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Baseball's golden Greeks: The first forty years, 1934-1974
by Diamantis Zervos
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Aegean Books International (1998)
ISBN: 0966423607
EAN: 9780966423600
Unknown Binding: 303 pages
SKU: 070615001
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: This Ex-Library copy is in very good condition. The usual stamps & pocket on front end paper, fore-edge and on dust jacket spine. Otherwise, no markings, highlights, tears. Tight text and spine. Beautiful Black & white photos. Hard cover is clean. Dust jacket is protected by mylar cover with clear tape. Light shelf/edge wear. This copy is a baseball classic at an affordable price. (F87)
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Customer Reviews
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Fielder's Choice
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-06-24
Major League baseball has long overlooked the contributions of players of Greek decent. As a Greek American, I was delighted to discover this unusual book. Players listed therein go beyond those I already knew, such as Gus Triandos, Billy Loes, Milt Pappas, among a few others. From painstaking research Diamantis (Adam) Zervos offers readers a fond remembrance of these time-obscured players. Working largely from newspaper articles, his portrayals--though amateurish--pays homage to their accomplishments both on and off the field. His inclusion of the career of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League centerfielder Annastasia Batikis in particular was fitting and proper.
Adam Zervos himself was born in Greece. This fact explains much of the hero worship that characterizes the book. But the author's cloying zeal also manages to detract readers from enjoying his narratives more fully. It appears that Zervos is keen on leaving the impression that his heroes rank with Ruth, Cobb, Williams, or Mays when this is simply not the case; and no reference of his to Ancient Greece will make it so. It's true that Harry Agganis was a beloved and sympathetic figure. He was hailed at his debut by some as the next Lou Gehrig, with good reason: both were gifted athletes similarly imbued with a sense of virtue. But Gehrig's career was one for the ages, capped with a poignant and memorable farewell. Agganis' sudden death reduces his to discussions over what could have been. It is in this vein that Zervos' doleful narrative is akin to a Sophoclean tragedy.
Therein lies a rub: not one of Zervos' beloved players entered the Hall of Fame, a stubborn fact he can't shake off. Granted, what makes baseball players endearing is, in the end, subjective. (How else can you explain Gil Hodges' timeless appeal or even that of Bob Uecker's?) Consequently, some who have made it to Cooperstown amount to no more than sentimental favorites (as in the case of Phil Rizzuto). Yet overweening ethnic pride drives the author to push the envelope hard. If Zervos is earnest, he is also unduly encomiastic and risks his credibility among more discerning readers.
Moreover, Zervos fails to post his heroes' career statistics in a straightforward way, opting instead to make them a part of his narratives. A judgment call, perhaps, but this raises questions. How can Zervos explain the facsimiles of the questionnaires to various teammates and colleagues at the end of the book? Their responses were no doubt heartfelt, rich with warm remembrances. But did the author fear that career stats would have otherwise left his readers disillusioned? For example, Gus Niarhos made his mark as a coach as his former players under him can attest. Yet the journeyman catcher hit just one home run in his nine seasons in the Majors. I personally would have preferred to discover the latter and judge for myself whether Niarhos was truly "golden", not to be won over by artificial means.
Despite this true gems can be found amid the sawdust. Ironically one diverting account doesn't center on a ballplayer at all, but on umpire Chris Pelekoudas. Upon observing that Henry Aaron stepped out of the batter's box as he hit a home run, Pelekoudas called him out. Heedless to the controversy that followed, Pelekoudas stuck by his guns. Zervos brings it full circle with official scorer Neal Russo's bon mot: "Pelekoudas is a Greek, and any Greek should know a real Homer when he sees one." Other such anecdotes are presented for your enjoyment, but the trouble is that mere anecdotes aren't enough for a book meant for unsung heroes.
"Baseball's Golden Greeks: The First Forty Years" earnestly attempts to shed light on the contributions of a much undocumented ethnic group in our national pastime. Yet it is for those who share the author's ardent ethnic pride and for diehard baseball trivia buffs. I'm afraid a wider audience would be harder to sustain.
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