Still Pitching by Michael Steinberg, 2003, Michigan State Press
This is a well-written memoir of growing up in 1950's New York. Young Steinberg is obsessed with baseball, especially the Brooklyn Dodgers and his dream of playing on his high school varsity team. Along the way he opens up about his trouble with girls and his desire to be a sports writer.
In junior high, Steinberg had a very poor image of himself. It does not appear he received much support at home. His father, a traveling salesman, was often on the road and when he was home, he did not seem to have much interest in his family. His mother seems loving but does not understand her son and makes no attempts to do so.
Early on, Steinberg connects with his grandfather, who was living with his family while Steinberg was in junior high. Grandpa takes the young lad to the horse track and shows him the ropes. Steinberg eats up his grandfather's enthusiasm for the horses and is observant enough to see the poetry in the track environment.
Steinberg's tale captures a moment in time, a moment in American history, and a defining moment in the history of Major League baseball. He offers vivid detail of his life in the 1950's. He was a participant of the birth of rock 'n roll. He hung out at the local diner and drank egg malts, which I am curious to learn a little more about. I enjoyed the talk about the 1950's automobiles that the folks in his life drove. Steinberg, unfortunately, road a bike and did not own a car in the 1950's. His family, which struggled financially, had one car, an Oldsmobile, while the rich kids he knew had Cadillacs with those big fins.
He was a passive fan of the New York Giants baseball club when the magic of the Brooklyn Dodgers began to rub off on him thanks to a nerdy kid at school who had an unbridled passion for "dem bums." Steinberg and his friends regularly took public transportation to Ebbet's Field. He also listened to Red Barber's broadcasts of the games on the radio. The Dodgers fortunes mirrored his own as the team won the pennant year after year only to lose to the Yankees in the World Series until that amazing year of 1955 when they won it all.
Just two years later, Steinberg saw the Dodgers last game at Ebbet's Field and cried when the game ended. He actually went to a Dodgers game at the L.A. Coliseum in 1959 but couldn't stomach it. Soon after, he was back in New York and watched the destruction of Ebbet's Field.
As a fan of baseball and its history, I am all too aware of the Dodgers and the Giants leaving New York. I have always wondered about the fan's perspective of the moves and through Steinberg, I had a front-row seat to the sorrow and heartache he felt when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
Then there are the trials and tribulations of his junior high and high school baseball careers. From the anti-Semitic junior high coach to the tough-love high school coach. He went through years of anguish and almost threw in the towel but ultimately came through in the end. I was disappointed that he failed to take up the Chicago White Sox offer to play in their minor leagues. Though, I was happy to see that he did pitch in college. I also thought it was pretty cool that he faced Hank Fischer in high school, a pitcher who went on to play for the Milwaukee Braves.
As for girls, I think most guys can relate to his failures, insecurities and eventual successes. He also had success in both junior high and high school writing sports for the school papers.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. Steinberg was able to transport me to the 1950's and give me a little peak into what life was like in that era. What I'd give to have been able to see Jackie Robinson play at Ebbet's Field. "Still Pitching" is an excellent book and I highly recommend giving it a read.
This is a well-written memoir of growing up in 1950's New York. Young Steinberg is obsessed with baseball, especially the Brooklyn Dodgers and his dream of playing on his high school varsity team. Along the way he opens up about his trouble with girls and his desire to be a sports writer.
In junior high, Steinberg had a very poor image of himself. It does not appear he received much support at home. His father, a traveling salesman, was often on the road and when he was home, he did not seem to have much interest in his family. His mother seems loving but does not understand her son and makes no attempts to do so.
Early on, Steinberg connects with his grandfather, who was living with his family while Steinberg was in junior high. Grandpa takes the young lad to the horse track and shows him the ropes. Steinberg eats up his grandfather's enthusiasm for the horses and is observant enough to see the poetry in the track environment.
Steinberg's tale captures a moment in time, a moment in American history, and a defining moment in the history of Major League baseball. He offers vivid detail of his life in the 1950's. He was a participant of the birth of rock 'n roll. He hung out at the local diner and drank egg malts, which I am curious to learn a little more about. I enjoyed the talk about the 1950's automobiles that the folks in his life drove. Steinberg, unfortunately, road a bike and did not own a car in the 1950's. His family, which struggled financially, had one car, an Oldsmobile, while the rich kids he knew had Cadillacs with those big fins.
He was a passive fan of the New York Giants baseball club when the magic of the Brooklyn Dodgers began to rub off on him thanks to a nerdy kid at school who had an unbridled passion for "dem bums." Steinberg and his friends regularly took public transportation to Ebbet's Field. He also listened to Red Barber's broadcasts of the games on the radio. The Dodgers fortunes mirrored his own as the team won the pennant year after year only to lose to the Yankees in the World Series until that amazing year of 1955 when they won it all.
Just two years later, Steinberg saw the Dodgers last game at Ebbet's Field and cried when the game ended. He actually went to a Dodgers game at the L.A. Coliseum in 1959 but couldn't stomach it. Soon after, he was back in New York and watched the destruction of Ebbet's Field.
As a fan of baseball and its history, I am all too aware of the Dodgers and the Giants leaving New York. I have always wondered about the fan's perspective of the moves and through Steinberg, I had a front-row seat to the sorrow and heartache he felt when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
Then there are the trials and tribulations of his junior high and high school baseball careers. From the anti-Semitic junior high coach to the tough-love high school coach. He went through years of anguish and almost threw in the towel but ultimately came through in the end. I was disappointed that he failed to take up the Chicago White Sox offer to play in their minor leagues. Though, I was happy to see that he did pitch in college. I also thought it was pretty cool that he faced Hank Fischer in high school, a pitcher who went on to play for the Milwaukee Braves.
As for girls, I think most guys can relate to his failures, insecurities and eventual successes. He also had success in both junior high and high school writing sports for the school papers.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. Steinberg was able to transport me to the 1950's and give me a little peak into what life was like in that era. What I'd give to have been able to see Jackie Robinson play at Ebbet's Field. "Still Pitching" is an excellent book and I highly recommend giving it a read.
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