Five Seasons covers the baseball seasons from 1972 through 1976, described as the "most significant half decade in the history of the game." The era was notable for the remarkable individual feats of Hank Aaron, Lou Brock, and Nolan Ryan, among others. It also presented one of the best World Series of all time (1975), including still the greatest World Series game ever played (Game Six).
Along with visiting other games and campaigns, Roger Angell meets a trio of Tigers-obsessed fans, goes to a game with a departing old-style owner, watches high-school ball in Kentucky with a famous scout, and explores the sad and astounding mystery of Steve Blass's vanished control. Angell's Five Seasons is a gem and a gift for baseball lovers of all ages.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
It's Impossible to Overpraise:
First, you must understand that Roger Angell has an ear for the language that's unlikely to be surpassed for many years. He was particularly a master of cadence. His virtuosity made even ordinary narrative sing.
Second, Angell understands, indeed reveres, the eloquence of ordinary people.
Third, he sees in this complex, maddening game a key to the virtues of his countrymen.
Home, especially if you know nothing or care less about baseball, this is a marvelous lesson in how to write.
Superbly Poetic Narrative:
Roger Angell writes about baseball with a poetic mix of reverence, humor and eloquence. He's provided readers with several five-star baseball narratives, and this one is as good as any. It's now dated, covering the national pastime from 1972-1976, but it remains well worth reading. Among the themes are the Charlie Finley's Oakland A's, Hank Aaron's home run feats, the Big Red Machine, the coming of free agency and big money, and the superb 1975 World Series between Cincinnati and Boston - whose sixth game... more info
How much we've lost:
This is a depressing book. Not because its subject is depressing; we're not talking about the Ukranian famine of 1932 here. No, this is a "You are there" book written at the end of baseball as we knew it. We weren't aware of that at the time, though we could see that things were changing. But we thought, and were repeatedly assured, that the changes would work themselves out. However, if you're over 40, you know they didn't, and baseball is a far less fun activity as a fan than it was then. There are... more info
JUST AS GOOD AS "SUMMER GAME", BUT TIME CHANGES PERCEPTION:
"Five Seasons" is just as good as "The Summer Game", but my personal perceptions, part of maturation, changed my perception of the book. Roger Angell's first work covered events before I was aware of them and then those that occurred in my most formative, fanatical, baseball-crazy years. "Five Seasons" describes years in which I was still a huge baseball fan (I always have been and always will be), but they are all events I witnesed. For this reason, and because as I grew older my interests - girls, cars,... more info
Privacy policy: we don't collect information
about visitors except for the standard technical server logs. We don't send unsolicited emails. We don't
sell the information that we don't collect about you to anyone. When you follow
links to other sites, their privacy policies apply. Thanks for visiting!
