On a Clear Day They Could See Seventh Place - by George Robinson & Charles Salzberg (Paperback)

About the Book

The only one of its kind, this book deals solely with the worst teams in the major leagues. These two sports writers have decided that it is time to give baseball's lousiest teams some recognition. The franchise that lost 40 of its last 41 games, the team that pitched so badly that their pictures were not allowed on baseball cards, and definitely the funniest team in baseball, the 1962New York Mets, are among the area covered in this unforgettable account of the"bumbling" boys of summer. 12 pages of photographs. Radio giveaways.

Book Synopsis

To err is human. To really screw up requires team effort. Everyone cheers the clubs that win pennants, but what about the doormats who made their triumphs possible? It's time to give baseball's lousiest teams their due. Here they are: The 1904 Washington Senators, whose only good player, a thirty-five-year-old star hitter, took a dive (fatally, into Niagara Falls); the 1935 Boston Braves, who set the National League standard for losing percentage despite featuring three Hall of Famers--including Yankee exile Babe Ruth; the 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates, Joe Garagiola's cellar-dwelling team that was so bad, he quipped, "they wouldn't put our pictures on bubble gum cards"; and the 1962 New York Mets, maybe not the worst team ever but definitely the funniest in modern baseball history. You'll get the stats, the scores, the scandals, and the secrets in this no-holds-barred account. When the survivors of these diamond trainwrecks include such legends as Marv Throneberry, Ralph Kiner, Cal Ripken Jr., Roger Craig, and Joe Garagiola, you can be sure that the book (unlike its subjects) is a winner.

Review Quotes

"A lively and entertaining account of the worst major league teams of each decade. You may feel guilty laughing at the agonies of these hapless clubs, but . . . you will laugh."--William Curran, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A refreshing approach by examining 10 truly bad teams."--Bob Thompson, San Francisco Chronicle

"A snappy, readable collection."--Martin Brady, Booklist

"A valuable contribution to a heretofore overlooked aspect of the so-called Grand National Pastime."--Stan Isaacs, Newsday

"For some people losing is like dying, but authors George Robinson and Charles Salzberg manage to find humor too."--Washington Post

"Let us sing of heroic losers. . . . Humbling, that's what it is. George Robinson and Charles Salzberg make it fun, too."--Bill Bell, New York Daily News

About the Author

George Robinson's sportswriting has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Newsday, and the Washington Post. Charles Salzberg is the author of numerous articles and books, including Swann's Last Song, The Mad Fisherman, and From Set Shot to Slam Dunk: The Glory Days of Basketball in the Words of Those Who Played It, available in a Bison Books edition.