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Bottom Of The 33rd: Hope, Redemption, And Baseball's Longest Game (2011)

by Dan Barry(Favorite Author)

4 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

006201448X (ISBN13: 9780062014481)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Harper

review 1: Interesting book that not only discusses professional baseball's longest game (which in reality was a low-scoring, boring game), but the life of being in AAA baseball - so close, yet so far from the major leagues. There were future hall of famers playing in the very earliest parts of their careers, but many more who never made it. The back stories, and the (then unknown) future makes for a compelling, and well-written read.
review 2: On April 18th, 1981, the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox began what would become the longest game ever played in professional baseball. In a 33 inning epic contest featuring two future Hall of Famers, and many more has-beens, each side would refuse to yield, finishing the game, Dan Barry argues, because they were "duty bo... moreund" and "loyal" to it.It was for similar reasons that I finished this book.Dan Barry uses the game to tell the fascinating stories of a select few men and boys who are forever bound to each other through this one small moment of baseball history. As the life story of each player unfolds, we feel the emotion of their triumphs and frustrations. From the players and umpires on the field, to the youthful batboys in each dugout, and extending even to the dozen or so fans who bravely watch the game into the wee hours of Easter Sunday, Barry's impressive research leaves no detail behind.Unfortunately, the wealth of information and facts seems more piled together than organized. While the book is divided up by innings (1-9, 10-21, 22-32, 33) there is little discernible order within that structure. As a new players comes to bat, Barry forces us to leave the game for several pages so he can tell us all about this man, only to drop us right back into the game once we've forgotten where we were. Overall, I found the stories thrilling and well told, but the poor organization of all those details created a confusing read - an impression cemented by the fact that several stories are told more than once. It's sad, really, that such a potentially great book could be undone by a confusing and poor structure, but that is exactly what happens here. Like a strapping power hitter who can't figure out the curveball, Bottom of the 33rd has all the potential in the world, but will never make it out of AAA. less

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