The book begins with this trip, but quickly digresses taking us back in time into the early years of all four of these former Red Sox teammates. We get a glimpse into the DiMaggio house and Dominic's more famous older brother, Joe. We learn about John Paveskovich becoming the much beloved Johnny Pesky. We learn that Bobby Doerr was regarded as the kindest man most people ever met. We also get a glimpse into the turbulent life of the complicated, profane, blaspehmous Ted Williams, a man who used the phrase 'goddamn' as a noun, verb, adverb, conjunction, and punctuation.
These four men played together and with others, but these four remained close long after the game was over. Why was that? Halberstam doesn't openly ask it, nor does he definitely answer it but he does leave us clues and the answer is both obvious and hidden. The reason? Ted Williams.
No, these friendships and this loyalty were not created because Ted was as great a man off the field as he was a player on it. We see candid glimpses his perpetual frustration manifest itself in angry outbursts, infantile tantrums, and a lack of graciousness. In part what binds these four together is the way the other three — DiMaggio, Doerr, and Pesky — see beyond the frustration and accept Williams.
We also see a certain odd charm in Williams' relentlessness. This is a man who never lost an argument in his entire life because he had the good sense to never be wrong. We see a man who used a celebration of his greatness — his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York — to take up the cause for the induction of players who played in the Negro Leagues prior to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Acceptance eluded Williams most of his life and yet here, at the pinnacle of acceptance, he shed light on the greatness of others because it was just one of the myriad things about which he, Ted Williams, was right.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
The monster finally allowed me to finish. Nice review, Sir Josh. Sounds like a good book. I'll add it to my list even though I haven't watched the game in years.
2 - Josh Hathaway
Well, these games all finished decades ago so recent history is not needed. Besides, this is Halberstam. That's a good read no matter what he's writing about. Thanks for reading, Sir Brewster. My new Kindle is the jam.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
Fitting and timely, due to DiMaggio's passing last week.
Another recommended baseball author: Joe Posnanski. He's got two books on my to-read list.
4 - Josh Hathaway
Thanks, Suss. It's strange how things come together, isn't it?
Thanks, also, for the tip. I'll check the Kindle store and see if the Posnanski titles are available. Maraniss' bio of Clemente is high on my list of next books to check out. I also want to read his bio of Lombardi.
5 - Josh Hathaway
Okay, Kindle readers, Posnanski's book about the great Buck O'Neill is available through the Kindle store. I'm adding that to my reading list.
6 - Bliffle
Good article! Very interesting.
A writer (whom I had reason to respect, tho I can't remember the name) said that Williams was the ONLY man he knew of or had heard about who could do three mens things better than any other man, and that was Williams: hit a baseball, cast a fly, and fly a fighter plane.
7 - Aaron Whitehead
Very well said. I'm very tempted to pick up the book.
There has been a lot of lost faith in the game of baseball lately. One important point, as I see it, is to respect and admire people in spite of their flaws, rather than putting them on a pedestal and pretending they don't have flaws.