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Red Smith on Baseball
It was Red Smith who once deemed ninety feet between bases the most perfect measurement in the universe. Those who feasted on his columns in, most notably, The New York Herald-Tribune and The New York Times until his death in 1982 would have no trouble ascribing the same measurement of perfection to his prose.
Smith was also the Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter other writers, not just sportswriters, went to school on, and baseball was the classroom that coaxed the best from his wizardry with the language. Red Smith on Baseball pays tribute to the writer and his very best articles in what could easily be called one of the best essays on baseball ever written. |
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"Red Smith on Baseball is as essential to a good sports library as any single book can be. But to compartmentalize it as just a sports book would be to somehow miss the larger accomplishments of a modern master of the English language." - Jeff Silverman
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| Description |
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The one-hundred sixty-seven columns that make up Red Smith on Baseball are uncannily fresh with the drops of Smith's vitality, elegance, heart, intelligence, perspective, and wit. Spanning four decades from 1941-1981, it's a dazzling collection of literature written on deadline, and an important step toward righting the injustice of Smith's work being out of print for so long. Rolled through his typewriter, the history he witnessed on and off the field - Jackie Robinson breaking the color line, the '69 Mets, Curt Flood's challenge of the reserve clause, Enos Slaughter's mad dash from first, Don Larsen's perfecto, the departure of the Dodgers and Giants, the introduction of the D.H. - seems less like dispatches from the past than postcards wishing you were here in a forever present.
Carol Herwig of USA Today wrote: I can't think of a book I'd rather have...he had a special gift for baseball.
Wes Lukowsky of Booklist wrote: Smith wrote about baseball from the late 1920s until his death in 1982, and that full range is reflected here. He was a columnist for 40 years, and the freedom of that format allowed him to shine. One of his most famous pieces summed up New York Giant Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run in 1951: "Now it is done. Now the story ends. And there is no way to tell it. The art of fiction is dead. Reality has strangled invention." Smith's flair for the dramatic was exceeded only by his insight into human nature. His brief profiles often revealed more about his subjects than entire biographies could manage to do. Smith's passion for baseball is also evident here: more than the individual heroes or the memorable games, he cherished the spirit of the game. This collection shows Smith at his best, placing the game on center stage and allowing his own person to fade into the wings. Almost 20 years after his passing, Smith's work still propels readers to the ballpark. Thanks, Red.
Ron Fimrite of Sports Illustrated wrote: This latest collection is more than welcome...Good to have you back, old friend.
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| Reviews |
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 Even though most of these collected columns are from over 30 years ago, they are not at all dated. You may not know the names, you may not have even been born when the events happened. But Red Smith's writing is so interesting, free of cliches, and downright enjoyable that even a casual reader will be drawn into Smith's columns. One of my favorites is Smith's account of the 1970 All-Star Game, Richard Nixon, and Morganna, a well-endowed stripper famous for running onto baseball fields and kissing ballplayers such as Pete Rose and Clete Boyer. Read it! It's great! - Rob Iracane from Charlottesville, VA
 Smith is one of the finest baseball writers in history and this gathers over a hundred of his more memorable columns from 1941-81, capturing the best moments of his reports of key players and games. An involving, lively coverage results.
This was a very good book. Red Smith is by far the best baseball writer ever. He defines baseball in his memorable columns. His use of the English language make you look at the difference of him and today's writers and how much better Red Smith is. It is a truly amazing piece of literature. I am going to read it again.
Great book ... and long overdue! This man knew more about the game of baseball than many modern day players, coaches and writers will ever know. Get this book if you yearn for the "good old days."
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Baseball Book Shelf: Red Smith on Baseball
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