 "The richness of friendships" | 2009-07-20 |
| - Reviewed By absparks |
Boston Red Sox players Ted Williams, Dominic DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr were friends for more than 50 years. Author David Halberstam uses a trip DiMaggio, Pesky and friend Dick Flavin took from Boston in October 2001 to visit an ailing Ted Williams in Florida to tell the story of their rich, touching friendship. Doerr, who was in Oregon taking care of his ailing wife, was unable to make the trip.
Williams was the one who held the group together. DiMaggio, Pesky and Doerr were "my guys" to Williams. Halberstam gives us insight into all four players. And, most readers would find it comfortable being around DiMaggio, Pesky and Doerr. Williams was another story. People had to accept Williams on his own terms and accept what went with it. He was loud, vulgar, smart, cantankerous, highly opinionated and a man of severe mood swings.
Halberstam creates memorable portraits of each player by mixing in information about their baseball careers, how they met their wives, their families, life after baseball and their health issues.
These four men played baseball in a different era--when you were more likely to play for one team and develop friendships with the men on your team.
Pesky said his richness had come from his friendships. The best part of the lives of these four players had little to do with material riches. And, they had lived their lives without regret.
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| "Another Classic Journey into Baseball's Past" | 2009-06-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3FHSO1SKHU378 |
The writing style of David Halberstam is at its eloquent best with this wonderful journey into baseball's glorious past; this time, recounting the road trip some buddies made to visit an old pal.
Of course, what makes this story so compelling is it involves several members from a very good Boston Red Sox team from over half a century ago, as they journey south to visit the game's greatest hitter during his "last at bat"; Ted Williams.
It's a poignant tale, filled with rich doses of baseball history and sharp commentary from the wonderful author, David Halberstam. I only wish it had gone into more detail; extra innings would've been nice to satisfy this baseball fanatic's appetite.
This is another classic piece of work from Halberstam; and a nice ending to the storybook career and life of one the game's most enigmatic players; and the true friendship that bonded him with some guys he used to work with. |
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| "This is THE book if you love the Sox of yesterday" | 2009-06-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2XEE16242MEYB |
| When i was a kid I got to see Ted Williams play. I never did see DiMaggio, Pesky or Doerr. Now I know how much I missed. And, like just about every kid in my neighborhood, he was a god. Reading this book I got to see so much more of Ted, his Teammates, and the Sox. It's a great story. |
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| "A Nice Read" | 2009-06-08 |
| - Reviewed By touch10 |
| This is really a nice story. I don't review books because I'm not a professional reviewer, but I do comment. This is really a nice story about four guys that knew what friendship was all about. Four great ball players who spent most of their professional lives rooting for each other. They then carried this friendship beyond the ball field and into their everyday lives, never coming close to fracturing their relationship because the knew and understood each other...they also respected each other, and each other's accomplishments. I would certainly recommend this book to any young man or woman, or for that matter to any athlete embarking on a career and on life's journey. It shows what real friendship is all about; and it shows how it can be sustained. |
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| "Tender. Sweet. Insightful." | 2009-04-19 |
| - Reviewed By jellis |
THE TEAMMATES is a touching portrait of four friends from the world of professional baseball: Dom DiMaggio, Ted Williams, John Pesky, and Bobby Doerr from the 1940-50 era of the Boston Red Sox.
You don't have to be part of Red Sox Nation to enjoy this book, although it would help. David Halberstam, in a gentle and reverential way, leads the reader through the careers of each ballplayer as well as their camaraderie in an intimate and warm fashion.
In an era when little boys revered their baseball heroes and America celebrated her favorite pastime, these four players would become household names. More than that, they would become lifelong friends. This is a story of their friendship; of four very different men who decided to befriend one another, despite their differences.
Friendship is a choice. Great friendships will endure hardships, distress, tensions and strain. These four friends, despite the odds, chose to befriend each other and entered a bond that prevailed over disease and disability, over time itself. Born out of mutual respect and honor, these four ballplayers are revealed as men of character and worthy of being America's heroes.
I watched two old golfers approach the second tee on their morning round of golf. One of the aged partners lifted up his foot and put it on the bench. The other reached down and tied his laces for him. They went on to play the hole.
Halberstam handles the subject beautifully and tenderly in this sweet story.
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 "Disappointed" | 2009-04-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3D7G9X6WMZJ9A |
| I've read many of the author's works, all of which are great beyond description. However I was disappointed in this one. It gave a somewhat brief history of the men involved, how they came together, their commonalities, and their differences. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I was expecting more. |
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