baseball

Teammates is a story of true friendship. The book centers around three greats from the Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio, John Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. Their final meeting is used as a backdrop for several stories from their playing days.

The story starts in the final months of the life of Ted Williams. Dimaggio and Pesky are inspired to reunite with their friend before his inevitable death. Bobby Doerr is unable to make the trip because of the health of his wife.

The book is formatted in the same way things were probably discussed in the car that day. The stories build up as each one of the four joins the team with the final addition being Pesky. The book continues as it goes through the teams years as a American League powerhouse. Unfortunately, World War II and the Korean War would be the main factor in preventing these baseball icons for playing in more than one World Series. The Red Sox lost that one World Series to the Cardinals. The play that allegedly turned that series is discussed in detail. The misfortune for which Pesky was blamed is a travesty. Even his teammates try to take the blame from Pesky. Being the stand-up guy that he is, Pesky continues to unjustly accept the blame. The book ends with each playing leaving the team until Williams returns from the Korean War to find all of his friends are gone. This drains much of the fun of the game for Williams. As a consequence he also leaves baseball.

Halberstam really does not write a book as buy as he retells stories from a car ride. This book is certain to become a favorite of those who enjoy baseball or the friendships developed in team sports. It should also be required reading for Red Sox fans.

David Halberstam's Teammates is about Boston Red Sox Dominic DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Ted Williams; who enjoyed close friendships during their playing days which continued through the rest of their lives. The book begins with Pesky, DiMaggio and Red Sox historian Dick Flavin driving to Florida to spend their last time with the ailing Williams. Doerr could not make the trek as he was in Oregon taking care of his wife who had weakened after suffering two strokes. From here, Halberstam takes the reader through a brief history of each of these players and their steadfast friendship through the decades.

Much of the book is centered around Williams, the most famous of the four, of course, and the most dominating of the personalities. Halberstam does an excellent job painting the characters in such a way that the reader feels he/she really knows them. Such is especially the case with Williams; the intense perfectionist who demanded the most of himself and those around him. Included in this book are stories of Williams' long debate with Doerr over the proper swing (Williams always winning the argument) which is described in a hitting clinic during a fishing trip in 1987. Even a friendly day of fishing with Doerr turned into an uncomfortable situation when Williams believed his friend kept missing opportunities to catch tarpons. The author, in fact, kept the fact that he fished from Williams until after his first interview with the star to avoid a potentially disastrous fishing excursion before he obtained his story (pg. 80). Halberstam describes Williams' poor childhood and homelife to help the reader understand this domineering figure driven always to be the best.

Baseball historians will enjoy the many reminiscences of the old-time players of the day. Halberstam details game seven of the 1946 World Series and Dominic DiMaggio sets the record straight about the infamous Pesky play (Curiously, Williams' views on that play are not revealed). The author also sought out former Red Sox pitchers Tex Houghson and Boo Ferriss to find out what happened to weaken the potentially great Boston pitching staff after their World Series run. Halberstam spent many hours with all four of these players in interviews for other works and had the cooperation of the three surviving teammates and their wives when writing this book. This relationship between author and subject gives the reader confidence in the book's accuracy and sincerity. The book is fast moving (200 pages of text) and well written. It includes the four teammates' career statistics, Boston's standings from 1937-53, and many wonderful photographs.

This is a moving book about friendship. As baseball legend Ted Williams' lay slowly dying at age 83 in the fall of 2001, his former teammates Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and Bobby Doerr considered making the long drive to Florida for a final visit. The narrative focuses on that trip, and the enduring friendship between these four that continued for five decades after their playing days ended. Readers come to know these men, their backgrounds, flaws, strengths, families, health conditions, and post-baseball careers. Fans will enjoy their playing memoirs from the powerful Red Sox squads of the 1940's - teams that often fell just short at season's end. Adding spice to the narrative are Boston sportswriter Dick Flavin (who made the trip) and occasionally the author David Halberstam. This is another outstanding baseball book by Halberstam (SUMMER OF '49, OCTOBER 1964); let's hope he'll write more. THE TEAMMATES is a concise and moving tribute to friendship, baseball...and life.