"On the road again...just can't wait to get on the road again..." - Willie Nelson

So America doesn't have any heavyweights, huh? Well I have news for you...

Willie Nelson and the undisputed hvy champion of ice cream Ben & Jerry's have teamed together to produce a treat for the ages -- "Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler". ( Or as I like to call it -- Willie Nelson's TEX COBB-ler. Why? Because this item can stand up to ANYTHING -- that's why! )

DENSE peach ice cream?

It's got it.

Cinnamon-sugar shortbread?

It's got it.

Fat and cholesterol? (Yep -- it's got that too!)

Go run to your nearest grocery or convenience store and treat yourself to this gem ASAP folks -- it's a TKO!

"On the road again...just can't wait to get on the road again..."


*Bizzy On Willie*

(2008)

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end..." - James Taylor from the song "Fire And Rain"



If there is one thing that goes with Amato -- it's tomato. (Or should I say, with Amatta comes tomatta) Heck, there are so many Italians and part-Italians on this site -- if we came out with t-shirts, they should probably come with tomato-sauce stains, sprinkles of basil, and be sprayed with garlic-cologne. And if there is one thing this scribe knows other than Boxing -- it's pizza, pasta, and the 'RED SAUCE'.

I'm talkin the kind of sauce you have to "show I.D for"...

I'm talkin the kind of sauce where they can smell you comin from a few blocks away...

I'm talkin the kinda (jarred) sauce that would do our relatives and ancestors proud -- and not shame.

It took me many years to finally find...but I've found it.

Classico's Spicy Tomato & Pesto.

While I've had homemade sauce and a few from restaurants that I prefer ( * So bad was my addiction to Atlantic Street Pizza in Seattle's infamous 2-star sauce and pesto -- I actually asked them if I could just start 'injecting it intravenously' a.k.a "shoot it up like heroin') quite honestly...this one is far and away the best sauce I've ever bought in a store, and about as close as you can get to the 'real mccoy'.

Classico has a few good varieties actually, but the SPICY TOMATO & PESTO - in my opinion - is their "crown jewel", and the "undisputed world champion of jarred sauce".

"The Sauce Is The Boss!"

alla sua salute!

*Bizzy on the sauce*

(2008)

Very rarely do you hear of a documentary - especially a sports one - that seems to be universally lauded and acclaimed by both critics and the general public alike. It has been my experience that when this is the case -- it is usually in fact a 'winner'.

The 2008 HBO Sports Joe Louis Documentary definitely falls into that category. It is the first real honest look at not so much Joe Louis the fighter...but Joe Louis the person, and how his country of The United States Of America - a country that he had done so much for in such unique ways - really truly, for all intents and purposes...in fact BETRAYED him.

Joe Louis was a great fighter and a great human being, but he was no 'saint'. Amongst a few other things, he was a 'womanizer' of the highest degree in his younger days. The documentary does not ignore this fact, and addresses it in the first half. Nor is the U.S Government completely at fault for Joe's financial situation in latter days, as he needlessly squandered (and gave away) millions of dollars. But what the U.S Government did in literally HARASSING and DEGRADING him - a man that should have been looked at as an "American Hero" - is just absolutely appalling and disgusting. The money that Joe "owed" to them was a very large sum of money to Joe, and would be a very large sum of money to most anyone, but in the 'governmental sense' and the large scheme of things? It was but a mere 'drop in the bucket'. To realize the lengths at which they went to in order to collect the money, is (in a way) not much different than learning about some of the acts and cover-ups of The Vietnam Era (and perhaps Bush-era) or finding out how the C.I.A closely trailed and followed the "extremely dangerous" John Lennon of all people.

You are left going to yourself - incredulously - "They actually went to such lengths to do THIS??????"

The featuring of Joe Louis' son (Joseph Barrow Jr.) really 'brings things to home', as the man exudes intelligence, class, and integrity, not to mention honesty. That he put his 'stamp of approval' on the feature, and says emphatically that it is a true and honest look at his late Father and the situation, really speaks volumes.

In sum...The HBO Documentary is a hard-hitting and accurate look at "The Brown Bomber" that 'pulls no punches'. If you are a fan of Joe's -- you will feel proud and grateful to be as such.

If you are an American?

You might just feel truly ashamed to be as such.

*Bizzy on The Bomber*

(2008)

If you like boxing...If you love boxing...Then you will love this book. Ted " The Bull " Sares has a way of taking the sport of boxing to it's inner core. Stripped down, mano y mano. Ask no quarter, give no quarter.

This is a man who has followed boxing for years sharing his profound memories in words that make you feel that you are almost at ringside. Ted does not shy away from anything. He shares the courage of the fighters he writes about but he also shares the tragedy of some.

This is the most heart felt boxing book I've read in years. Ted's perspective on the sport is absolutely endearing. To me he is the A.J. Liebling of our era.That is the highest compliment I can pay to a boxing writer and Ted has surely earned it.

I highly recommend the book to any boxing fan. It is like walking through history, up close and personal.

Jim Amato

They just don't make em' like they used to...

American prizefighters, and BOOKS, that is.

What do you have when you peel back the classic 1960's photograph/jacket of this book? A classic 1970's ORANGE hard-cover with a binder about as tough as 'The Rock' himself. And at a hearty 369 pages and 28 chapters -- just like The Rock's right hand a.k.a. "Suzy Q", you whack somebody upside the melon with this bad-boy-of-a-book and they'll know it! ( * Or perhaps they won't. As in: "LIGHTS OUT!")

How good was this book? Good enough to get a claustrophobic paranoid-of-airflight-travel fellow through a 3-hour flight without even knowing it. ( * Of course the 2 Valium and a few Gin & Tonics probably didn't hurt too much either! LOL ) It was also good enough to put another very decent and respectable Marciano read ( Of which I will later review: "The 13th Candle" ) really - for all intents and purposes - to shame. ( I probably shouldn't say it quite like that. But "13th Candle" was kind of like a good TV Movie/soft cover, whereas this one was a bona-fide epic movie, so to speak...)

Seriously folks, if you know of a better Marciano book than Skeehan's 1977 effort "First Son", let me know.

Because I don't think it exists.


Bizzy on Boxing/Amatoboxing
(2007)

*Note - A special thanks to none other than Jim Amato for sending me this one last year. Hurry up and get better Jim...

Bill Coleman wanted to be boxer. He wrote about his aspirations while in High School in 1979. He did embark on an amateur career and he won the 1986 South Dakota 132 pound Golden Gloves title. As the saying goes, " Life comes at you fast ". Soon Bill was working his way up the corporate ladder and raising a family. Nevertheless the boxing bug never left Bill.

By now Bill had become a corporate Vice President with a lucrative income but he still had that burning desire to box. Finally Bill made a decision that would alter his life. In 2002 at the age of forty he became a professional boxer. He walked away from a high paying job. He strained his relationships with family and friends but he was determined to pursue his dream.

His dream ended in 2004 compliments of the Nevada State Athletic Commission for reasons Bill never quite agreed with. Bill estimates with projested income, stock options and other perks he lost about a million dollars while chasing the brass ring. That is not to mention the extensive damage to his personal life.

I enjoyed this book. It was honest and to the point. It is not yet in mass print but if you would like a copy contact Bill Coleman at :

hometowndecisions@earthlink.net

Jim Amato

He was the best referee of my time and were some great ones. Men like Mills Lane and Joe Cortez among others. Arthur Mercante was the cream that rose to the top. Now he has written a book titled " Inside The Ropes ". It is a recollection of Mercante's travels through the landscape of boxing. Mr. Mercante has decades of memories that he shares his readers. It is a wonderful trip back in time as he talks about some of the famous fights that he acted as the third man. Patterson - Johannson II and Ali - Frazier I among others. Mercante talks about some of the best boxers he's come in contact with. Foreman, Frazier, Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and a young Cassius Clay.

I thoroughly I enjoyed this book. It's a slice of boxing history through the eyes of a man who has seen it up close and personal. I highly recommend this fine book.

Jim Amato

Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter of all time. Because of this fact I thought I may be a little bias in my opinion of the book " Hands Of Stone ". Would I over rate it because the subject was Duran or would I be too harsh and expect too much ? All I know is when it hit the shelf, I had to have it. Although time is not a luxury for me these days I was going to make time to read this book. I'm glad I did.

The author Christian Giudice did a tremendous job in researching this project. I was amazed at the number of people who were a part of Duran's life and legacy that he was able to talk too. The information he was able to gather molded this into more then just a book. It became a journey through Duran's life from his humble beginnings to the present. Family members and former opponents along with many others painted a picture of this great fighter and complex man we call Duran. That name alone stirs great memories for boxing fans around the world and the author was able to weave a superb story of one of boxing's all time greats on to the pages of this book.

This is a must read for all boxing fans and if you are a Duran fan...Well what are you waiting for ?

Jim Amato

I was told this would be the most accurate and unbiased top-100 list in history. It was compiled by Mr.Gray, and included feeding various different facts and criteria into a computer.

Folks, what follows is about as bizarre and surreal as watching a Fellini/Rod Serling film while under the influence of "psychedelic mushrooms"...

At #1 we have...The great Ray Robinson! (Hey, maybe there is something to this computer stuff, eh? Wrong...)

We also have Virgil Hill at #17, and check out this group making their appearance in the not-so-illustrious "Top-100": Juan Coggi, Dennis Andries, Fabrice Tiozzo, Markus Beyer, and Jorge Castro! (What, Ken Lakusta didn't make the list!!!???)

Gray goes on to make some intelligent statements in other areas, but one just can't get past his list, and the fact that he seemingly took it seriously -- and actually went ahead with it. All I can say is that I think his computer has some sort of strange virus and needs to be re-programmed, and Gray is one odd and eccentric fellow!

*Bizzy on Boxing*

This is the best boxing site I've come across in a long, long time.AmatoBoxing member Dave Murphy is very involved in this site. That alone should speak volumes on the quality of its contents. Dave is among my favorite boxing people.

The link is ;

http://boxingbb.com

My good friend and great trainer from across the pound, Brian Hughes, has finally gotten his new book published and it can now be obtaiined though the following links. I strongly recommend it to you.

All the best,

Ted Sares


http://www.sugarrayrobinson.co.uk:80/


http://www.brianhughesbooks.bravehost.com

This 1939 B+W boxing movie stars a young William Holden as a man who gives up a career to become a prizefighter. Lee J. Cobb plays his father and Barbara Stanwyck plays his love interest. Good movie.

I have it for sale for $ 8.00 and the price includes media rate shipping. Add $ 2.00 for first class shipping. Money orders only.

If interested contact me at ;

jimsboxing@zoominternet.net

Woozel, Boxing, and Me
By Tom Donelson



Woozel, Boxing, and Me is Rusty Rubin's most recent book. Over the past two years, the industrious Mr. Rubin has written three books. (I should forewarn the readers that I co-authored Mr. Rubin's second book, Billy Soose, The Champion that Time forgot. I also contribute to Mr. Rubin's magazine.) This is Mr. Rubin's best book for it gives us an insight in the world of boxing as well Mr. Rubin's own personality.


Throughout the book, we view Mr. Rubin own odyssey and his relationship with Susiey "Woozel" Walker, a close friend. Rusty details his own health problems that and his own journey recovering from heart ailments that nearly killed him and the road back to health. Yet through all of this, Rubin own optimistic view of life never changed. For Rubin, his writing was his life but it was a career that never made him rich. Rubin never measured his wealth in money but in the friends that he made.

This book is two books in one. It is a story of a relationship between two close friends and it is a book about boxing. Rubin relays his own view on boxing and add contribution by many of his friends.

Rubin originally viewed this a book as a book containing funny stories on boxing, but he expanded it to more serious views on the sweet science. On the humorous side, He tells the following story about Lou Duva, a good friend. Working the corner of Evander Holyfield, Duva was angry at his fighter, who just fought a bad round. Duva threw water on Holyfield and yelled, "Do you know what the hell you're doing out there?" Holyfield answered yes and Duva screamed, "Good, now don't do it again?"

On a more serious note on judging, Mr. Rubin writes, "But to say a fight has been corrupted, because a judge is either inept, as in the first case, or perhaps influenced by the crowd, as in the other, is simply something cannot be proven. There is absolutely no doubt , in my mind that it's very hard to block out the crowd noises, when scoring a fight." This is a typical Rubin, for he understands that judges are human and for most part do a thankless job. However, he understand that bad decisions such as the first Holyfield-Lewis went gone long way to arouse suspicions of fix fights and did the sports a disservice.

Rubin tries to see both sides of an issue and usually give the sport the benefit of the doubt. Some would consider this a fault and in this day and age of shock journalism, Rubin refuses to get into the national screaming contest. He is from an older school of journalism, where facts do matter.

Another aspect of the book is that he invited many of his friends for their own humorous stories and view on the sport. The best of the lot is Derek Callahan. Mr. Callahan asked the rhetoric question, "History has recorded the winners. After Sullivan there was Jack Johnson, to Jack Dempsey, to Joe Louis, and so on. Even generations get skipped because only so many champs are remembered. The tough fighters who never win a title? Forget it. But over the years there have been fighters and events, insignificant to history, but good reflections upon their trade." Good question for there have been many great fighters never given the opportunity to fight for championships or simply came up short in the big moment.

Even today in the era of multiple championship belts, there are many good fighters who are known to the public today but without a championship belt; they will be forgotten commodities after their career ends. Callahan question has us thinking about the fate of the vast majority of fighters who never will make the history books and are soon forgotten.

About trainers, Mr. Callahan wrote, "Trainers forge a bond with their fighters and instill in them the idea that no good will come unless he knows that journey, the one that begins with a single step, is a damn hard one. It can't be made without fighting and without getting fired up. Now matter what." This quote shows that within boxing, the most important bond is between the fighter and his trainer while at the same time showing the tough road that all fighters from those club fighters working for peanuts to the championship elites must hoe.

Rubin own personal story and his relation with Ms. Walker demonstrate another aspect of the writer life. Susiey "Woozel" Walker proved to Mr. Rubin soul mate and closet friend. Rusty Rubin's second wife introduced Walker to Rubin and they began a love affair after his divorce. Walker brought a wicked sense of humor and a love for boxing to the relationship. Yet, this love affair eventually evolved into a friendship as Ms. Walker turned down marriage proposal from Rubin and both settled for friendship. As Rubin notes, Ms. Walker had her difficulty with bad choices in men and love for the nightlife. Rubin loyalty to his friend is simply symbolic of his loyalties to others as well. Even as Ms. Walker fought her last battle with cancer, Rubin and his present wife, Lois, cared for Susiey. The story is a story about love, life and death as well as friendship.

The real lesson of this book is a man or woman can be measured by friendship and loyalty of close friends. For Susiey Walker, she was blessed with a great friend like Rusty Rubin but Rusty Rubin would argue that he became richer because of his relation with Susiey Walker.

Courtesy of Boxinginlasvegas.com

Going The Distance by Ken Norton (More...)



Book review by Jim Amato

If you grew up in the 70's and enjoyed the "Golden Era" of the heavyweight division, you will love the book "Going The Distance" by Ken Norton. Really any boxing buff who has read about the exploits of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes and even Norton will appreciate this book. For the most part Norton keeps his ego in check as he travels through his childhood, his years as a Marine and into his professional boxing career.

He breaks down his progress through the pro ranks highlighting certain key fights. He writes of his devastating loss to Jose Luis Garcia. Then how he put the loss behind him to battle his way into contention. He then covers his gym wars and friendship with "Smokin" Joe Frazier that helped him on his way toward his destiny.

Ken then goes into detail about the "Jaw Breaker" battle with Ali that moved Ken into the heavyweight elite. The disappointing razor close loss to Ali in the rematch and then how he was brutalized by the haulking George Foreman in his first title shot.

Ken praises former trainer Eddie Futch and discusses the reasons that led to their eventual break up. He also has kind words for Bill Slayton who took over after Futch exited. Ken's career then heads toward the tear inducing loss in his third fight with Ali at Yankee Stadium. Ken openly sobbed after Ali was awarded a dubious decision. We then follow Norton on his march to becoming the proclaimed W.B.C. heavyweight champion and the politics behind it.

Norton goes on to describe his classic war with Larry Holmes in which he lost his portion of the crown. As his career winds down, Ken relieves his near fatal car accident. How his son, Ken Jr. literally helped his father get back on his feet. Then the circumstances that drove a wedge between father and son that lasted for years.

In the end everything worked out well for Norton and this book is a crowning achievement for his storied life. It's a good read and it will bring back a lot of fond fistic memories.

This fine book was copyrighted in 2002. This is Earnie Shavers talking about a life and career that launched him into the " Big Time " and led him to two shots at the heavyweight title.

In this book I found Earnie to be sincere, candid and extremely witty. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Earnie received help from co-authors Mike Fitzgerald and Marshall Terrill in putting together this fast paced book about a man's fast paced life.

I met Earnie at a banquet a few years ago. He was a great guest speaker. He was very fan friendly signing several autographs. He was truly a nice guy. You can't help but like this man. I think anyone who likes boxing will be able to enjoy this book.

BOOK REVIEW;
FLIGHT OF THE HAWK
by Aaron Pryor and Marshall Terrill

We've read about it in newspapers and in magazines. Throughout the 80's it was hot boxing news. The crash and burn career of former champion Aaron Pryor made headlines for a decade. Now the whole story is out in a book titled, "FLIGHT OF THE HAWK." Pryor tells all about his ups and downs in and out of the ring. After reading this book you'll realize that Aaron's toughest battles were not against Alexis Arguello but against the demons of the street.
co-written with Marshall Terrill, Pryor doesn't sensationalize his plight with crack cocaine that led to his demise as a fighter and a person. He is painfully candid as he takes you from his humble beginnings and leads you through his successful amateur career. The bitter losses to Howard Davis in the 1976 Olympic Trials that led to Davis to a gold medal and media stardom. The book continues with Aaron's rise form paltry purses to contender status. His championship victory over Cervantes and eventual classic showdowns with Arguello. Then comes the fall from grace and the story of how his addiction robbed him of his superb talent.
In this book we see that Aaron is now a champion in another sense. To squander his millions and lose sight in one eye, Pryor now lives with the realization of what could have been. Still Aaron has stood up and defeated his most bitter rival, crack cocaine. With this victory he did not regain a championship but he did recapture something more valuable, his dignity.
By Jim Amato

Take Time To Read More Tales

In reading "More Tales From Ringside" I realized that it was not your conventional book. I felt more like I was sitting in on a group discussion. It was not your typical this is the story, here's the facts and stats read. The authors Tom Donelson and Frank Lotierzo make you feel like you're at the local tavern sipping a few brews and talking boxing.
Tom and Frank bring a refreshing twist to an age old sport. There are several chapters so you don't become bored with the material. The format shifts from current fights to historical essays to opinionated commentary.
I very much enjoyed the chapters on forgotten middleweight claimant Billy Soose and the uncrowned middleweight champion Charley Burley.
I believe what I liked the most about this book was that ten, fifteen, maybe twenty years from now a new generation of boxing fans will have a little piece of boxing history. They will be able to read about the real impact of fighters of this era like Lewis, Holyfield, Roy Jones, DeLaHoya, Hopkins and Trinidad. They will read about just how great the Gatti-Ward trilogy really was.
Tom and Frank bring up intelligent options for scoring fights. They give their expert opinion on why some fighters made it and break down why others with the potential did not. One case in point was David Tua.
All and all, a fine piece of work. I liked it so much I went and got a copy of their first book "Tales From Ringside".
Hats off to Tom and Frank. I hope their future work lives up to the high standards they have set for themselves. I'm sure it will.

Jim Amato

BILLY SOOSE ; The Champion Time Forgot






Authors : Rusty Rubin and Tom Donelson


Who is Billy Soose ? A lot of people may ask this question. Especially
today's younger fans who probably had no idea.Two of the best writers in the
business, Rusty Rubin and Tom Donelson co-authored a book that should
enlighten the boxing fan as to how good Billy Soose really was.

I had heard of Billy Soose. He was one of the many middleweight claimants
during that era along with Fred Apostoli, Ceferino Garcia, Marcel Thil, Ben
Jeby, Lou Broulillard, Vince Dundee, Teddy Yarosz, Eddie Risko, Al Hostak,
Solly Krieger, Ken Overlin, Freddie Steele and Gorilla Jones. I always felt
that the tall, hard hitting Freddie Steele was the best of this bunch. This
book made me re-think that position.

This book will show why Billy Soose was such a unique boxer. He is
considered the best collegiate boxer of all time. As his professional career
reached its zenith he beat two reigning middleweight champions, Ken Overlin
and Tony Zale in non-title matches. He would eventually meet Overlin again
and win a portion of the title. A rematch with Tony Zale never materialized.

There is a campaign to get Billy Soose inducted into the International
Boxing Hall Of Fame. This well written book makes a strong case for
Mr.Soose. I know a lot more about his amazing career since reading this
book. I highly recommend it. It is one of those books that when you pick it
up, it is hard to put it down.

Jim Amato

Book Review: The Glory of Their Times
by Jonathan Leshanski
May 20, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of the Baseball as told by the Men Who Played It
by Lawrence Ritter
382 pages


It’s funny how many classic baseball books can stand the test of time: The Natural, The Boys of Summer, Man on Spikes, and The Great American Novel, to name a few. I took a look back at The Glory of Their Times, a book that a number of people including the great Ted Williams thought was the best baseball book of all time.

This is a book that reaches out and grabs you by the throat. It’s still as relevant today and as poignant as the day it was written. It’s not so much a book telling a story but a book of stories in the words of the players who lived them. These are the true old-timers in the game, some of who played before the birth of the American League, through the World War II years. These men played with or against the likes of Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Walter Johnson and Grover Alexander, and many are in the Hall of Fame themselves.

They offer insights about playing in the early days of the game, about the first World Series, the Black Sox Scandal, the Federal League, and much more of the early history of the game. It’s a rare glimpse back into the day when a major league scout might just grab a guy off the sandlot and say how’d you like to play right field for the Phillies? That’s inconceivable today but the stories are true and well worth hearing.

Even the most jaded of fans will find this book a fascinating read and enjoy hearing players like Joe Wood, Hank Greenberg, Paul Warner, Sam Crawford, Harry Hooper, Chief Meyers, Babe Herman and more tell their stories. The book is written in very manageable chapters each devoted to one of the 26 players who had their stories included in the book. It’s also a great book for younger fans, offering them a rare and valuable glimpse inside the game’s early days and how the players looked at things. It’s a great introduction to the history of the game.

Give this one a perfect four out of four balls… and run don’t walk to get yourself a copy of a book that might be one of the most appealing baseball books of all time.

Review: The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, the Dodgers, and their final pennant race together
by Jonathan Leshanski
March 16, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, the Dodgers, and their final pennant race together
By Michael Shapiro
published by Doubleday
p. 342


The Last Good Season tells the story of the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers, but provides much more. It gives us the story behind the scenes in the battle between Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley and the powerful urban czar Robert Moses over a new stadium. It also shows the role this battle played in Brooklyn, specifically, and New York City in general.

Contrary to the belief that O’Malley acted with nothing but greed when he moved the Dodger franchise to Los Angeles, the book details O’Malley’s attempts to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn and to continue being a part of the heart and soul of Brooklyn.

Today baseball fans, particularly those who visited Ebbets Field, morn the loss of what was one of the great stadiums of the Game. Built in 1913, it was a tribute to the game and the fans, with touches like terra cotta walls, an 80 foot rotunda of Italian marble, and a tiled mosaic of a baseball on the rotunda floor. It was grand and spectacular for its time, but it only seated 25,000 when built. By 1956 it had 30,000+ seats, but that made it cramped and crowded. If it were still around, no doubt it would be a landmark and likely would have found another purpose.

Brooklyn was undergoing a huge change both on and off the field in the 1950s. Off the field, the neighborhoods were changing and being transformed. This change was being compelled both by huge waves of immigration into the borough, and by the movement of the previous residents to greener pastures such as Long Island, where the US Government was guaranteeing cheap loans on homes since World War II ended.

On the field, the Dodgers were coming off their World Series Championship in 1955. They were a successful team, perhaps one of the greatest teams of all time, winning the pennant in ‘47, and ‘49, losing by a game in ‘51, and winning again in ‘52 and ‘53, before finally winning it all in ‘55. In 1956, though, things were changing. The Brooklyn Dodgers were growing old and younger teams were challenging their dominance.

It was a year of one of the greatest battles on the field as a three-way pennant race between the Dodgers, Milwaukee Braves, and Cincinnati Reds came down to the last day of the season. Off the field the battle was just as real, as O’Malley fought for concessions and a location for a new ballpark.

It’s a battle that would be inconceivable today. O’Malley was willing to build the stadium with his own money, unlike modern franchises who expect the municipality to build a ballpark for them. He did, however, need the land, and he could not afford both the land and a stadium. By today’s standards, it was a reasonable request, and Brooklyn and the City both wanted it to happen. However, Robert Moses, perhaps the most powerful man in New York, did not want to give anything to O’Malley.

Moses had his own plan, and that did not include a stadium in Brooklyn. His long term plans had a monstrosity of a stadium in Flushing, Queens. The stadium of course is Shea, named for the man who was instrumental in bringing National League baseball back to New York. It was the last offer that Walter O’Malley was given, but even then it came at a price steeper than what he wanted to pay.

While New York and Robert Moses demanded concessions from Walter O’Malley, Los Angeles was giving them. Los Angeles was trying hard to woo a Major League team, any Major league team, to their metropolis. For a realist, it’s hard to imagine that O’Malley and the Dodgers could have stayed, and perhaps that was due in part to tactical mistakes that O’Malley made in his negotiations.

Still, when O’Malley and the Dodgers departed Brooklyn, they left the city stunned, and a little less proud. This is a wound that today has not fully healed. Older fans still talk of the Duke, Pee Wee, Robinson, Erskine, Newcomb and others.

Michael Shapiro tells a compelling story, not just about the on-field challenges of a truly great team, but of the highs and the lows of playing for a team during the battle for a pennant. And during all of this, a bigger battle is being waged, and lost, behind the scenes. In the end, O’Malley, the Dodgers and Los Angeles came up winners, and Brooklyn and the fans came up on the short end of the stick.

It’s a fascinating story, and one which should be heard by all fans of the game who’ve ever wondered about its history. It is the story of how baseball changed forever and how the nation’s pastime truly began to embrace the whole nation, not just half the country.

This is a good read which will fascinate more than just the fans of the Dodgers or those who remember old time baseball in NY. Give this book 3 out of 4 balls because of its wonderful depth and its revealing look at a baseball story which never made the papers.
Buy from Amazon.com

Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.