Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970's

by Phil Pepe

Book Overview

Baseball in the 1970s--remember how awesome it was? It was a decade of heroes and upsets and dramatic freeze-frame moments. Never had the game been more exciting. Never did it change so radically. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345414977
• ISBN13: 9780345414977
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 396 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Easy read and never dull

I was born in 1970 so I vaguely remember the last few years of the decade and the men who played the game. Pepe takes you on a year-by-year journey and gives you some of the unique stories that make baseball such an interesting sport. You will read about two pitchers who trade families (no kidding) and about how George Steinbrenner got his start with the Yankees. You will also feel the tragedies that baseball suffered in the 70's with the deaths of Roberto Clemente and Thurmon Munson. The book also gives a good perspective about the beginning of free agency and some needed background for the labor problems that plague the game even today. It is a great book for those of us who loved the game in the 70's and it is also a good book for those fans who were not around the game then but would like to learn more about the game.

Pepe Hits A Homerun

Phil Pepe is a veteran New York sports reporter who has seen more than his fair share of ball games. The 70's were a decade of change and excess and baseball mirrored those strange times. Society started to accept men with longer hair, mustaches, crazy clothes and looser mores and baseball did the same. Players grew their hair long, grew mustaches and many teams changed their uniforms to contain gaudy bright colors moving away from the typical bland grays. The DH was introduced into the game, night baseball became more prevalent and of course the advent of free agency, all of which changed the game into what it is today. We read about the A's dynasty, the reemergence of the Yankees, the Big Red Machine, the tragic losses of Clemente and Munson, the wife swapping of two Yankee pitchers and other bizarre tales. There seemed to be more characters in the game at that time and Mr. Pepe gets into the changes and characters as told by the players themselves. You won't be able to put the book down as it is an easy and enjoyable read. A must for any fan of the game.

A complete joy to read and brings back lots of memories.

This book brought back a ton of memories for me as I grew up in the 70's and seeing the great photos made me feel like I was 10 again and just opening a new pack of baseball cards. The stories of The New York Yankees really made me laugh out loud and remembering the great Thurman Munson with the words of his teammates and family brought back vividly the day I heard of his tragic demise. Overall this book was very well done and an easy read with its interview style and getting the real story on several legendary moments from the participants was worth the price. If you love,like or have an interest in baseball and its past, this book gives you an idea of what caused most of us to fall in love with the game.

Baseball's decade of change

Phil Pepe does an outstanding job of taking us back in time to baseball's turbulent decade: the 1970's. His in-depth interviews, take you back as if you were there yourself. He does an excellent job of laying the groundwork for what would become the trademark of the seventies: free agency. His tale of Curt Flood and his drive to have the reserve clause abolished, is astonishing. He shows the readers that maybe Curt Flood hasn't received the recognition that he deserves for pioneering the free agency era. Pepe also show the tragic side of the decade with riveting accounts of the deaths of some of baseball biggest stars, such as Clemente and Munson. His inside look at the death of Thurman Munson and interview with his widow Diane is outstanding. It is handled with the delicate care that it should be while also telling the hard facts. His accounts of the games, players, and events that make up the 1970's is truly unbelievable. This book is a must for any baseball fan. My only regret was that the book was not longer because I had a hard time putting it down!

Great Book

Man, is this book good. I've just had a chance to flip through it (I have a preview edition) but I still can't say enough about it. If you love baseball, buy it as soon as it comes out.