The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant (Baseball in America)

Rating:
Summary: Great Material for Phils fans
Review: "The Whiz Kids" met my expectations. It is great material for Phillies fans. Having grown up hearing the names of Ennis, Ashburn, Konstanty, Roberts and the rest, I wanted to read a good account of the first Phils pennant since 1915.

The ever humble Roberts (with the help of a professional writer) recounts his rise to the major leagues as well as the futile history of Phillies baseball. It's a nice, easy to read story that follows a tried formula: the team has a long history of losing, young players come aboard and develop into a close team, they exceed expectations and go to the World Series. There are plenty of scenes that flesh out the personalities and struggles of the team mates. Plenty of train trips and hotel stays. Tough game situations yeilding exciting victories or close defeats. Those looking for deep insights into the era should look elsewhere. In fact, I see this book aimed primarily at us Phils fans. Our banners are few, so we need to raise them high. These aren't Duke Snyder, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and the other "Boys of Summer." The Phillies of this era had one great year surrounded by several decent years. Only a couple of the names stand out these years later.

I give the book four stars because it served its purpose for me. If you are looking for light reading material about a cinderalla team, this could be for you as well.

Rating:
Summary: Great Material for Phils fans
Review: "The Whiz Kids" met my expectations. It is great material for Phillies fans. Having grown up hearing the names of Ennis, Ashburn, Konstanty, Roberts and the rest, I wanted to read a good account of the first Phils pennant since 1915.

The ever humble Roberts (with the help of a professional writer) recounts his rise to the major leagues as well as the futile history of Phillies baseball. It's a nice, easy to read story that follows a tried formula: the team has a long history of losing, young players come aboard and develop into a close team, they exceed expectations and go to the World Series. There are plenty of scenes that flesh out the personalities and struggles of the team mates. Plenty of train trips and hotel stays. Tough game situations yeilding exciting victories or close defeats. Those looking for deep insights into the era should look elsewhere. In fact, I see this book aimed primarily at us Phils fans. Our banners are few, so we need to raise them high. These aren't Duke Snyder, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and the other "Boys of Summer." The Phillies of this era had one great year surrounded by several decent years. Only a couple of the names stand out these years later.

I give the book four stars because it served its purpose for me. If you are looking for light reading material about a cinderalla team, this could be for you as well.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Fills A Historical Void
Review: Authors Paul Rogers and former Whiz Kid pitcher Robin Roberts have done a great job in bringing a memorable team back to life. Baseball books on teams usually involve New York teams and it is refreshing to read a book about a team that will always be remembered, not just by Phillies' fans, but by baseball fans across the country. Many of the names I came across in this book were merely pictures on baseball cards I started buying in the early '50's and this book provided me with some insight into their accomplishments on the ball diamond. There is a story behind each of those players' names I have in my mind, and the authors brought them to life in this book. If there was one drawback, if I may call it that, I found an excessive amount of play-by-play among the pages. However, I can live with that. The names of Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, and Richie Ashburn are household baseball names, but I was also happy to read about lesser lights like Bubba Church, Mike Goliat, and Stan Lopata who were only pictures on baseball cards to me. Phillies' fan or not, if you like baseball history, you will enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: WHIZ KIDS A WINNER
Review: This is a very well written account about a team that captured the hearts of an entire city. This is a great account of the surprising achievment of the 1950 Phillies. The excellent interviews of the players involved and the rehashing of the author is great. A very nostalgic and fact filled retelling of an exciting and fun filled year in baseball. A must read for all Phillie and historical baseball buffs.

Rating:
Summary: WHIZ KIDS A WINNER
Review: This is another boonie dog book review by Wolfie and Kansas. We were somewhat amused when we first heard the title of Robin Roberts and C. Paul Rogers III's book, "The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant". To us dogs, a "whiz kid" is an unhousebroken puppy. However, these Whiz Kids were the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, and this is a book about humans playing fetch. While this is not a literary gem like Roger Kahn's "The Boys of Summer", it is an above-average baseball book comparable to another recent book by a pitcher from the same era, Don Larsen's "The Perfect Yankee". We recommend this book to all baseball fans. It is in the must-read category for any Phillies fan.

We do have two reservations about "The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant". The first concerns the portrayal of Jim Konstanty, the relief pitcher who was the 1950 National League MVP. One of our noncanine animal companions of primate derivation (who has loaned us his habit of shameless namedropping for purposes of this review) was a regular customer at Mr. Konstanty's sporting goods store in the mid-1960's. He remembers Mr. Konstanty as being far more personable than one would gather from this book. Of course, the pressures of making a record number of appearances during a tight pennant race could affect one's affability.

Also, while not shying away from the issue, Roberts and Rogers do not fully develop the ironic theme that the Whiz Kids, a supposed youth movement and potential future dynasty, were actually the dying embers of a fading era. The 1950 Phillies were the last all-white National League pennant winners, edging out the Jackie Robinson/Roy Campanella/Don Newcombe Dodgers in extra innings on the final day of the season. With the Phillies management dragging its heels as to recruiting and signing the best available ballplayers regardless of race, the remainder of the National League pennants in the 1950's went to the Dodgers, the Giants (with Willie Mays and Monte Irvin) and the Braves (with Hank Aaron). (Given the arguments as to whether the current millenium ends in 1999 or 2000, we should perhaps add the 1960 Pirates with Roberto Clemente to that list.) Not only did this relegate the Phillies to the second division, but it probably also cost author Roberts the chance to win 300 games. It would be interesting to see David Halberstram analyze the 1950 National League pennant race in a manner similar to his analysis of the 1964 World Series in "October 1964"