* Review: The Black Prince of Baseball

January 9, 2009

Hal Chase and the Mythology of the Game, by Donald Dewey and Nicholas Acocella (SportsClassic Books, 2004) as reviewed on Seamheads.com.

Upshot:

This volume is tremendously researched and the documentation presented from various newspapers hands the reader a first-hand impression that the interpretations of an author could never convey 90 years after the fact. It illustrates nicely both the way turn-of-the-century writers like Fred Lieb wrote the facts of the games and added their own take on its characters, both good and bad. The story of Hal Chase’s life is cleverly interwoven with this history and also the fantasy of the archaic baseball world that has been cemented in many fans’ minds by such persuasive books as Ritter’s The Glory of Their Times.

As a fan, if you prefer your history colorful, charming and none-too- harmful, The Black Prince of Baseball is not for you. But if you find more flavor in the past by tearing through the skin, this is a very thorough, if lengthy, work that you will enjoy.

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