- Hardcover: 198 pages
- Publisher: Four Walls Eight Windows (Aug 11 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1568582684
- ISBN-13: 978-1568582689
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.7 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,552,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In his laudatory testimonial to Mathewson (1880-1925), Seib leaves no doubt that he considers the New York Giants pitcher to be one of the outstanding men of his generation. Mathewson's credentials are indeed impressive-a multisport athlete at Bucknell, Hall of Famer baseball player, author, actor and army captain in World War I. Moreover, Mathewson's behavior on and off the field was always beyond reproach, and he was one of the first athletes considered suitable to be a role model. Seib cites Mathewson as "a gentleman in a ruffian's game, a sportsman among brawlers" who "exemplified personal virtue as an American characteristic." Because of his talent and demeanor, Seib argues convincingly that Mathewson played a key role in making professional baseball accepted by the American public. In addition to his exploits on the field, Seib writes that Mathewson's high morals, strong work ethic and honesty reflected what was best in America in the early decades of the 20th century. There is no argument that Mathewson was an admirable man who crammed in a lot of living before he died at 45 from tuberculosis, but unfortunately, Seib's portrait of his life is more drab than colorful. Indeed, Mathewson's archrival, the nasty Hal Chase, comes across as a more exciting character, proving again that it's often more fun to read about the sinners than the saints.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
We all watch with amazement as today's athletes become media darlings seemingly far out of proportion to their accomplishments. Seib, an award-winning journalist, explores the nature of fame by studying the career of baseball Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, the first athlete to become a mass-media darling. He was handsome and self-effacing, a perfect role model, and he set new parameters for sportsmanship in baseball. He volunteered for duty in World War I and was exposed to poison gas; the lung damage was a contributing factor in his premature death at 45. Of course, as a New York Giant, he was in the media capital of the world, and every aspect of his life was related in great detail by the press. As the nation's love affair with him grew, so did its interest in baseball. His hold on the country's imagination became still greater during his losing battle with the lung infections that took his life. This is a fascinating, revealing biography, both for the story it tells about Mathewson and for the context it gives to today's media assault. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
THE HOLE IN THE BARN wall wasn't much wider than the ball in the boy's hand. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE HOLE IN THE BARN wall wasn't much wider than the ball in the boy's hand. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Disappointing,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Player: Christy Mathewson, Baseball, and the American Century (Paperback)
I was expecting more of a thorough biography of Mathewson. Instead, this work uses Mathewson as an example of virtue and heroism within a social history of his times. While that is interesting to a degree, it's disappointing to the hard-core baseball fan who wants to learn about Mathewson's terrific career achievements in great depth. For example, I was amazed that Mathewson's superb performance in the 1905 World Series (three complete-game shutouts) was mentioned almost as an afterthought. I was hoping for at least a decent account of each game. Nope. More focus is put on the 1919 World Series fix in which Mathewson was a reporter than any of the four World Series Mathewson participated in as a player! Is this book worth reading? Yes. Is it a great baseball book? No.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Was Plesantly Surprised,
By
This review is from: Player: Christy Mathewson, Baseball, and the American Century (Hardcover)
Considering the book is less than 200 pages long I wondered what this book would tell me about Christy Mathewson I haven't already read somewhere else. Author Philip Seib emphasizes the positive role model Matty played both as a player and as a private citizen. The author also provides us with details of former major leaguer Eddie Grant who lost his life fighting in World War I. His monument used to appear in center field in the Polo Grounds, and I was pleased to read details I hadn't read before. Mathewson enlisted in World War I, and came in contact with poisonous gas in a training drill in Europe shortly before The Great War ended. He returned from Europe to help McGraw as a coach with the Giants, and once again encountered the crooked Hal Chase whom Matty had in his brief tenure as manager of the Cincinnati Reds after his (Matty's) playing days were over. He was an observer of the 1919 World Series between the White Sox and Reds, and to his dismay, observed what he believed to be crookedness in the play of the Chicago team. His cough persisted, and progressed to tuberculosis. Matty spent time at Saranac Lake in upstate New York where the dry air was thought to be helpful to patients. He felt well enough to join the Boston Braves in the front office, but had to return to Saranac Lake where he died during the 1925 World Series. This would be an excellent book for both beginning readers of Christy Mathewson, or those who have a more extensive knowledge of one of the first five members elected to baseball's hall of fame.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not very deep,
By
This review is from: Player: Christy Mathewson, Baseball, and the American Century (Hardcover)
This book is a decent read but it is less a biography of Mathewson than it is a commentary on the times and events that he lived through. I had hoped to learn about who Christy Mathewson was and what made him so great and instead I felt like I read an overview of the major events in baseball and history during the late 1800's to the mid 1900's.
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