The Forever Boys - Hardcover

Golenbock, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1559720344 ISBN 13: 9781559720342

Publisher: Carol Publishing Group, 1992

Synopsis

Former major league baseball players, now members of a Florida league for older players, speak about their experiences in the major leagues and the final days of their professional careers

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Golenbock displayed his talent for oral history in his books on the Brooklyn Dodgers ( Bums ) and New York Yankees ( Dynasty ). Here he profiles the first year of the Senior Baseball League, a competitive league of former professional players over age 35. Golenbock, who followed the pennant-winning St. Petersburg Pelicans through tryouts, winning and losing streaks, injuries and bus rides criss-crossing Florida, conveys vivid portraits of individuals determined to extend their declining but still formidable talents. Some, like St. Pete manager Bobby Tolan and his pitching coach Dock Ellis, were controversial stars in the major leagues. All describe the family hardships, organizational politics, racism and personal disillusionment that accompany the joy of playing the game. Briskly written and entertaining, the book also records, perhaps for the first time, a well-known player tradition: the hilariously biased proceedings of a ``kangaroo court''--a cherished opportunity to hound teammates about misplays on the field, gluttonous eating habits or anything else that amuses the court ``judges''--an experience not to be missed. Photos not seen by PW.

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

The controversial Golenbock, author of Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964 ( LJ 4/15/75) and Personal Fouls (Carroll & Graf, 1989), among other books, takes us behind the scenes of the first season (1989-90) of baseball's new Senior League. Traveling with the St. Petersburg Pelicans, he interviewed the players and relates stories about their personal lives, their troubles once they left the majors, and obligatory anecdotes from their professional careers. Acting as something of a spokesperson for the players, Golenbock goes to great lengths to show the ugly side of the baseball business, lamenting from a paper soapbox unfair management, careers that ended too soon, discrimination, and of course the infamous owners' collusion scandal against free agency. Although one-sided, many stories are heartbreaking and all are interesting. An unusual glimpse at heroes from the not-so-distant past. Recommended.
- John Turner, New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Carol Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 1559720344
• ISBN 13: 9781559720342
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 391