Beyond DiMaggio

Reviews / Votes

"Baldassaro brings a great deal of affection and merriment to his storytelling-whether he is replaying Cookie Lavagetto's and Al Gionfriddo's exploits in the 1947 World Series or exploring the sporting and cultural significance of Joe DiMaggio."-Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly "Baldassaro's sweep ranges from Ed Abbaticchio, one of the first Italian Americans in the game, and Ping Bodie, who, born Francesco Stephano Pezzolo, was the first Italian American who came close to baseball stardom, to general managers, team owners, commissioner Angelo Bartlett Giamatti and, most movingly, the rise and fall of Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro."-Robert Cottrell, Library Journal -- Robert Cottrell Library Journal "With interviews conducted by the author over the past decade and references to first-person accounts of the play and personalities of the older subjects, Baldassaro unearths colorful details such as the origin of Oscar 'Spinach' Melillo's nickname and Sal Maglie's run-ins with his Mexican League pitching coach, former Big Leaguer Dolf Luque, which even included some gunplay."-Jerry Milani, Baseball Digest -- Jerry Milani Baseball Digest "The love of both his heritage and the great game of baseball pours from his heart as Baldassaro writes about the progress of Italian Americans through the 20th century until today."-Buddy Fortunato, Italian Tribune -- Buddy Fortunato Italian Tribune "There are countless stories of Italian-Americans in baseball in this book, but they all share not only a common heritage but also the experience of participating in what the author justifiably calls 'the quintessential American game.'"-Mike Bauman, MLB.com -- Mike Bauman MLB.com