entire life, and some social background about his home area in Maryland and the places he played ball. The book flowed and I did not put it down. Interesting read about how a great pitcher is made.