The Dodgers - Giants Rivalry 1900 - 1957

Rating:
Summary: Less than it sounds like
Review: The title of this book is completely misleading. One might expect a chronicle of the great games played between these two rivals, but it is no such thing. Instead, Mr. Cohen attempts to evaluate the rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers by comparing, season by season, the best batting averages, best ERA's, and best home run hitters for each team. Prior to giving us this riveting information, Mr. Cohen gives a brief description of each team's season, along with highlights from other teams in the league if it strikes his fancy. However, outside of the most famous game between the Giants and the Dodgers--arguably the most famous game ever played--Mr. Cohen says not a word about games between the Dodgers and the Giants. You might expect him to give, for each season he reviews, the records of the teams against each other. He does not. You might think he would state the lifetime record of the Giants against the Dodgers. He does not. In short, this is a rather dry history of baseball from 1900 to 1957, with an emphasis on the Giants and the Dodgers, but not on the games they played against each other. I found no misstatements of fact, but Mr. Cohen errs when he says that the Giants won the first two subway series. The Giants did beat the Yankees in the 1921 and 1922 series, but in those years the Giants and the Yankees both played at the Polo Grounds. Ergo, no subways were involved. In 1923, the Yankees beat the Giants in the World Series. Since the Yankees were playing in their new stadium, it was a subway series. If you are interested in reading about the Giants or the Dodgers, I don't recommend Cohen's book. There are several books about the Dodgers, and Stew Thornley's "New York's Polo Grounds: Land of the Giants," does a much better job of surveying the history of the Giants than does Mr. Cohen.

Rating:
Summary: This is not about the Dodgers-Giants Rivalry
Review: The title of this book is completely misleading. One might expect a chronicle of the great games played between these two rivals, but it is no such thing. Instead, Mr. Cohen attempts to evaluate the rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers by comparing, season by season, the best batting averages, best ERA's, and best home run hitters for each team. Prior to giving us this riveting information, Mr. Cohen gives a brief description of each team's season, along with highlights from other teams in the league if it strikes his fancy. However, outside of the most famous game between the Giants and the Dodgers--arguably the most famous game ever played--Mr. Cohen says not a word about games between the Dodgers and the Giants. You might expect him to give, for each season he reviews, the records of the teams against each other. He does not. You might think he would state the lifetime record of the Giants against the Dodgers. He does not. In short, this is a rather dry history of baseball from 1900 to 1957, with an emphasis on the Giants and the Dodgers, but not on the games they played against each other. I found no misstatements of fact, but Mr. Cohen errs when he says that the Giants won the first two subway series. The Giants did beat the Yankees in the 1921 and 1922 series, but in those years the Giants and the Yankees both played at the Polo Grounds. Ergo, no subways were involved. In 1923, the Yankees beat the Giants in the World Series. Since the Yankees were playing in their new stadium, it was a subway series. If you are interested in reading about the Giants or the Dodgers, I don't recommend Cohen's book. There are several books about the Dodgers, and Stew Thornley's "New York's Polo Grounds: Land of the Giants," does a much better job of surveying the history of the Giants than does Mr. Cohen.

Rating:
Summary: Less than it sounds like
Review: This self-published book was undoubtedly a labor of love, but it is also something of an indulgence. It consists of little capsule summaries of past seasons with fairly meaningless statistics and little value-added in terms of insight or even the kind of interesting retelling of familiar stories that I, for one, greatly enjoy. Devoted fans of the teams or the rivalry might like to add the book to their shelves, but just don't expect much.

Rating:
Summary: Memories - 50 years ago - Bobby Thomson's Home Run
Review: This September will mark the 50th anniversary of Bobby Thomson's home run that cost the Brooklyn Dodgers the pennant. This book makes it seem like yesterday. I loved it.