 
|
Book: Throwbacks: Old-School Baseball Players In Today's Game
Written by George Castle (Potomac Books)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz
The term is as old as the game itself. In football it is the measure of someone's toughness; basketball lexicon employs a similar term - "old school" - with the clear implication that some players stand out from among their contemporaries with the light of a bygone era.
In baseball, arguably the most lyrical of the major North American sports, it implies something like a player's flair and personality. A throwback quotient, if there were one, wouldn't be expressed with Sabermetrics, or commercial appearances; its measure would be in dirty uniforms, like that on the back of Houston's Craig Biggio; it would be shown in highlights as the pesky dance off of second employed by leadoff man Fernando Vina.
As the years progress and the dollars grow, the desire of players to own up to an unwritten code has undoubtedly eroded. The prevailing view is that ballplayers today are interested in long term deals, and endorsements, with winning the World Series come October as a bonus. In George Castle's book, Throwbacks: Old-School Baseball Players In Today's Game, the examination is of those players who still observe the unwritten rules. Perhaps the all night card game to pass a train ride is gone, but the hard take-out slide is not.
For a segment of the game's fans, its obsession with nostalgia can border on obnoxious; Castle seems comfortable in discussing how the game on the field has evolved beyond its folksy roots. What a book like Throwbacks fails to note is that each generation begs to pay homage to that before. Vina might remind an old Cardinal fan of 60's star Red Schoendinst; but to an even older fan, Schoendinst was a modernization of Depression era second sacker, Frankie Frisch. Baseball is a cyclical game that seems to thrive on lauding its forefathers at the expense of its present stars.
However preoccupied Castle's book might be with the past, it is a delightful addition to a baseball library heavy with star biography. The nostalgic terminology in Throwbacks soon becomes repetitive, but any book that shines light on the likes of Ellis Burks, Lloyd McClendon and Turk Wendell makes for an interesting read. Many of the featured players are curiosities with hardly anything written for a casual fan's consumption. Castle has done well touching on some of the divergent elements existing in a dynamic game. The merit in Throwbacks comes in how truly unique it is honoring the unsung star, creating relieving read for the Bonds-laden dog days.
© 2005 - Erick Mertz