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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on June 1, 2003. The length of the article is 782 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Complex dedicated for the `love of baseball'.(Sports)(Willamette Valley Babe Ruth Complex in Bethel helps youth program)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: June 1, 2003
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: C1

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This book is filled with great information on the sport and history of baseball with its records set and biographies. Profusely illustrated throughout with photographs. It contains much known and unknown information about many of the greatest, such as Babe Ruth, Paul Wagner, Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, Jim Rice, Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb and many, many others. A book of invaluable information for the sport of baseball.From dust jacket flap: Who are baseballs's 100 greatest players. Every fan will have his own list and no two will be the same The top 25 can be chosen with general agreement. The next 25 will probably arouse a certain amount of heat and rancor. The final 50 cannot be chosen without insult, vituperation and perhaps even a fist fight or two. ... Read more

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Advance Praise for Five O'Clock Lightning

"Come along with Harvey Frommer on a jaunty stroll through baseball eighty years ago. The 1927 Yankees may or may not have been the best team ever, but surely this is the best book about that wonderful concentration of talent."
--George F. Will

"Harvey Frommer brings the perceptive eye of a historian to what was arguably the most feared batting order of all time. Add to that his contagious enthusiasm for classic baseball and you have a most enjoyable book."
--Roger Kahn

"An engrossing and entertaining look at a mythical baseball team. Ride the trains, chew the tobacco, and have fun."
--Leigh Montville, author of The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth

"How great were the '27 Yankees? So great that even now, eighty years later, they still have the power to astonish and entertain. Reading Five O'Clock Lightning, I felt almost as if I were on the road with the Babe, Lou, and Miller Huggins. Harvey Frommer has a great eye for detail and a wonderful ability to bring his characters to life. The book is a delight."
--Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season

"Harvey Frommer hits a home run in this sweet look back at a time when baseball was the only game and the Yankees seemed to be the only team."
--Dan Shaughnessy, author of Senior Year

"Baseball's greatest team as recounted by baseball's greatest author, Harvey Frommer. A surefire classic!"
--Seth Swirsky, author of Baseball Letters and Something to Write Home About ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Greatest Team Of All-Time...Revealed
If you start a conversation with a baseball scribe about the greatest baseball teams of all-time, the 1927 Yankees will be mentioned within a few moments.This book is a very detailed history of that club.

The biggest reason to keep turning pages in this book is the incredible detail that you won't find anywhere else.For a year's worth of events that took place nearly 90 years ago, it is amazing that such specific information is still available.Whether it is the day-to-day grind of the regular season or the biographies of all the team's players, author Harvey Frommer gives you nuggets of information that even the most seasoned of baseball fans will be reading for the first time.

Also, Frommer does a great job of, if not debunking, then at least shedding new light on some of that season's biggest myths, including the Ruth/Gehrig relationship, the unsung starting pitching, and the World Series "demolition" of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

However, the overall material could be interpreted as a bit dry by the non-zealous baseball fans among us.It is just a very straightforward, little-frills approach to writing that might not be for everyone.Thus, I highly recommend this book to the hard-core baseball fan set, but maybe not for the more casual fan.

A Yankee History Must Have
Say what you will about the Philadelphia Phillies "Wiz Kids", or the old St. Louis "Gas House Gang", the fact remains that this Yankee team of 1927 is probably the greatest baseball team ever to take the field. Five O'clock Lightening" is the story of this Yankee team, the larger than life players from "Murder's Row", such as Ruth and Gehrig, who terrorized the baseball world, and what they accomplished. A great baseball story that I would highly recommend to anyone.

A Solid Three Stars
This is the second book on the New York Yankees entitled Five O'Clock Lightning.The first came out a few years ago and was written by former Yankee Tommy Henrich and Bill Gilbert.This new version on the 1927 Yankees provides us with an introduction to each of the players on the roster including Manager Miller Huggins and batboy Eddie Bennett.We are provided with anecdotes regarding Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri, Joe Dugan, Bob Meusel, Urban Shocker, manager Miller Huggins, and others, but if you have done some significant reading on baseball history you will find many of the same stories repeated here.The regular season is covered with more statistics than I care to read about.The World Series against the Pirates follows, but it is hard to jazz up a four game route.To me the best part of the book was the final section regarding what happened in the future to each of those involved.The reader will know about Ruth, Gehrig, and Huggins, but the demise of the remaining members of the team is covered as well.The book is a quick read depending on your background.Writer Damon Runyon's name is misspelled (Runyan) three times on pages 74 and 75.Regarding the 1927 Yankees St. Louis pitcher Milt Gaston is quoted as saying, "There isn't a moment's mental rest for a pitcher against that batting order."It sounds like this also will apply to the 2008 Detroit Tigers.I rate this book a solid three stars.It isn't a classic by any means, and I'm sure it wasn't meant to be.

Most Everything You Want To Know About The 1927 Yankees
The author puts together about as much as anyone might want to know about this great team. From the super stars to those who filled out the roster. He recaps the season as well as most of the individual player accomplishments. He even includes the death dates of those participants as well as excerpts from Babe Ruth's final Will and Testament. A good read for anyone interested in this important aspect of baseball history.

A fresh look at an old favorite
The 1927 New York Yankees assembled perhaps the greatest collection of athletes in history. Frommer, who has made something of a cottage industry out of New York baseball, reaffirms that claim with this latest offering.

The subtitle represents a problem that fans have had for generations. Everyone knows about Ruth, Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and a handful of other regulars. But a team is made up of 25 players, and Frommer gives them all their due. Using team photos from that year, he gives more than a passing glance at the "spear carriers" who fill out the Yankees' roster.

Frommer reports on the games, as the reader witnesses the Yankees building their reputation as the Bronx Bombers; Ruth's 60 home runs were more than the combined totals of most other teams. But the author makes the players more human, more accessible. Gehrig, for instance, endured a two-week slump towards the end of the regular season because he was so distraught over his ailing mother. But Joe Giard, Paul Krichell and Walter Beall? Not exactly household names but Frommer includes their stories, supplementing their contributions on the field with substantial background material, including their lives in post-baseball retirement and a chronological necrology. Such intimate details are unusual in the rough-and-tumble genre of sports books.



... Read more

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1931 Book, by Babe Ruth ... Read more

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A retelling of the day Jackie Mitchell, a seventeen-year-old female professional baseball player, struck out the New York Yankees best hitters, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, in an exhibition game in 1931. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Terrific book!
What a wonderful book to inspire young girls to do and be anything they want!This book is a great launching pad for a discussion about girls and sports and what they have not been allowed to do because of prejudices.Wonderful pictures, too!

Baseball fans HERE is YOURBOOK.
Title: The Girl who struck out Babe Ruth
Author: Jean L.S. Patrick
Reading Level:2nd to 5th

I loved the book It was great.
I liked the book because it was different that a Girl struck out famous baseball players!
Baseball fans would like it !

Baseball fans HERE is YOURBOOK.
Title: The Girl who struck out Babe Ruth
Author: Jean L.S. Patrick
Reading Level:2nd to 5th

I loved the book It was great.
I liked the book because it was different that a Girl struck out famous baseball players!
Baseball fans would like it !

Outstanding role model for young girls
Excellent description of the life of a 17 year old girl whowasan amazing sportswoman.She actually did strike out Babe Ruth andLou Gehrig in succession.The author portrays this young baseball player in an excellent fashion, giving girls a vision of their unlimited potential.

An inspiring message for girls of all ages!

Author Patrick also offers workshops that give further detail about this amazing young woman, including actual film footage of the event. ... Read more

Product Description

On October 1, 1932, during Game Three of the Chicago Cubs -- New York Yankees World Series, Babe Ruth belted a long home run to straightaway centerfield. According to legend, just before he hit, Babe pointed to the bleachers and boldly predicted he would slam the next pitch there.

Did he call the shot or didn't he? Witnesses never agreed. Like other baseball fans, Joe Stoshack wants to know the truth. But unlike other fans, Joe has the astonishing ability to travel through time and solve one of baseball's greatest puzzles....

Customer Reviews (40)

Babe and Me
I'm not a sports fan and got this book for someone who is, but when I started read it myself I couldn't put it down. While baseball isa major part of the story, there's a lot more to it thanwho wins the games. I think kids will love it and maybe learn something besides.

Excellent Book
My 9 year-old has read all the books in this series and has enjoyed them all !The author does a great job of combining facts from history intertwined with his character that travels back in time.These books have led to much discussion with my child about some of the facts brought forward in the books.

In this particular book, Joe travels back to 1932 to see Babe Ruth and one of the topics brought forward was the Great Depression. The author did quite a bit of research to try & represent The Babe's personality in a juvenille book.

I have read 3 in this series (so far) and highly recommend them for young readers.What i like the best is that it creates further discussion on some of the American history topics brought forward in the book.

Whether the shot was called, or not, doesn't take away from the fact that Babe Ruth was the greatest ever to play the game & provided much necessary entertainment for a county in dire need of it at the time !

GOOD BOOK,I.E., AUTHOR MIXES FACT/TRUE HISTORY: '29 DEPRESSION, POLISH-CATHOLIC HOLOCAUST VICTIMS(3 MILLION)ACKNOWLEDGED,JOESIDE
Book drags a little in beginning, then really picks up some momentum. This is a very good book, not only about the babe, but the way real histoy fact, is mixed with a little fiction - time travel.

Fact: Joey's father has just lost his job and is down on his luck. Everyone, including his wife judge him for face value and are not very patient with him. Joey's father is really a 'good guy,' and a great father. Joey's father always seems mad and sad about something. That something, the author reveals later in the book, is the fact that Joey's father who is a Polish-Catholic, lost most of his family members when the Nazi's invaded Poland. Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles Under German Occupation 1939-1944

Few know that 3 Million Polish-Catholics were, also, murdered by the Germans in WWII Very few people know this fact, and to add to the horror, Stalin murdered another 2 million Catholic Poles.

While the Germans were bringing terror to the Polish people in Poland, they also murdered 6 Million Jews from all of Europe. The author is fair to mention the Polish-Catholic suffering, in what is known as The Forgotten Holocaust or the 3 Million Polish-Catolics, murdered by the Germans (Joey's father's Catholic family in Lodz, Poland, were also victims). Forgotten Survivors: Polish Christians Remember The Nazi Occupation (Modern War Studies)

This is what constantly bothered Joey's dad. The divorce and not seeing his son enough, only made him more sad. In the time travel part, Joey's father reads about Hitler coming to power, he desperately tries to tell Roosevelt, when they are back in time, trying to stop the Holocaust by telling Roosevelt, but Roosevelt ignored him and did not believe him. Interesting fact is that: Joey's father, who is Polish (Gutman makes a clear point of his being Polish early in the book) tried to help stop the holocaust, as did real life hero Jan Karski, A Polish-Catholic courrier. Did the Children Cry: Hitler's War Against Jewish and Polish Children, 1939-1945

Jan Karski, who also told Roosevelt about the Holocaust, but Roosevelt wouldn't believe Jan Karski either(but in real life!!!), and, sadly, Roosevelt, did nothing about it. Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust

The time travel does bring father and son and family back together. Did the Babe point or not is secondary to the lessons of humanity, decency and history in this book. The Babe was, like Joey's dad, in the end, a very tortured soul, but ultimately, a really, really great father, husband and human being.

Credit to Dan Gutman for a piece of history
This was an enjoyable book. It explores one of the most thought of and talked about baseball historical events of all time. George Herman Ruth called his shot to center field on the third inning of the third game in the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. He stuck his left hand in the air and pointed to the center field bleachers and called his shot. I like how the author of this book Dan Gutman challenges the called shot it makes you feel like you are at that game it gives you a perspective the no film footage or pictures could ever give you. Reading this book made me have a stronger perspective of his called shot it shows how you can take a little known opinion and turn it into one of the most exciting cliff hanging books ever and if you've only known about the called shot for a little bit like me I suggest this book to anyone who doesn't know about the called shot or still want to know more about it. Dan Gutman gives a look at what it would be like to be one of George Herman Ruth's friend what it would be like to hold his bat be in his house and be a thought in his mind. I give credit to Dan Gutman for writing this book I enjoyed the first person look at George Ruth's life and the way he played ball. If you liked this book I also suggest the rest of the books in this series including ones that have not yet been published.

a great book to jump-start your kid's love of reading
My son was a reluctant beginning reader until his first grade teacher pulled out a copy of Babe and Me to read to his class. We went out and got it the next day, read it together, and he spent the next summer working his way through it by himself, slowly reading it aloud.
Since then, he has read this book and the others in the series several times. This novel is multi-layered, with storylines about a boy's relationship with his father (his parents are divorced), all told in the historical context of the Great Depression and during the rise of Hitler. Every time we read this together (and there have been countless times), my son finds something else to discuss. The mystery of the book---did Babe really call the shot?---almost doesn't matter when you consider the book as a whole.
Overall, I credit this book as jump-starting my son's love of reading and of baseball. I can't recommend this enough for anyone looking for an entertaining and interesting read, and parents will love reading it aloud with younger readers, as well. ... Read more

Product Description
In a career that spanned more than 30 years, George Herman -Babe+ Ruth changed the way the sport of baseball was played. He was the first true power hitter, a strong pitcher, and in the outfield made some amazing game-saving catches. His love of the sport shined through in the way he laughed while jogging around the bases, in how he kidded and horsed around with teammates, and in his overall determination to win. But there was a darker side to Babe, one that nearly ruined his career-and his life. In the end, however, Ruth managed to overcome his personal demons, recapture his health, and go on to lead his beloved Yankees to championship status. Simply put, there has never been another player like the Babe. Get to know a true legend. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (22)

Mission Accomplished
Having read this book and met Bill on a few occastions, I am very impressed with his research and his dedication to his goal.We all knew Ruth was the best ever but this book elevates his abilities to a new level.

Very detailed and concise.I applaud Bill's work.Top notch release.

Returning the legend to the throne of our hearts
Jenkinson's book has what baseball fans want:statistics, lore, personal insight, and just plain fun stories.I am very impressed with the incredible decades-long research he undertook to compile this book.Just when I begin to question a factual detail, Jenkinson will mention an interview with a fan who saw the Babe hit a 600-foothome run, his trips to the Library of Congress, or interviews with Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson, or Mickey Mantle. His charts of the consistently massive distances of of the Babe's roundtrippers with relative lengths of ballparks in the 1920s compared to today's parks really makes the point that the Babe played under different--more difficult--circumstances.How can you argue with the simple fact of Babe--a rookie pitcher--hitting a dead ball 475 feet?

Very, very impressive writing and research.Very, very, fun.I can't put it down.Thanks for giving me back the legend, Mr. Jenkinson.I feel like a kid again reading your book.

You'll love the Babe even more
I've waisted 3 or 4 years before getting this book. I stupidly thought it woudn't be good. Gross error. This is a FANTASTIC BOOK. The author explain very convincingly why the Babe was the greatest that ever was. By far the most powerful hitter of all-time. You'll see many pictures of the Babe's longest blast, how far they travelled and everything there is to know.

I've showed those pics to many non-baseball fans and the were absolutly amazed by the lenght of those blasts.

You'll be overwhelm by it all.

A lot of wasted pages
The first portion of this book is a breezy summary of Ruth's professional career including preseason and other exhibition games. Even if you have read other accounts of the same period, going through this will pleasantly pass the time, though rather more space is devoted to speculation about how long some of Ruth's home runs were than most readers would like, given that in baseball qua baseball the operational definition of home runs does not include length.
The remainder of the book, however, comprises a blizzard of data and citation masquerading as research and analysis leading to the conclusion that Ruth would have been credited with many more home runs playing in stadia with dimensions similar to contemporary ballparks'. As virtually every piece of the argument is presented with no statistical (or other) context and virtually every doubtful case--most of them are doubtful--is decided in favor of the author's argument, the book comes off as a exercise in reaching for straws by someone who is convinced that baseball in the past was better than baseball is not. The argument is not convincing, and the book is not good.
Regarding the writing, the chronologic season summaries are fine, but the later, "analytic" sections are marred by frequent hyperbole, grammatical mistakes, and usage problems, making finishing the book even more a chore.
Not recommended.

Husband and son- in- law recommend this book!
The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs: Recrowning Baseball's Greatest Slugger
I spent hours reading book reviews written by a number of baseball critics before purchasing this book (two of them.) My son-in-law and husband are baseball fanatics and I knew I needed to find a well informed book to satisfy their tastes.
It hit the mark! Both said it was one of the best books on The Babe they've read. It concerns itself for the most part with his professional life peppered with smatterings of his personal life -- some tidbits of which even they were unaware.
My husband stated that it is a bit slow and repetative in some places, that's the only reason for the 4 instead of 5 stars. ... Read more

Product Description
The man who made the game of baseball, George Herman Ruth, wasn't always the Babe. Once he was a boy playing ball on a dirt lot.
Robert Burleigh and Mike Winner have created a stunning portrait of a legend--and of baseball's glory days.
Amazon.com Review
"He has always had this swing. This easy, upthrusting swing. This 'pretty'swing, not taught by any coach. One day the Babe just swung--and it wasthere. It was his." Combining stirring, poetic prose and Mike Wimmer's realisticillustrations, Home Run conveys the feeling of excitement andawe that must have been present at a baseball game in which the great BabeRuth played. Robert Burleigh, who previously collaborated with Wimmer on theaward-winning Flight: TheJourney of Charles Lindbergh, writes this picture-book tribute "formy Father--who loved the game ... for my son, Eli, to help him learn thespirit of can-do." His great love for both shines through. Our stomachsknot and spirits soar as Ruth steps up to the plate. Home Run softlydraws us into the story, and the illustrations, rendered in oil on canvas,have an expansiveness and glow that lift them from the page. The gentletribute is enhanced by "vintage-style baseball cards" that highlightaspects of Babe Ruth's career ("The Bambino loved driving low-slungconvertibles, donning silk shirts and coonskin coats, and downing hugemeals"), allowing Burleigh the opportunity to include important informationwithout destroying the perfect simplicity of the main story. A treasure foranyone with a love of the game, Home Run is also powerfullyaffecting for those new to the excitement it holds. (Click to see a sample spread.Illustration from Home Run by Robert Burleigh, illustration © 1998by Mike Wimmer, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.)(Ages 5 and older) --Aimee Damman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

babe ruth book
nice book but thought it was a little childish...thought it would be more autobiograsphical...reminded me of a formal comic book

An ode to . . ."one of the best"
To `people of pallor,' Babe Ruth's still their 'Number 1' thrill . . .
To people of color? Josh Gibson's the `King of the Hill.'

Just as pitchers named "Koufax" and "Heller" were once "all the rage,"
The greatest of hurlers just may be the great Satchel Paige.

The first, died the year Jackie Robinson entered the majors,
While Paige was denied `Hall of Fame' -- until '72!

Some say `The Bambino" was known as "the white Joshua Gibson"
And Paige? Well, he "never looked back - someone's gaining on you!"

And as for this book? it's the "best about Babe" that is 'out there'
Deservedly, thanks to "Bob Burleigh" and "Mike Wimmer" too!
Those paintings evoke "Norman Rockwell," I'dsay -- wouldn't you?

Yes thanks for a 'HOME RUN' that's sales-ranked this day "60-thousand"
[At least in "December of '09" (this date) that is true.]

Just thought that I'd sing of your praise, in this way, with a poem,
An "Ode to the greats," (not just Babe!)that I'm sending to you.


Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Canada

Going Going Gone
I liked it when Babe said (I like to see the skiny ball hit the fat bat). I liked it when the Author said he`s always had this swing NO coach tought him.

babe ruth
This is a beautiful picture book but it is for much younger children than whom i purchased it for. He is Ten and would have read it in fifteen min. not what i expected.

Lyrical pictures of the Babe hitting a home run
When I first saw the cover painting by Mike Wimmer on "Home Run" I was not sure if it was supposed to be Babe Ruth.In his glory days the Bambino had a body like an inverted pyramid, with those broad shoulders tapering down to those thin little ankles and tiny feet, and there are some paintings in "Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth" that do not especially look like the Babe.However, those are few and far between.

The text by Robert Burleigh comes in two parts.First, there is the book's narrative, a sort of lyric ode to the Babe that combines his discovering his "pretty" swing as a boy with a home run he hits off of a Red Sox pitcher years later.Second, under the narrative text there is the back of a faux-baseball card (from "The World Champion" series), that has biographical and statistical details about Ruth.

However, the centerpiece of this book is the time at bat that takes up the last half of the book.Earlier there is a striking painting of Ruth launching a pop-up; the view is from behind the catcher who has taken off his mask, all eyes turned to the sky and the small white ball rising into the sky.Wimmer offers several unique and compelling perspectives during the home run episode as well: the Red Sox first baseman craning his neck to follow the flight of the unseen ball, the eyes of Ruth watching it disappear into the stands, the Babe's foot on first base as the pitcher stands dejectedly on the mound.

There is a quote on the back-flap of the dust-jacket that says the "Chicago Sun-Times" described Wimmer's illustrations as "reminiscent of some of Normal Rockwell's best."Certainly there are strong similarities, especially in the painting of the fans reacting to Ruth's homerun.But with his emphasis on key details to tell the story Wimmer offers a decidedly different perspective from Rockwell that I really liked.Ultimately, it is the artwork rather than the narrative that makes this a lyrical book. ... Read more