Bill Veeck: A Baseball Legend

Rating:
Summary: A Baseball Legend
Review: Baseball fans loved Bill Veeck. The other baseball owners were not very fond of him. One must keep in mind that the fans pay the bills in baseball. As a result, Veeck is an important man in the history of baseball. Gerald Eskenazi takes on the task of documenting the life of the baseball legend. While his writing is redundant at times, he gives an effective overview of Veeck's life.

Veeck is known as the man who sent a midget up to bat for the St. Louis Browns. He is credited as the innovator of the exploding scoreboard that shoots fireworks after a homerun. It was during his second ownership of the White Sox that Disco Demolition Night occurred. Veeck also had several other promotions for the common man. All of these incidents are documented in the book. In addition, the book discusses Veeck bringing in the second African-American baseball player, Lary Doby. Doby would also become the second black manager in baseball for Veeck. He also brought in the first African-American pitcher, the aging Satchell Paige for several tenures. Eskenazi discusses these and other incidents during his successful tenures as the owner of the Indians, Browns, and White Sox. Other little known facts are discussed such as how Veeck almost had a hand in moving the White Sox to Denver.

I found this book to be informative and not nearly as over the top as some of the stories Veeck would like us to believe about him. For example, he failed as a father to the children of his first marriage. Obviously, this is something he did not talk about a lot. Because Eskanazi has little reason to exaggerate or obscure the story, it has a level of authenticity. This out of print book is worth reading for old school baseball fans.

Rating:
Summary: A Baseball Legend
Review: Baseball fans loved Bill Veeck. The other baseball owners were not very fond of him. One must keep in mind that the fans pay the bills in baseball. As a result, Veeck is an important man in the history of baseball. Gerald Eskenazi takes on the task of documenting the life of the baseball legend. While his writing is redundant at times, he gives an effective overview of Veeck's life.

Veeck is known as the man who sent a midget up to bat for the St. Louis Browns. He is credited as the innovator of the exploding scoreboard that shoots fireworks after a homerun. It was during his second ownership of the White Sox that Disco Demolition Night occurred. Veeck also had several other promotions for the common man. All of these incidents are documented in the book. In addition, the book discusses Veeck bringing in the second African-American baseball player, Lary Doby. Doby would also become the second black manager in baseball for Veeck. He also brought in the first African-American pitcher, the aging Satchell Paige for several tenures. Eskenazi discusses these and other incidents during his successful tenures as the owner of the Indians, Browns, and White Sox. Other little known facts are discussed such as how Veeck almost had a hand in moving the White Sox to Denver.

I found this book to be informative and not nearly as over the top as some of the stories Veeck would like us to believe about him. For example, he failed as a father to the children of his first marriage. Obviously, this is something he did not talk about a lot. Because Eskanazi has little reason to exaggerate or obscure the story, it has a level of authenticity. This out of print book is worth reading for old school baseball fans.

Rating:
Summary: Fills In The Gaps
Review: If you enjoyed reading Bill Veeck's Autobiography, Veeck As In Wreck, then this book is a must-read. The author does a great job of filling in the gaps that Veeck left in his own work because of modesty, embarassment or both. A very well researched work.