Books about your World Champion Boston Red Sox

June 1, 2005 3:15 PM

There's certainly no shortage of books written about the 2004 Red Sox season, but are any of them any good? I do love some baseball reading in the summer, but don't want to waste my time with schlock. What's the "Boys of Summer," or "Summer of '49" for the 2004 Sox? Or are we still waiting for one to be published?
posted by .kobayashi. to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Friends have enjoyed (and it's on my summer reading list) Faithful : Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King.
posted by ericb at 3:34 PM on June 1, 2005

I've also heard good things about Faithful. I think if you're looking for something along the lines of "Boys of Summer," it could be a year or two, or even longer, before a more literary, insightful work about the season comes out. These things usually take time, but the process could be hampered because my favorite sports books, like "Friday Night Lights" or "My Losing Season" involve the writer embedded in the team, and I haven't heard of a journalist who was behind the curtain for the 04 Sox season. Looks like you'll have to wait until Pedro's little friend makes a deal with Judith Reagan.
posted by incessant at 4:04 PM on June 1, 2005

Curt Schilling is coming with with a Father's Day book.
posted by moooshy at 5:18 PM on June 1, 2005

it could be a year or two, or even longer

Um, yeah. Both the books mentioned came out decades after the period covered. A year later, you're going to get quickie reportage, not literary merit. You waited 86 years for a Series win, you can't wait a few years for a book?
posted by languagehat at 5:57 PM on June 1, 2005

You might check out Surviving Grady, which compiles the 2004 season's worth of posts from the always entertaining Surviving Grady website.
posted by schoolgirl report at 7:31 PM on June 1, 2005

On preview, what ericb said.

Until Bill (Sports Guy) Simmons' book comes out. *That* will be the definitive work.
posted by LilBucner at 7:36 PM on June 1, 2005

Response by poster: Languagehat's answer is what my suspicion is, in any case. Anybody actually already read the books that they're endorsing?
posted by .kobayashi. at 11:43 PM on June 1, 2005

If you want the Hollywood-ized movie version, there's always Fever Pitch.
posted by Asparagirl at 2:01 PM on June 2, 2005

Response by poster: Asparagirl: No, I'm looking for something good. In a book. Thanks, though.

Seriously, no one's actually read anything? Almost all of this sounds like conjecture.
posted by .kobayashi. at 5:39 PM on June 2, 2005