Boomer Ball: A Baby Boomer Reflects on the Game He Loves

From the joyous end of World War II, through the "normalcy" of the Eisenhower presidency, to the revolutionary 1960's, baseball remained a constant force in the development of the character of Baby Boomers. Boomer Ball is a collection of essays on baseball in this era. The essays center on some of the lesser known players, teams, and events of the time - those players, teams, and events that have not completely disappeared from the memories of Baby Boomers, but which lay in the recesses of the minds of Boomers waiting to be brought to the fore: Luis Arroyo, Jim Hegan, the 1948 Boston Red Sox, Gil Hodges, Bill Mazeroski, Eddie Yost, Clete Boyer. After all, what could the author write about Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays which would be original, right? No. Boomer Ball focuses on the lesser recounted, but just as important things that made baseball of the time what it was. Along the way, the author backs up with objective facts his often unconventional opinions: Was Brooks Robinson was really the greatest fielder of his day?; Who was the best third baseman of professional baseball's first 100 years?; Was Casey Stengel a genius or just plain lucky? What were some of the worst managerial decisions of the era? Boomer Ball is designed to jog memories, create discussions, possibly resolve some disputes, but most of all Boomer Ball is intended to allow Boomers to reminisce about a great time is baseball history.