Red Sox Century: The Definitive History of Baseball's Most Storied Franchise, Expanded and Updated
by Richard A. Johnson, Glenn Stout
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Book Summary Information
Author: Glenn Stout, Richard A. JohnsonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-19
ISBN: 0618622268
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Reviews of Red Sox Century: The Definitive History of Baseball's Most Storied Franchise, Expanded and Updated
Book Review: Review of the Updated For 2004 World Champions Edition
Summary: 4 Stars
I am writing this review for anyone who owned the version that went up to 2003 who may be tempted to buy the "Updated, Expanded" version which includes the 2004 World Series victory. I received the 2003 edition for Christmas 2004, then bought the new version six months later, figuring it would be nice to see how the 2004 season was covered.
What a dissapointment. The authors could not have made it more obvious that their goal was not to replicate the quality of the earlier essays, which were wonderful, but to whip out a quickie edition with a few extra pages and a splashy cover ASAP, before baseball had moved on from the Red Sox's epic comeback and the breaking of the curse.
Some examples: the Sox's 3-game sweep of the Angels that year is "covered" in exactly ONE SENTENCE. Almost seven pages are used to cover the Sox-Yankees series, and these seven pages are really the only reason to buy this edition if you already have an older one. Even here, however, there's evidence that the main goal was speed, not accuracy: we are told that in Game Seven, "Timlin and then Foulke closed down the game." Of course, Foulke didn't pitch in Game 7- it should read Timlin and then EMBREE.
As to the coverage of the World Series, the less said the better (and that was certainly this book's philosophy.) it's covered in just ten paragraphs- with only one paragraph each used to cover Games 2, 3 and 4. Compared to the book's excellent coverage of the 1946, 1975 and 1986 contests, the slap-dash get-it-to-print coverage of 2004 is quite glaring.
So if you don't already have an older edition, buy this book- for the amazingly in-depth coverage of Red Sox history up to 2003. But if you have an older edition, do NOT buy this book because of the 2004 World Series coverage. Because there really isn't any.
Oh, but it DOES come with a nice little "World Series Diary" which allows you to record where you were during each game- kind of pointless considering it came out six months after the fact- which I guess beats actual writing in terms of cost containment and getting it to press.
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Summary of Red Sox Century: The Definitive History of Baseball's Most Storied Franchise, Expanded and Updated
The definitive story of the Red Sox, a best-selling classic, now expanded and updated to include the incredible 2004 season and World Series win.
In that magic fall of 2004, the Boston Red Sox transformed themselves from an unruly band of self-proclaimed idiots into world champions for the first time in eighty-six years. Their unlikely triumph became known instantly as one of the most thrilling, nerve-racking, and ultimately inspiring sports stories ever. And it also changed the course of history for a franchise that had long been known more for its failures than for its successes.
In Red Sox Century, "the best of the Sox sages" (USA Today Baseball Weekly) chronicle the complete history of this enduring team with authority, insight, and high style. From the team's inception in 1901 and its early peak in 1918, when it won its fifth World Series, to the glory years, which saw the rise of such greats as Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Teddy Ballgame, and Yaz and the "impossible dream," to the near misses in 1975, 1986, and 2003, and finally to the glorious World Series victory in 2004 -- it's all here, drawn from countless interviews and extensive research and illustrated with more than 225 photographs, many never seen before.
Now expanded and updated and featuring irresistible new keepsake pages where fans can record their own stories of the latest chapter in Red Sox lore -- replete with its fairy-tale ending -- Red Sox Century is a book no self-respecting fan should be without.
"All that anyone would care to know about this accursed yet lovable franchise." -- Sports Illustrated
Glenn Stout has been the series editor of The Best American Sports Writing since its inception. Richard A. Johnson is the curator of the Sports Museum. Together they have written numerous critically acclaimed sports books, including Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball and The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball. Widely regarded as first-rate baseball historians, the authors have appeared on NPR, ESPN, HBO, the History Channel, and numerous regional television and radio stations.
"The ultimate gift for Red Sox fans." -- Publishers Weekly
"A definitive look at Fenway's finest . . . Artistic, well researched, and elegant." -- Boston Globe
"A grand slam." -- Boston Herald
In that magic fall of 2004, the Boston Red Sox transformed themselves from an unruly band of self-proclaimed idiots into world champions for the first time in eighty-six years. Their unlikely triumph became known instantly as one of the most thrilling, nerve-racking, and ultimately inspiring sports stories ever. And it also changed the course of history for a franchise that had long been known more for its failures than for its successes.
In Red Sox Century, "the best of the Sox sages" (USA Today Baseball Weekly) chronicle the complete history of this enduring team with authority, insight, and high style. From the team's inception in 1901 and its early peak in 1918, when it won its fifth World Series, to the glory years, which saw the rise of such greats as Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Teddy Ballgame, and Yaz and the "impossible dream," to the near misses in 1975, 1986, and 2003, and finally to the glorious World Series victory in 2004 -- it's all here, drawn from countless interviews and extensive research and illustrated with more than 225 photographs, many never seen before.
Now expanded and updated and featuring irresistible new keepsake pages where fans can record their own stories of the latest chapter in Red Sox lore -- replete with its fairy-tale ending -- Red Sox Century is a book no self-respecting fan should be without.
"All that anyone would care to know about this accursed yet lovable franchise." -- Sports Illustrated
Glenn Stout has been the series editor of The Best American Sports Writing since its inception. Richard A. Johnson is the curator of the Sports Museum. Together they have written numerous critically acclaimed sports books, including Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball and The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball. Widely regarded as first-rate baseball historians, the authors have appeared on NPR, ESPN, HBO, the History Channel, and numerous regional television and radio stations.
"The ultimate gift for Red Sox fans." -- Publishers Weekly
"A definitive look at Fenway's finest . . . Artistic, well researched, and elegant." -- Boston Globe
"A grand slam." -- Boston Herald
Oh, to be a Red Sox fan. It is a mark of the singular angst that attends the territory that the four retired numbers--9 (Ted Williams), 4 (Joe Cronin), 1 (Bobby Doerr), and 8 (Carl Yastrzemski)--taunt the faithful every game from their perch on Fenway's right-field facade; they precisely correspond to the date--September 4, 1918--that the Sox won their last World Series title. Less than two years later, owner Harry Frazee would sell his star pitcher and outfielder, Babe Ruth, to the Yankees, and the curse of the Bambino would take hold of Boston hearts.
From Cy Young to Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez, this is a franchise full of myth and history--the first to win a World Series and the last to cross the color line--and, contend authors Glenn Stout, the series editor of the annual Best American Sportswriting volume, and Richard A. Johnson, curator of the Sports Museum of New England, the most interesting franchise in the history of the game. Their splendid, fully illustrated chronicle, rich with anecdotes, of the club from 1901 to the present makes it hard to argue with the assessment. The Sox have always been interesting--as well as frustrating, enigmatic, contradictory, and thrilling, and Red Sox Century touches all of those bases. This is an exhaustively researched history, but it's also a fan's book, filled with affection and exasperation. Stout and Johnson effectively pepper their narrative with personal reflections and observations from writers such as Peter Gammons, Dan Shaughnessy, and Elizabeth Dooley. They also pick a Red Sox all-century team, make a fine case for Pedro's '99 season as the best ever for a pitcher, compile some requisite stats, and assemble the most complete Sox bibliography ever. About the only thing they don't supply is a good parking place near Fenway. --Jeff Silverman
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