Rating: 
Summary: exceptional decency
Review: "The Long Ball" is a wonder among baseball books in the unique way it puts people first. We really get to know the players and their lives, what they're thinking when they're at bat and the many things they feel during a game. Some reviews have said that it reads like a novel. It does... and yet it's all true!!!!One of the things I especially dug about this book was its humanity, its big heart. We all know that the Red Sox organization, as well as S. Boston (during the busing crisis), said and did some real stupid, racially insensitive things (Howard Bryant documents these very well in "Shut Out.") Mr. Adelman candidly acknowledges these, then looks at many of the issues that surround and cause racial hurt in our country, and the ways in which baseball can serve to heal these wounds. :) To give you an idea of the scope of this classy book, we not only read about all the great major-leaguers of 1975 but also follow the stories of various past and future greats, among them gifted African-American youngsters like Rickey Henderson, Dwight Gooden, Ken griffey Jr., and Barry Bonds. Mr. Adelman writes about the white playground directors who taught under-privileged kids like Frank Robinson and Dave WInfield to love the game. He writes about George Foster of the Reds helping a little blond child in his neighborhood appreciate baseball. And on and on and on, heartwarming stories of compassion and character. Oh yeah, and then there's this really fun World Series in it, too. This is a wildly entertaining book with a strong moral compass.
Rating:
Summary: an excellent baseball read
Review: "The Long Ball" is peppered with wonderful little details and tangents, and the writing is quirky and unusual, much richer than your average sports writing. Tom Adelman's vivid, lyrical writing draws you in and makes you care about the characters. I highly recommend this book for baseball fans who love to read and appreciate excellent writing. For Red Sox fans and anyone who lived through the 1975 season, "The Long Ball" is a must. But if all you know about 1975 is Fisk's famous home run, you're in for a fun treat.
Rating:
Summary: Baseball at its Best
Review: As a longtime literature professor and a Red Sox fan since 1945, I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Adelman's blend of game descriptions, personal anecdotes, and poignant analyses in The Long Ball. I found his presentation refreshing, especially when compared with the hyped-up, controversy-stimulating, only occasionally decipherable fare served up by many of this area's so-called sports columnists. In a sensitive, meaningful way, Adelman has gifted us with a delightful, exciting account of an eminently memorable World Series.
Rating: 
Summary: Catches the feel of Baseball
Review: Author Tom Adelman captures the feel of baseball in this readable look at the last season (1975) before free agency changed the game. Adelman focuses on a few teams, particularly the pennant winning Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. The author also looks at individuals such as 85-year old Casey Stengel (who died that September) and San Diego pitcher Randy Jones. The book's heart comes towards the end, with an informative account of the thrilling 1975 World Series. I particularly enjoyed the account of the sixth game - considered by many as the most thrilling series game ever played - where Carlton Fisk "waved" fair his game-winning homer in the 12th inning to square the series. Unfortunately, the author misfires on some facts - Dwight Evans' game-saving catch was by the stands (not the bullpen), Oakland was going for its fourth AL flag (not fifth), etc. The author also omits events like Bill Veeck's re-purchase of the White Sox (keeping the team in Chicago) and St. Louis pitcher Bob Gibson's final season. Also, there is little mention of how the arrival of free agency helped spur attendance increases from 15,000 per game in 1975 to over 30,000 per game by the early 1990's.
This book has some flaws, but remains an informative and engaging look at baseball in the last year before free agency.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak clip-job
Review: Did author Adelman interview ANYONE for this book? The Long Ball is a poorly organized, badly disjointed clip job that is not very well written or even surprising. I was 13 years old in 1975, and followed the season carefully and even obsessively, but I was astonished at how few new nuggets of new information was featured in this book. If you are looking for even a single revelation about that season, look elsewhere. The writing about Game Six of the World Series is astonishingly bad -- giving credit to a rat for the famous TV shot of Pudge willing the home run to stay fair is an anecdote that is as old as the hills. This is one of the most dramatic moments in the history of baseball, and Adelman somehow wrings all the emotion out of it. That is quite a feat! Like other reviewers here, I had wanted to like this book but instead I found myself bored. More than once, I skipped over entire slow-moving sections. Mr. Adelman should try to do some original reporting for his next book instead of rewriting musty newspaper clippings.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I am not much of a baseball fan but this book not only made me care about the 1975 season, it got me interested in baseball today. Adelman has a great delivery and keeps the action interesting throughout the story. He also includes some fascinating details about the game, such as the name of the first Met to commit an error. The book is also a snapshot of a specific time in America which the author captures perfectly. This makes The Long Ball more that just a baseball book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great description of the Red Sox-Reds World Series but.....
Review: I bought this book because I was interested in revisiting the 1975 World Series between the Reds and Red Sox, arguably the most dramatic World Series ever played (though the past two -- Diamondbacks vs Yankees and Giants vs Angels -- have been pretty amazing with incredible twists and turns....) I thought the author did an excellent job of describing the seven games of the World Series and refreshing my memory on many of the key plays and heroes that I remembered from following this Series as a teenager. The rest of the book, chronicling various elements of the season and key developments in baseball in 1975 (and not just the seasons of the Red Sox and the Reds), was not nearly as enjoyable. I frequently found myself questioning the "flow" of the book and the relevance of topics that were being discussed. I suppose the author had a broader agenda than just focusing on the World Series and how the two teams got there -- but I felt that the first half of the book (before the World Series description) was often confusing and the writing style awkward in many places. I would recommend the book -- but one might consider skipping straight to the write-up of the playoffs and World Series. I don't think one would really miss all that much.
Rating:
Summary: emotional and great
Review: i enjoyed this book. i recommend it highly. it's very rare. it's not like other baseball books. it's more like a novel. i passed it over to my mom after i was done with it. she loved it, too. the characters are vivid and the sentences are well-crafted. so many fine details! it's got innocence and joy and heartbreak and triumph. it watches a single season of American sports through a very wide lens. it travels in time, it speeds up and slows down (just like a baseball game!!!!). my heart was racing as the world series went into its seventh game. i hope Adleman keeps writing books. he's a really dramatic storyteller.
Rating:
Summary: An A Plus Book to Read
Review: I find The Long Ball a very enjoyable read. I do appreciate the way in which the author brings all of the baseball players to life and tells us of their personalities and lives rather than filling the book with just statistics. As a person who lives on the West Coast who is first a Dodger fan and secondly an Angel fan, I do enjoy hearing more about the East Coast teams and Boston. Obviously this book was well researched and well written and I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: WAY overrated
Review: I found the following factual error near the very beginning: the author's assertion that a baseball team left Seattle for Minnesota, when it was actually Wisconsin (The 69 Seattle Pilots became the 70 Milwaukee Brewers). I therefore found myself doubting a good deal of the facts, and especially the anecdotes, presented thereafter. And the pitch by pitch recounts of entire innings of playoff games is like "being murdered by a glacier", in the author's own words. Unfortunately, one good turn of phrase does not a good book make.
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