Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else

Additional Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else Information

The latest and greatest in ESPN.com baseball guru Rob Neyer'sBig Book series, Legends is a highly entertaining guide to baseball fables that
have been handed down through generations.

The well-told baseball story has long been a staple for baseball fans. In Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends, Neyer breathes new life into both classic and obscure stories throughout twentieth-century baseball -- stories that, while engaging on their own, also tell us fascinating things about their main characters and about the sport's incredibly rich history. With his signature style, Rob gets to the heart of every anecdote, working through the particulars with careful research drawn from a variety of primary sources. For each story, he asks: Did this really happen? Did it happen, sort of? Or was the story simply the wild invention of someone's imagination? Among the scores of legends Neyer questions and investigates... Did an errant Bob Feller pitch really destroy the career of a National League All-Star? Did Greg Maddux mean to give up a long blast to Jeff Bagwell? Was Fred Lynn the clutch player he thinks he was? Did Tommy Lasorda have a direct line to God? Did Negro Leaguer Gene Benson really knock Indians second baseman Johnny Berardino out of baseball and into General Hospital? Did Billy Martin really outplay Jackie Robinson every time they met? Oh, and what about Babe Ruth's "Called Shot"?

Rob checks each story, separates the truths from the myths, and places their fascinating characters into the larger historical context. Filled with insider lore and Neyer's sharp wit and insights, this is an exciting addition to a superb series and an essential read for true fans of our national pastime.

What Customers Say About Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else:

(My favorite tidbit so far was the revelation by umpire Ken Kaiser that when a pitcher requested a new ball - he'd simply return the same ball. My favorite ESPN writer - love his books as well. Only Jim Palmer (one my all time favorite players) ever noticed and called him out on it - hysterical)The only problem is the formatting on the Kindle. This book is broken up into short chapters - best to read them in small sections rather than all at once. I love the premise - looking at anecdotes and then seeing if the facts really are true. Because there are stories within the stories, the chapters sometimes get broken up and you find yourself reading a totally different story without finishing the current one. It's a little disruptive - they could have formatted it so these mini-stories come after the main one.Overall - another great read from Neyer.

Should be required reading for all citizens to demonstrate what my mom always said "don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see". Tedious in some places, a really good dissection of stories, some a hundred years ago and some only a few months or years old.

HE DOES A VERY GOOD JOB. THERE ARE MANY STORIES I HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE AND ARE QUITE INTERESTING, WELL RESEARCHED AND VERY ENTERTAINING.

SOME OF THESE TALES ARE EITHER MADE UP OR GOT CHANGES DUE TO BAD MEMEORIES, EXAGGERATION AND DOWN RIGHT LIES. ROB NEYER DOES COVER MANY BIG AND SMALL STORIES AND MADE UP STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION OF BASEBALL TALES.

SOME OF THE BEST ONES ARE ABOUT THE BABE'S SO CALLED SHOT, BOB FELLER LOSING HIS FASTBALL, TED WILLIAMS AND WILLIE MAYS. HE TRIES TO PROVE IF THE STORY IS FOR REAL OR WAS MADE UP BY THE PLAYER.

IN MANY CASES THE FACTS ARE MIXED UP BY FAULTY MEMORIES AND DATES. ROB NEYER MUST HAVE EXHAUSTED EVERY RESOURCE HE COULD THINK OF TO TRY AND PROVE IF A STORY WAS AUTHENTIC OR BOGUS.

I MOSTLY SUGGEST THIS FOR DIE HARD AND FANS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST.

I found this book mildly entertaining, but not nearly as good as his book on baseball blunders. Neyer cites a brief story, then goes to exhaustive lengths to partially or totally discredit it. His research on each story becomes the real story.

Rob does it again with this book. Tons of entertaining stories and myths, all impeccably researched and either confirmed or debunked. Think of it as a "Mythbusters" for baseball fans. Rob Neyer continues to be the best baseball writer and researcher around.