SUMMER OF 49 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK David Halberstam | 384 pages | 09 May 2006 | HarperCollins Publishers Inc | 9780060884260 | English | New York, NY, United States Summer of '49 : Halberstam, David : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Even though "Summer of '49" is way before my time, I appreciated it on a number of levels. I learned a lot about the time period, the beginnings of television and advertising in baseball, the difference in the relationship between the media and the players, and the effect of the war on the game and the careers of its stars. I also c I usually stick to fiction, but a co-worker and fellow Yankees fan gave me a copy of this book and I decided to give it a read, and I was very pleasantly surprised. I also came to realize the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry stretched much further back than I thought it did, and learned the origin of "Dropkick Murphy's," which is mentioned in passing in the book. I am very glad I read "Summer of ' Sep 30, Jake rated it really liked it. There are many characters in this book, and each unfold in different ways. The legendary Joe Dimaggio, and his less famous brother, Dominic, have to play separately, even on separate teams! In the final game of the season, Joe must win to get his World series check, and Dominic just wants to get to the great World Series. I t took many turns with different teams and different players, before reaching the destination, the season. Mar 27, Jeff rated it really liked it Shelves: history , american-history , baseball. Football and basketball prominence was still in the future. The ballpark was a place where the melting pot vision could be witnessed firsthand. Immigrant children like the DiMaggios there were three brothers who played in the majors were second generation Italians and stars. Then, staring in with Jackie Robinson, African-Americans were included in the roosters. Postwar ball reached a new height with the thrilling pennant race in the American League. In the days before playoff series, the top team in each league went to the World Series, and if there was a tie, there was a one game playoff. It was an exciting season in which the Yankees won the pennant in the last inning of the last game as the two teams battled it out. Halberstam, who was a teenager during this season, captures the excitement that came down to the final inning. The Yankees win. Halberstam tells the story of this season, providing insight into the financial workings of baseball as well the changes that were taking place. This was a time when players still mostly traveled in trains, but planes were making their debut. It was also a time that most games, which had previously not been broadcast locally, were being on the air and great names were emerging in the broadcast booth, many who would soon become the well-known reporters who overshadowed the previously honored sportswriters. Even television made an appearance during the World Series. And for the Yankees, new names were rising up such as their new manager, Casey Stengel, and their rookie catcher, Yogi Berra. Other players who would grow into greatness were also beginning to make themselves known such as Willie Mays whom the Yankees took a pass on due to his race. Although I have never liked the Yankees, I was impressed with their teams discipline and how they instilled hard playing in each member of the team. For anyone who enjoys baseball, this is a good read. Jul 07, MacK rated it it was ok Shelves: baseball. In the midst of a pandemic, I could use any sports writing I can get, and with its author's reputation and its classic setting of a legendary rivalry, this seemed ideal. But, for me, it just didn't connect. Maybe it was a frustration with the cover's promise: "baseball's greatest season", I mean, it sounds pretty good for Yankees and Red Sox, but baseball's much bigger than that , , , , all have a bit more meat on that bone for me. Maybe it was an uneven distribution of ane In the midst of a pandemic, I could use any sports writing I can get, and with its author's reputation and its classic setting of a legendary rivalry, this seemed ideal. Maybe it was an uneven distribution of anecdotes and game telling: gobs of season rush by in a paragraph while pages are spent on a pitcher's contract negotiations from three years before. A dominant relief pitcher's story is encapsulated in one binge drinking anecdote, while mid-June blowouts are meticulously documented. Maybe it just felt irrelevant in the midst of our modern world. Though Hallberstam is blunt in his critique of two reluctantly integrated franchises, reading it in the midst of serious explorations of race and justice in the US served mainly to highlight how far in the background it was for the all white rivalry. In all, it was interesting without becoming captivating, which is fine for a lazy summer read. Oct 28, sarah added it. I loved this! Although I'm not a fan of the Yankees or the Red Sox I very much enjoyed reading the Halberstam writes baseball in general, I really felt a love for the game. The whole book was leading up to it, and then Although maybe that was the point. I don't know. Jan 17, Jonathan Liskov rated it really liked it. This was a great book for my taste as well, because it covered not only the baseball aspect of the year of , but also how baseball affected society and the people in the United States during the time, so it doesn't have to be fore just baseball lovers. Oct 21, Peter McCambridge rated it did not like it. Drowning in detail. Dull and hard to follow. The opposite of bringing a story to life. Aug 06, Joshua Jenkins rated it really liked it. A baseball classic. Aug 11, Dave Ciliento rated it really liked it. It was great to learn some background on them. Jun 28, Mike rated it really liked it. The outcome rested on the final game of the season when these two legendary rivals faced off in Yankee Stadium. The topic has obvious appeal for fans of the game particularly to those of us with a stake in this rivalry , but Halberstam offers a narrative that can charm the general reader as well. He tells of a bygone era when the crack of the bat was crisp over the radio and Halberstam tells the story of the American League pennant race between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. He tells of a bygone era when the crack of the bat was crisp over the radio and many major league players worked off-season jobs. Halberstam periodically describes how mid-century baseball also invokes some of the less compelling traits of American society at the time. Unfortunately, this is when he is at his weakest. Halberstam falters only when he strays too far from his narrative of the season. The motif of sports as life writ small is a compelling one, but Halberstam is not able to deliver on it and his attempts prove distracting. He is at his best when he sticks to the tale of the season, the games, the players, and the fan reactions. For example, reading the account of the final game in chapter fourteen is as close to watching from the seats of Yankee Stadium as is possible. Despite the sixty years that have passed, Yankees and Red Sox fans will find themselves rooting for their teams and following each pitch as if the outcome was still an unsettled issue. Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Jun 09, Carol Storm rated it liked it. Great analysis on the diamond -- but off the field a little too stuffy and patrician! And I mean it! Halberstam also gives fascinating background information on the entire organization, the stands, the announcers, the pres Great analysis on the diamond -- but off the field a little too stuffy and patrician! Halberstam also gives fascinating background information on the entire organization, the stands, the announcers, the press, the fans, and the entire world they lived in. The only problem is. And it's not a ballplayer's point of view. It's the point of view of a sleepy, patrician, Anglo-Saxon male of a certain social pedigree, who thinks 1. Or as Halberstam might put it, in his own inimitable style: "It was, Halberstam often thought, an extraordinary achievement for a well-born, well- spoken, well-educated journalist like himself to have developed such a profound knowledge of the game. It was a sport, after all, played almost exclusively by roughs, and sub-literates, many of them toothless hillbillies from the back country or oily Dagoes from the big city. It was truly astonishing, Halberstam often thought, that his own brilliance allowed him to see the heroism in these men's lives. They were no more than big simple children off the field. Certainly Halberstam understood why their salaries had be to kept low, to prevent them from getting into trouble. But on the field they played like Greek gods, like immortals who would live forever. It was only fitting, Halberstam thought, that by celebrating their deeds he would become an immortal too. Jun 15, Cazual23 rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: any baseball fan. I used to go up to Cape Cod every summer.