On the Ball
by Daisy Maryles -- Publishers Weekly, 6/2/2003
The times they are a-changin'. As Hyperion notes in its press material for David Halberstam's The Teammates, "Before the days of free agents and six-figure salaries, major league sports were about allegiances to teams and camaraderie between teammates. Baseball teams were families and player trades were rare." Halberstam's look at these halcyon days—specifically at the close friendship between Red Sox players Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr—was published by Hyperion on May 14 (copies in print: 145,000). The author, reports associate publicity director Beth Dickey, "adores this book, calling it his 'sweetest one yet.' " His cross-country tour, which kicked off on May 13, concludes on June 13 with an appearance at the Union League Club of Chicago (sponsored by the Book Stall at Chestnut Court in suburban Winnetka, Ill.). PW's review praised Halberstam's "great eye for the telling detail behind an athlete's facade," while New York Times Book Review editor Charles McGrath called the work "a line drive stroked smartly and with delicate bat control." Other major press coverage has appeared in Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and Vanity Fair, with more to come.
With reporting by Dick Donahue.
