Book Log 2010 #39: It Was Never About the Babe by Jerry Gutlon

The idea that the Red Sox went 86 years without winning a World Series due to a curse put upon the team when they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees is, of course, ridiculous. But it was an easy and appealing way to explain nearly nine decades of futility, especially in the hands of local sports writers.

Gutlon's book aims to show how the failures of the Red Sox sprouted from actual mismanagement, from the financial problems of early owners through Tom Yawkey's racism and the poor decision making of those who followed (up until the current owners, at least). It's a good topic, one that's been broached but worthy of deeper examination.

But I don't know if this book does the subject justice, as I wound up bailing on the book. It felt rushed, like it needed one more good going over by the author and editor but got sent out to print instead. It's more an issue of mechanics than content. Not to mention the typesetting looked like it was straight out of MS Word. I swear it was set in 12 point Times New Roman with a one inch margin.

Still, if the subject is of interest I'd say pick it up. If it works for you, so much the better.