Rest in peace, David Halberstam
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Apr 23, 2007 
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Just heard that David Halberstam was killed in a car accident in California. What terrible news. “Summer of 49″ is my favorite baseball book of all time.
“The Best and the Brightest” is also one of the best books every written about the Vietnam era.
First Kurt Vonnegut and now David Halberstam. Tough month for great writers.
I agree. Have many of his books and once was kind enoufgh to answer a letter mailed to him. An excellent writer.
Now he was a great writer especially on sports. Check out the book on Jordan and the Bulls.
Very sad to hear about David Halberstam. I too read the book on Jordan and the Bulls, and David gave amazing insight into the life of the greatest basketball player during our lifetime.
One of the finest writers of our era. I would highly recommend two books both very different. The first is called The Children which is a look a the young people involved in the Civil Rights movement. The next is called teamates and is about the friendship if Dom Dimaggio, Ted Williams, JOhnny Pesky and the drive they took to say goodbye to Ted Williams in Florida. It really shows you a lot about the great game of baseball and the bonds of being teammates.
Halberstam was very good in actually writing, you just kept turning pages while reading his books. But his overall themes were often very stupid. In “Summer of ’49″ he tells you how Red Sox manager Joe McCarthy was wary of rookies. Few managers in history were ever more willing to play rookies than McCarthy. In “October 1964″ he breathlessly tells us how the Yankees under George Weiss “reduced the number of minor league teams” in their organization. Every team in the 1950s did, David. The Yankees still had more minor league teams than the majority of teams.
Terrible news.
It’s terrible, he was a great writer, I especially liked the Firehouse, which came out in 2002. The Education of a Coach was also good.
Jim, I think you’re the one who’s “stupid.” Summer of ’49 was not about Denny Galehouse and October 1964 was not about “reducing minor league teams.”
In October 1964, Halberstam chronicled the end of an era (the Yankee dynasty that coincidentally began in 1949). His theme is illustrated very clearly in the two central characters – the Yankees and Reds. The Yanks stood for the old guard – the old culture, unwilling to change. Remember that baseball season took place in the heart of the civil rights movement. The Yankees had one black player – the soft-spoken Ellie Howard – New York was also the next-to-last team to employ a black player. Cincinnatti was the up and comer. The Reds adapted to the times, the era. They traded for Lou Brock and had Bob Gibson.
That was the theme! The Yankees old habits led to a decade of decadence post-1964. The Reds became one of the most powerful teams with black players like Gibson and Brock leading the way. That’s the symbolism – the Yankees passed on Ernie Banks and Willie Mays. And starting with the ’60′s – there was a whole new generation of players – Mays, Aaron, Banks, Gibson, Frank Robinson, Clemente – you get the idea. The Yankees unwillingness to recognize those changes and stubborness to adapt is what ended their dynasty.
With the civil rights movement going on at the same time – the parallel was clear – society changes (so does baseball).
As for Summer of ’49 – it’s a throwback to simpler times – two heroes – DiMaggio and Williams – two icons. It’s essentially their story. How those two gave post-war America a rallying cry. They became symbols to their varying teams. And DiMaggio’s resurgence that summer propelled the Yankees to the first of five straight titles and launched a new dynasty. DiMaggio symbolizes America. The nation needed a pick-me up post WWII. And here came Mr. Everybody – Joe D… classic books…
maybe if you actually read the book instead of glossing over pages you would realize that those two are among the best in sports literature (although Boys of Summer is still my #1)… because it’s more than just about the sport (as the best sport books usually are).
The Teammates is also good – but not on par with ’49 and ’64. Playing for Keeps was OK – but I preferred the “Jordan Rules” and “When Nothing Else Matters” as the definitive glimpses into MJ.
Breaks of the Game is a must-read though! Halberstam chronicles the NBA in the final year of its “dark age” – before Magic and Bird entered the league. Great book about a league on the brink of change – and it follows the Blazers championship season. It tells you all that was wrong with the NBA… making it easier to appreciate what happened next.
RIP – David Halberstam… I hung your quote in my cubicle – “A professional is someone who does their best – even when they don’t feel like it”