Download Audio Books from Audible.

Customer reviews

5 star		64%
4 star		24%
3 star		4%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

How are ratings calculated?

Review this product

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Pugwash

An all Red year in baseball

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

Many books have been written identifying the mid-1970's as a turning point in baseball history. Marvin Miller and free agency turned the blue blood aristocracy on its' ear. The generation of authentic sluggers began to retire, and the pitching rules that took away some of the advantages to the defense were legislated out of the game.

Tom Adelman addresses this theme from a whole different perspective. Although the title "The Long Ball" seems, at first glance to be a misnomer, the author focusses on the the two teams that will be fated to share the World Series in 1975.

The Big Red Machine will move on to become a dynasty, with Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Dave Concepcion. But the Red Sox are a more interesting team. With "El Tiante", Luis Tiant, the Cuban born ace of the the staff, who would and could take a post game shower with a lit cigar in his mouth, Pudge Fisk, and Bill Lee, maybe the most quotably hilarious ballplayer to ever lace up the spikes, this group lends itself to reams of readable material.

But Tom Adelman does not stop here. He plumbs the history of the Yankees, and pulls Casy Stengel into this fine story, Billy Martin, as his disciple, and Yogi Berra, as another of his minions. No story about baseball in the 1970's can be complete without Charlie Finley. Love him or hate him, and there are those who move in either direction, he was a force to be reckoned with.

But it is the World Series, arguably the greatest ever, that comes to dominate this story. The drama, the personalities, and the strategy are a story that begged to be told.

Adelman often inserts subtle whimsical narrative into the baseball retelling. "Dave Chalk, the Angels second baseman was erased in the double play." I am sure newspapers have reported it this way numerous times, but it still made me chuckle.

An enjoyable, breezy, and somewhat profound take on baseball of a couple generations ago.

R. Jones

A nostalgic look at the baseball I grew up with.

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2004

Verified Purchase

I'm not much a baseball fan anymore, but I was in 1975 and this book reminded me why: Catfish Hunter, Bill Lee, The Big Red Machine, Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and on and on. If those names mean anything to you, you'll love this book. And if they don't mean anything to you, you should read the book to find out who they are. Adelman does a wonderful job telling their stories (and many more, as well as the story of the season and how the events of 1975 changed baseball forever). One other note: I listened to the unabridged audio version of the book, and it included an extra tape with a very interesting author interview. Probably not worth paying the premium price for the audio edition, but worth checking your local library to see if they have it on their shelves.

Bflo11

An entertaining read

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2007

Verified Purchase

"The Long Ball" is definitely an entertaining read. There were laugh-out-loud moments as the author described some of the plays in the '75 World Series. The first half of the book covers the regular '75 season, many of its players and teams, while the second half concentrates on the post-season. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because the author's slant in favor of the Boston Red Sox eventually emerges as an unmistakable bias. I would have liked to see the book's approach be more even-handed between the Reds and Red Sox, especially since it was the Reds that won the World Series, not Boston. Still, a very enjoyable read. Recommended.

Leonard Trerotola

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great item and service! A+++++++++

David Grenier

Never give up

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great story

clemente_in_right

Good overall look at the 1975 season

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2018

Tom Adelman's book on the 1975 season does an excellent job of covering the major points of what was happening in baseball. I found his prose to be enjoyable, but he continually included one of my pet peeves - italicized sentences of what players and managers were supposedly thinking. I don't enjoy that at all and find that technique to be a dramatic reach that takes me out of the actual story. I wish authors would stop doing that.

Because this is a broad view of the season, all too often the details are given in broad strokes. For example, Adelman's description of Dick Allen's career and his return to Philly paints Allen as a victim of his reputation as being difficult. I have no doubt that fans in Philly didn't do right by Dick Allen during his first stint there. I also have no doubt that Allen earned his reputation as being tough to deal with. Brushing aside his numeroius missteps and painting him as an innocent victim is an odd thing to do.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable book. There's some cool details in the story, such as the specific reason why the camera stayed on Carlton Fisk during his walk off homer in Game 6 of the Series. Normally, the camera would follow the path of the ball. I also enjoyed hearing about how Luis Tiant's family was able to leave Cuba in 1975 to watch him pitch. There's a full index, bibliography and end notes. Recommended for baseball fans, especially fans of the Red Sox and Reds.