Baseball is so much more than the action on the field and in
the box scores. Untold numbers of people have used the game to help shape who
they are, and connect them with their ethnicities and national identities on
whole new levels. Larry Ruttman’s American
Jews & America’s Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball
(University of Nebraska Press) narrows that impact down to the influence the
national pastime has had on American Jews, and visa-versa.
Ruttman, a longtime lawyer, who found his authorial voice in
retirement, has combined an extensive collection of interviews with his own
research to demonstrate the ongoing Judaic-baseball relationship. At 510 pages,
he has attempted to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of telling the most
complete story possible.
Having previously taught a college course on the art of
interviewing, Ruttman puts his experience to use in conducting dozens of
interviews with a variety of subjects who speak about their experiences with
Judaism, baseball, and how the two have intertwined.
The attempt and success at providing a comprehensive view of
the topic is one of the strongest suits of the book. Additionally, the roster
of interviewees is impressive. Al Rosen, Congressman Barney Frank, Marvin
Miller, Theo Epstein and Kevin Youkilis are highlights of those who Ruttman was
able to get to sit down and talk about baseball and Judaism. He also balances
the better known personalities with much more obscure figures, such as Martin
Abramowitz, who produces his own set of baseball cards for Jewish players, and
attorney Alan Dershowitz of O.J. Simpson trial fame, who is also apparently a
big baseball fan.
Ruttman makes sure to have comprehensive sections on Hank
Greenberg and Sandy Koufax, undoubtedly two of the greatest Jewish baseball
figures of all time. While Greenberg passed away in the 1980’s, Koufax proved
to be just as elusive in this project. He spoke with Ruttman over the phone,
but refused to do a formal interview, explaining, “I don’t want to do the
interview. I have gotten to the age at which I decided not to do anything that
I don’t want to do.” Despite the lack of direct material, both players are
given due justice.
Occasionally, Ruttman does let his inner fan get carried
away in the form of trying to ask leading questions. In one memorable instance,
he asked Congressman Frank to discuss the leading off-field Jewish figures in
baseball. When Frank responded that he couldn’t think of anyone, Ruttman
suggests commissioner Bud Selig as a possibility. This innocent leading
question earned him the sharp rebuke of “If you don’t like my answer, don’t
suggest an answer—That’s not good journalism!”
The author’s enthusiasm at trying to get the type of answers
he is looking for is good-natured but unnecessary. His interview subjects weave
a rich tapestry connecting Judaism and baseball through their own memories. The
occasional prodding for an answer suggests that Ruttman is seeking a specific
answer, when in fact, reality more than suffices.
On the other hand, a strength of Ruttman’s interviewing
technique is the consistency in which he asks similar questions to his
subjects. He is most interested in how Judiasm and baseball have shaped their
lives, hoping to draw connection between the two. Many actually divulge that
their faith has been intermittent throughout their lives, while baseball has much
more often been a steadier influence.
In the end, Ruttman can claim two primary accomplishments
from American Jews & America’s Game.
He shows the impact baseball can have on people that extends
well beyond the confines of the diamond. It also has an impressive reach into
lives that many wouldn’t expect of a simple game played with a bat and a ball.
He can also be proud of his sheer compilation of material.
First-person or oral histories are an integral part of preserving the past and encapsulating
the emotion and detail that cannot be extracted later on from artifacts and
second-person written material. The connection of Judaism and baseball may be a
broad and somewhat confusing thesis, but readers should be left with little
doubt about the relationship once they are done with this book.
Disclaimer: I was provided with
a free copy of the book being reviewed by the publisher, but received no
payment or other consideration for this review.
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You can follow me on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Baseball-Historian/138174109591660 or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
Not for nothing, but do you really think such a disclaimer is necessary? One would hope (and assume?) that a review would be free of commercial recompense by the author/publisher
ReplyDeleteThe publishers reach out to us to review their material. Additionally, I am not a national publication, so the disclaimer is necessary to make it clear there is no conflict of interest.
ReplyDelete