The Texas Strangers--that's what the Lone Star State called the team in the 80s. And despite making the playoffs a couple of times recently (only to be swept by the Yankees), the team's legacy of frustration, futility, and fumbling continues to this day. What _Seasons_in_Hell_ succeeds in doing is reminding everyone old enough to remember just how much progress the Rangers have made.

Once you accept how bad the Rangers were, this book becomes delightful, and in some cases, laugh-out-loud funny. Hearing Whitey Herzog's evaluations of his charges are hilarious; Shropshire's account of Ten Cent Beer Night in Cleveland should be required reading for any student of the game. This book is not literature, but is a first hand look at the underbelly of the game of baseball as played by the underdogs--sort of like a cross between Ball Four and Hunter S. Thompson.

A perfect introduction to the "culture" of baseball.

I just completed this book yesterday, and I am really sorry that the book had to end. The author tells some really funny tales concerning a baseball team that is really more trivia to most people. One story concerning Jimmy Piersal and Schlitz Beer was so funny when I read it that I started laughing out loud on my train! Other humourous anecdotes involved Billy Martin's fights, and Whitey Herzog's suspicians that the Milwaukee Brewer's mascot was stealing his pitcher's signs! If you love baseball, you must read this book!

Sometimes you have the most fun when you're miserable, when a situation is so ridiculous it just becomes funny. Shropshire's ludicrous predicament -- covering baseball's worst team and craziest cast of characters in the 1970s -- turns into amazing hilarity for himself then and, later as we read, us. This has to be the funniest baseball book ever written. The great scenes are endless; Shropshire's description of manager Whitey Herzog accusing Milwaukee Brewers team mascot Bernie Brewer of stealing signs is absolutely side-splitting. Yes, the book runs out of gas, but it's already taken you on a long, laugh-filled journey. Enjoy.

I just finished reading this book and I will admit that I found it an easy book to read. I remember watching a Game of the Week on NBC about the time Bart Giamati was selected as Baseball Commissioner. I think it was Marv Albert who did a dugout interview with Whitey Herzog and there was much made of the apparent fact that Whitey was on the final list of candidates for Commissioner. Although his Cardinals beat my beloved "Harvey's Wallbangers" in the 1982 World Series, they did it fair and square. I had seen and heard enough about Herzog to look forward to his opinions on the state of Major League Baseball. Whitey does have a lot of good ideas and I wish there was some way that Kennesaw Mountain Selig and his cronies could me made to take them seriously. From the problems with youth baseball in America to the negative flipside of the recent home run explosion, Whitey had me agreeing with all of his insights. There are, however, some short comings to the book. First of all, it should be noted that Mr. Herzog had a co-writer. This seems to be standard fare in sports books written by athletes and the theory is that the co-writer will edit the book into readable form. I'm not sure how this book has been helped by the co-writer, Jonathon Pitts, who really must be the pits. The down home folksy style is way overdone. I challenge any reader to keep score because I think the word "ass" was used more in this book than the word "baseball". Another problem was Whitey's grudges that he obviously can't let go of. His attitude of the KC Royal owner Kaufman comes across like sour grapes. Everyone who watched the 1985 World Series between St. Louis and Kansas City knows that the Cards got robbed. They probably feel sorry for Whitey. They can get over that sympathy by reading this book. Whitey brings it up too often (the Denkinger call for those of you who missed it) and even suggests that it is the sole reason that he's not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Finally, I expected a better ending. I can't believe the one they came up with. Well, enough said. I'm not from Missouri but you don't have to show me that Whitey Herzog was and is a great man of Baseball. If you don't think so yourself then read his book.

This book has a few weird ideas (World Series stadium and bingo parlor?; teaching the spitball to upgrade the Rockies' pitching staff?) and several factual/numerical errors. Part of the time it reads like an advertisement for Whitey, Inc. He also plays the "should've" game when he seems to believe that his teams should have won two or three additional World Series. But, you expect this sort of opinionation in a clearly subjective book.

I have to agree with just about everything else Herzog says. His thesis is that the wild expansion of revenues available to SOME baseball teams is not only wrecking competitive balance, but is also changing the way the game is played, resulting in a sloppy style of baseball that revolves around the home run. For example, last year's Cardinal team, led by Mark McGwire, set a new National League home run record, but finished with only an 84-78 record! In contrast, look at the style of play in the NFL, which is more varied and complex than ever, due in part to the fact that wealthy franchises can't outspend the rest of the league and bowl teams over with talent alone. I'm certainly not a total fan of NFL-style socialism, but baseball's distribution of revenues is way too skewed in favor of certain teams. Herzog's remedies may or may not work, but, if changes aren't made, lets see what happens when lockout/strike time rolls around again. Or, maybe we'll see a franchise or two go belly-up.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "timely". While most baseball people are still basking in the glory of last year's "Greatest Season Ever", Whitey plays the role of the canary in the coal mine as he delves into baseball's deeply troubled underpinnings. On the bright side. baseball has survived management by successive generations of blithering idiots for over a hundred years. Whether you're an optimist (Yankee fan) or a pessimist (Pirate-Expo-Twin-Royal fan), read this book now so you will have a better grasp of the problem when baseball's financial and stylistic walking pneumonia flares up and sends the Game back to the intensive care unit.

Whitey Herzog's book absolutely savaged contemporary baseball. His roadmap for constructing the 1982 Cardinals was a path all too forgotten. Just ask whoever signs Texas Ranger Alex Rodriguez's $250.0 million paycheck.

Whitey's essential theme is that wining baseball begins with complementary chemistry, good defense and the ability to move over and ultimately drive home a run in a close game. All feed into the basic premise that a good quality pitching staff, managed well ensures pennants will fly.

Some of the stories are priceless. Trading Ted Simmons; dealing with Gary Templeton; and, understanding Joaquin Andujar are "geez, I can't put this down" stories. Don't read too fast -- the "Pete Rose moment" in this book is priceless.

The most compelling read, however, is how Whitey destroys the concept of statistics for statistical purposes. Winning baseball and certain good statistical performance from key players, notably home runs, do not always correlate -- a theme that runs through this book over and over again.

While this book should be the bible for gerenal managers and others constructing baseball teams, it gets occasionally carried away in excessive collequialisms. Whitey at times forgets substance is more important than style.

But the style excesses are far overwhelmed by the substance that Whitey offers into the business of baseball. It's a must read, especially if you're a Cub fan trying to understand why your team hasn't won a World Series in nearly a century.