The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great (Sports in American Culture)

Rating:
Summary: Long overdue and well done portrait of Sisler
Review: It's hard to believe it took so long for a full length bio of Sisler to finally come to print, but Huhn came through superbly with this effort. It's true that there's not a tremendous amount of insight or stunning revelations on Sisler's personal life, but that's not Huhn's fault. Indeed, that absence in itself is a major theme of the book, as Huhn makes a convincing argument that the same quiet, focused demeanor that made Sisler such a tremendous athlete is also what prompted a relative lack of interest in him after his career ended. As Huhn relates, there is also unfortunately not a tremendous amount of information available on the more personal aspects of Sisler's remarkable life, again partly because of his reserved nature.

This book will be boring for you only if you want some juicy social drama, or are expecting something like ESPN's "Behind the Glory." Cobb didn't frollick with hookers like Ruth or beat up hecklers like Cobb, but reading about his overlooked career remains just as captivating as the many rehashed accounts of more flamboyant stars of that era.