Author: Roger Angell
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Roger Angell, now 92 years old, is one of America's foremost baseball writers. I have reviewed two of his books previously: Five Seasons and Game Time. Once More Around the Park cobbles together essays from several previous collections but also includes some new material. Of the chapters I'd read before in other books, the best is "Distance," a profile of Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. Thoughts on the new stuff - at least, new to me - is on offer below.
My least favorite part of Angell's books is usually the season recaps. Occasional piercing insights creep in from time to time but generally speaking, those sections suffer from a one-thing-after-another feel. He is a much stronger writer when he takes the broad view. Many of the essays in this particular collection address the joys of fandom, following the game through box scores, daydreaming during the off-season and pitting the stars of yesteryear against one another in our mind's eye. For Angell, this is serious stuff, his own passion for the game anything but casual. He lives it and in his finest moments, I want to live it with him.
"In the Country" was probably my favorite chapter. In that August 1981 essay, Angell profiles Ron, a pitcher in his late-20s trying to work his way back into the game in the semi-pro leagues, and his wife Linda. That particular story takes place mostly in northwest Vermont, not too far from our home. My own familiarity with the setting adds significant charm.
"No, But I Saw the Game," first published in Summer 1989, is a brief survey of baseball movies and their varying reflections of the real game. Angell poured effusive praise upon Bull Durham and, to be honest, I might have stopped reading if he hadn't. He felt it was the first and only baseball film to present the game and its players in a realistic light. He was less impressed by Eight Men Out and Major League and thoroughly panned Field of Dreams. He touched on a few of the older movies, too, most notably Pride of the Yankees and Bang the Drum Slowly.
I am not prepared to devote as much of my own life to following baseball as Roger Angell has but his books always leaving me wishing I could. Never content with any one perspective, he seeks out stories from fans, executives, coaches, umpires and, of course, players both amateur and legendary. Baseball is one sport that is almost as much fun to read about as it is to watch and Angell is one of my favorite guides.
I saw Eight Men Out and remember rather liking it. Shoeless Joe, yes? With John Cusack?
ReplyDeleteThis was very-nicely written, Squid. I can sense when the topic is something a bit closer to interests you're content to foster more or less alone (as opposed to something with a wider appeal like, say, Star Trek.)
Baseball is a language I speak very fluently. I'm conversational in Trek but, especially in exploring the original series, I have a lot to learn.
DeleteYes, Eight Men Out is Shoeless Joe and also Mr. Cusack. He appreciated certain aspects of the film but found it was a bit too saccharine at times. Bull Durham, for all of its poetic lilt, is never sappy.
I'd say you're more fluent in Trek than most!
DeleteSomeone was recently recommending BD. I know it wasn't you because their rec made me think, 'That's one of the Squidman's top picks.' Was I right about that? I think I remember you mentioning it in a Top 3 list at some point?
I don't know about top 3 but it's way up there. The last scene is a bit of a clunker by my reckoning. The writing, in general, is top-notch.
DeleteI read some of Angell's books in the 1980s. He is of another era and likable for that reason.
ReplyDeleteAnother piece, also in this collection, is "In the Fire," first published in Winter 1984. I first read it in his collection Season Ticket. It's all about catchers. If you love baseball, read it. It will blow...your...mind.
DeleteI love to read about baseball, too. Sounds like someone worth checking out. I've never seen Bull Durham. Love Field of Dreams, though. I always like to recommend Fever Pitch, too.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't seen Bull Durham?!!! Tony, you've gotta get on that!
DeleteI have not seen Fever Pitch. Well, actually, I have but it's the British version based on the book which is about Arsenal rather than the Red Sox. That book was a big part of what made me an Arsenal fan.
I became a baseball fan very slowly...I was in my early twenties, actually, when I first started learning the game. It's all Dwayne's fault. I was forced to watch baseball, and I didn't even know the most basic things, like the scoring, how many members on team, anything! What can I say? I'm from Kentucky - BASKETBALL is our religion. Why should I know about anything else, LOL?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've grown to LOVE and appreciate baseball, but I believe I've only read one baseball book - Double Play by Robert B. Parker, which was very good. I will have to put Roger Angell on my list of authors to read, thank you!
A couple of other strong recommendations, both books I've reviewed:
DeleteThe Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski at http://armchairsquid.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-coffee-table-joe-posnanski.html
Moneyball by Michael Lewis at http://armchairsquid.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-coffee-table-michael-lewis.html
Baseball movies and books hinge on whether you love or hate the sport. Moneyball is an underrated movie, but I can't say anything about the book.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fair point and Angell's primary criterion was realism. I do think Bull Durham can be enjoyed by someone who doesn't love the game. The writing is just so darn good!
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