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#2553869 in Books Baldassaro Lawrence Dimaggio 2013-04-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.97 x 1.26 x 6.12l, 1.68 #File Name: 080324620X520 pagesBeyond DiMaggio | File size: 37.Mb

Lawrence Baldassaro : Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball:

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great baseball bookBy James CramerGreat history of the game. Found some Italians I never knew about. What a group! Really liked the family stories.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Terrific book!By A readerIf you're a baseball fan, this book is for you--a volume that delivers what it promises: comprehensive coverage of Italian American ballplayers from the first one ever recorded-- named Ed Abbaticchio--right up to the present. As the title implies, it goes WAY beyond DiMaggio, acquainting the reader with dozens of lesser-known Italian American players, and covering the careers of famous players of Italian origin other than the Yankee Clipper. Beyond that, the author describes the social and economic forces at work in each of the periods he covers, which makes the book a major contribution to both sports history and cultural history.But this is by no means an "academic" book. Baldassaro's writing is a pleasure to read, crisp, economical, free of jargon, and enlivened by flashes of humor. The author did plenty of digging in the newspaper files and sports periodicals of each era he covers, but he also uses the extensive personal interviews he conducted with Italian American ballplayers and former ballplayers, as well as with others of Italian background connected to baseball. The fact that the interviews were conducted over several decades suggests that this is a long-nurtured project, a labor of love that's at last come to fruition. Many of those interviewed have since died, so the record of their words now has even greater value. The way the author interweaves the larger historical picture with the lives and specific, vivid personalities of Italian American ballplayers is a particular strength of the book.Although many Italian Americans over age 70 can recall personal encounters with anti-Italian prejudice, and anyone who follows American TV (The Sopranos, Jersey Shore, etc.) is aware of the stubborn endurance of negative Italian stereotypes, Baldassaro's book shows how much more pronounced those problems were in the past. Ballplayer with Italian names sometimes changed them to more American-sounding ones, partly so sportswriters and announcers wouldn't stumble over spelling and pronunciation, but more often to conceal their ethnic identity and thus escape being stereotyped. Up through the 1940s, ethnic slurs directed at players with Italian names were part of the common currency of sports writing, and they reflected the widespread anti-Italian attitudes harbored by Americans in general.In addition to the author's vivid writing style, the organization of the book contributes to its narrative momentum. Beginning with "The Pioneers," we can follow the ascent of Italian American players from the early years of the 20th century into the 1930s--the era of the first Italian American stars, and then on to the post-war era when Joe DiMaggio and the Italian-filled lineup of the dominated baseball, and finally into the modern era when the ethnic origin of players with Italian surnames ceased to be an issue.Through the stories of Italian American baseball players--some famous, some modestly successful and some forgotten-- Baldassaro brings to life what Italian Americans have endured and--just as important-- what they've achieved. Even if you're not a big baseball fan, or of Italian descent, this is a story well worth reading.

Berra, Rizzuto, Lasorda, Torre, Conigliaro, Santo, Piazza. Casual baseball fans—in fact, even many nonfans—know these names, not as Italian Americans but as some of the most colorful figures in . Ever since future Hall of Famer became a key part of the Yankees’ Murderers’ Row lineup of 1926, Italian Americans have been among the most prominent and intriguing players in the game. The first comprehensive study of the topic, Beyond DiMaggio is also a social history of baseball, tracing the evolution of American perceptions toward those of Italian descent as it chronicles the baseball exploits that influenced those perceptions. Lawrence Baldassaro tells the stories of Italian Americans’ contributions to the game, from Joe DiMaggio, who transcended his ethnic identity to become an American icon, to A. Bartlett Giamatti, who served as commissioner of baseball, to Mike Piazza, considered the greatest hitting catcher ever. Baldassaro conducted more than fifty interviews with players, coaches, managers, and executives—some with careers dating back to the thirties—in order to put all these figures and their stories into the historical context of baseball, Italian Americans, and, finally, the culture of American sports.

"Baldassaro's sweep ranges from Ed Abbaticchio, one of the first Italian Americans in the game, and , who, born Francesco Stephano Pezzolo, was the first Italian American who came close to baseball stardom, to general managers, team owners, commissioner Angelo Bartlett Giamatti and, most movingly, the rise and fall of Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro."--Robert Cottrell, "Library Journal "--Robert Cottrell"Library Journal" (01/20/2011)"With interviews conducted by the author over the past decade and references to first-person accounts of the play and personalities of the older subjects, Baldassaro unearths colorful details such as the origin of Oscar 'Spinach' Melillo's nickname and Sal Maglie's -ins with his Mexican League pitching coach, former Big Leaguer Dolf Luque, which even included some gunplay."--Jerry Milani, "Baseball Digest"--Jerry Milani"Baseball Digest" (03/02/2011)"There are countless stories of Italian-Americans in baseball in this book, but they all share not only a common heritage but also the experience of participating in what the author justifiably calls 'the quintessential American game.'"--Mike Bauman, MLB.com--Mike Bauman "MLB.com """Beyond DiMaggio "is a well-written, long overdue tribute to the impact Italian Americans have made on major league baseball, which amazingly has been barely acknowledged given their overwhelming presence at every level of the sport."--Mark Concannon, "Fox Sports Wisconsin"--Mark Concannon"Fox Sports Wisconsin" (05/19/2011)"The love of both his heritage and the great game of baseball pours from his heart as Baldassaro writes about the progress of Italian Americans through the 20th century until today."-- Buddy Fortunato, "Italian Tribune"--Buddy Fortunato"Italian Tribune" (04/28/2011)About the AuthorLawrence Baldassaro is a professor emeritus of Italian at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He is the editor of : Reflections on a Splendid Life and The American Game: Baseball and Ethnicity. Dom DiMaggio, youngest brother of Joe and Vince DiMaggio, made his Major League debut on April 16, 1940, for the . He died in 2009 at the age of ninety-two.

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