Real Grass, Real Heroes: Baseball's Historic 1941 Season

Rating:
Summary: A year to match 98'
Review: After the heroics of this past baseball season, it was a pleasure to read about one year in another era of the sport that also included monumental feats by star players. Joe dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak and Ted William's .406 batting average are records still waiting to be broken. Dom Dimaggio has brought us a view of 1941 that is unforgettable. He certainly did his homework as he quotes statistics and plays on the field in certain games as if they happened yesterday. He tends to repeat himself a bit and spends too much time on American history, but all in all a wonderful reminiscence of a great era.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best baseball books around
Review: As the jacket cover states: "1941 was the last original baseball season." Although I wasn't around to see 1941, this book made me feel like I was. Dom DiMaggio's perspective on this historic year is fabulous. I've read lots of baseball books about all the great players of the past and this one outshines them all. It's written with passion and "insiders knowledge" that makes the season itself seem like an all-too-perfect script. It's warm, engrossing, and highly dramatic, without being overly sentimental.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK about 1941 baseball season
Review: The author of "Real Grass, Real Heroes", Dom "The Little Professor" DiMaggio (For those of you who don't know about him: He was a terrific outfielder with the Red Sox from 1940-41, 46-53), looks back at the "good old times" (sometimes a little bit nostalgically) and the historic baseball season of 1941 which most of us haven't experienced personally. In this time teams still used to travel by trains, there were only 10 Major League teams in 16 cities, no astroturf, no expansion, no Division or League Championship Series, and baseball wasn't played just because of money but because of dedication and love for the game! He describes not only the love for his brothers (especially the more famous Joe who played for the Red Sox' arch enemies, the Yankees) and the game of baseball but also the feelings of people living on the eve of WWII. He also tells us about such unique historical things like the first baseball night game, Johnny Vander Merr's two consecutive no-hitters, the first televised MLB-game, Lou "Iron Horse" Gehrig's farewell and death, Lefty Grove's 300th win, the dramatic ninth All-Star Game, Joe DiMaggio's Major League record consecutive hitting streak of 56 games, Ted Williams hitting .406, the World Series (and the Mickey Owen game). But he also criticizes some conditions which the players of that time had to endure: many of them were under-paid bond man, e.g. This book also contains lots of small details about life in that time when radios were just becoming common and cars were still considered a luxury, that's why I think even somebody who doesn't like baseball will like this book! "Real Grass, Real Heroes" also features lots of autobiographical notes about Dom, great anecdotes about such heroes as Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Enos Slaughter,... ,and 41 great photos (mostly from the 1941 season)! He doesn't even forget the umpires (of which there were only two in each game at that time, by the way!).

In my opinion this book is very well written, sometimes funny, sometimes sad (just like life itself!) and exciting! Although it's non-fiction it isn't dry at all. The only thing I miss in this terrific book is an index because it's really hard to find some detail again without it! I think this book is good for anyone who wants to find about more about life just after the great depression and before WWII. It's great for all baseball-fans, and it just is a must-have for all Red Sox-fans (and especially for Dom DiMaggio-fans, like me!!!)!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK about 1941 baseball season
Review: Unlike some boring secondary-source history books, Dom Dimaggio gives a riveting first-hand account of the 1941 baseball season. During the 1941 season, Joe Dimaggio recorded his 56 game hitting streak and Ted Williams hit .406. Dom Dimaggio has the great fortune of being the brother of Joltin' Joe and a close friend of Teddy Ballgame. Throughout the book, Mr. Dimaggio recalls his favorite moments and memories of his career playing for the Red Sox. Certainly, a must-read for any baseball fan that loves to learn about the history of the game!