Baseball at the Abyss

Reviews / Votes

The Great Bambino sucking it up and adapting to the shift by hitting to the opposite field is one of many tasty morsels in Dan Taylor's Baseball at the Abyss. It's the story of how the rollicking home run chase between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1927 gave baseball a shot in the arm after multiple gambling scandals had (supposedly) soured the public. The Yankees teammates went back and forth all summer, with Ruth reaching the immortal 60 in the season's penultimate game. But the heart of Taylor's book is the relationship between Ruth and Christy Walsh, an adman who became the Babe's personal manager before that sort of thing really existed. In 1921, a flailing Walsh came up with the idea to syndicate ghostwritten newspaper columns under Ruth's byline, a sports first, to capitalize on the slugger's ever-expanding popularity.... Taylor delivers the Ruthian goods. A particular favorite detail was random fans sending Ruth weight-loss tips, including a woman from Cleveland who "urged Ruth to eat ten pineapples a day." * The Washington Post * Taylor offers a persuasive account of the game fixing, the resulting scandal, and the key players involved in both-players including the proud, stubborn pitcher, Dutch Leonard, who exposed the alleged fix; the two great player-managers who fought the allegations; and the gruff commissioner of baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who sought to mitigate the impact of Leonard's revelations by covering up the scandal. Other prominent players, including the famously splenetic Cardinals superstar Rogers Hornsby were drawn into the investigation. The Cobb-Speaker-Leonard scandal provides the scaffolding for a more compelling story: the creative friendship of Babe Ruth and his business manager, Christy Walsh. Walsh was a struggling sportswriter, failed cartoonist and former adman who became, in effect, the first sports agent. Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews * A fascinating look into an important time in baseball history. This is a must read for every true baseball fan. -- Chris Haft, baseball writer/author Who would have thought the first player in our sport to embrace strength and conditioning was Babe Ruth? Dan Taylor reveals what might be the Babe's greatest contribution to the game in a fascinating story. -- Joey Greany, strength and conditioning coach, Tampa Bay Rays I can't think of a better choice for baseball reading just now.... you will be entertained by Taylor's narrative, surprised by some of its revelations, and left with some questions to ponder about the future of baseball just now. -- John Wilson * First Things *