Twilight of the Long-ball Gods: Dispatches from the Disappearing Heart of Baseball
*Starred Review* In this sparkling collection of essays, Schulian, a contributor toSports Illustratedand formerly a columnist for theChicago Sun-Times, offers a reminder that baseball hasn't always been about endorsements, million-dollar deals, and agents. The game once had a heart and still does if we look hard enough. Over the last 25 years or so, Schulian has been attracted to baseball's eccentrics and dreamers, and here he brings together his accounts of some of them. His profile of the late Max Patkin, long known as the Clown Prince of Baseball, recalls how Patkin's comic antics helped sell minor-league baseball when it was struggling to attract fans. Similarly, his account of Rocky Bridges, journeyman player and successful minor-league manager whose rough edges kept him from a chance to manage in the bigs, reveals the kind of grassroots character who once gave baseball its personality. There are also poignant glimpses of Josh Gibson, the Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues, whose talent couldn't bypass the racism of his times, and of a California League team comprising ex-major leaguers and former phenoms who refuse to give up the dream. Schulian is one of the very best sportswriters of the latter part of the twentieth century. His work resonates with time and place, compassion, and humanity. This is a wonderful collection that deserves a huge audience.Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved