While it seems to be a step taken aside from the heavy subject matter of the Vietnam and Korean Wars that David Halberstam seems to cover as no other, "The Teammates" is still a book with a societal message.

Following the journey of Dominic DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr down memory lane, brought about by the sudden turn in the health of their spiritual leader Ted Williams. The story bounces from place to place and era to era, but as distracting and repetitive as that can be, the nature of this friendship overpowers all difficulties and remains the central focus of the tale.

It would seem a foible to try and find such a connection between modern day ball players as these guys had. Sure it may have been made in a gentler time when economics didn't rule the game, but their is a loyalty seen in this group that would sting at the eyes of the most hard-hearted and self-centered Carl Everett's and Pedro Martinez-es(ez?).

*cross-posted at brian's "the exclamation-point.com"