Something to Write Home about: Great Baseball Memories in Letters to a Fan

A noted collector of baseball memorabilia, Swirsky has acquired everything from the ball Babe Ruth hit for his 714th home run to the one Reggie Jackson clobbered for his third homer of the game that decided the 1977 World Series. But his biggest cache consists of letters--most of them written to him--by ballplayers, owners, executives, managers, sportswriters, broadcasters and fans, both famous (both George Bushes and Paul McCartney) and not-so-famous (his dad). This is the author's third compilation of such correspondence (following Baseball Letters and Every Pitcher Tells a Story), and it's the first that shifts the emphasis from the player's perspective to a more varied viewpoint. But what it shares with the other books are the reproductions of mostly handwritten letters, a generous supply of vintage photographs, and an obvious love of the game, as expressed by dozens of different voices. Some letters (photographer Flip Schulke's remembrance of watching Martin Luther King, Jr. show his son how to swing a bat) are more memorable than others (habitual""Impostor"" Barry Bremen's account of how he passed as a New York Yankee at the 1979 All-Star game--which, after one paragraph, turns into an anecdote about a similar stunt he pulled an NBA All-Star event). Though the worthy entries outweigh the weak ones, this book is recommended only to its obviously intended reader: the insatiable--and easily entertained--fan of all things baseball. Bb&w photos throughout.