A book about one of the great teams, the 2018 Boston Red Sox, by a newspaper guy who was a beat writer for the team. That bit has been done before, sometimes well, sometimes not. This one succeeds in part because of the approach, which also takes a look at how the team was built, beginning with the 2011 draft, by a scribe who was on the scene for all of it.
This, Speier's book begins during the regime of Theo Epstein, proceeds through the Ben Cherington era, and into the dawn of the Dave Dombrowski epoch. It's a look of ups and downs at Fenway, and presented with an insider's eye. A lot of work went into this and it pays off.
Speier is more of a newspaper guy than a novelist, more of a nuts and bolts writer than a lyrical tale spinner. This is more Gammons than Angell. What you will find here is good solid reporting by a guy who does that sort of thing for a living. It's good solid writing that will keep the pages turning. It's a good story well told, no matter which team you spend your days rooting for.
This book is highly recommended. Disclaimer; I received this book as a free review copy, I did not pay for it. posted by Shawn Weaver at 6:08 PM
