The Boys of October : How the 1975 Boston Red Sox Embodied Baseball's Ideals - and Restored Our Spirits - Hardcover

Hornig, Doug

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0071402470 ISBN 13: 9780071402477

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2003

Synopsis

An inspiring look at the heroism and heartbreak of the 1975 World Series

In a year when the nation sorely needed a diversion from the harsh news of the day, it arrived in the form of a Fall Classic that would live up to its name and never be forgotten.

The Boys of October takes the reader back to those 12 exhilarating days in 1975, when the field was guarded by greatness--Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench--as the ragtag Boys from Beantown faced Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine."

Their triumphs and tribulations are all here, from Fisk's historic winning homer in the wee hours of Game Six, to the series' nail-biting finale, decided by a single, heart-stopping run. Through it all, the Boston Red Sox embodied the spirit of the game, in victory and defeat, to give us the series we needed-- and one we'll never forget. Against the backdrop of one turbulent summer, The Boys of October celebrates baseball and the heroes who made it what it is.

About this title

About the Author

Doug Hornig has written seven suspense novels, one of which was nominated for an Edgar. He has also written articles for such publications as The Writer, BusinessWeek, Playboy, and Gadfly.

From the Back Cover

An inspiring look at the underdog heroes of the 1975 World Series

In the fall of 1975, the country was mired in the aftereffects of the war in Vietnam, economic distress, and lingering political turmoil from the Watergate scandal. Amid these trying times, Americans were desperate for some kind of diversion--anything to take their minds away from the harsh news of the day.

That diversion arrived in the form of an unforgettable Fall Classic that truly would live up to its name. In his lyrical prose, lifelong Boston Red Sox fan Doug Hornig takes readers back to that exhilarating autumn in 1975, when Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Luis Tiant, and the ragtag Boys from Beantown faced Cincinnati's Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and the rest of the indomitable "Big Red Machine" in an epic seven-game struggle that is still widely regarded as the greatest ever played.

Doug Hornig was there--with his favorite uncle, Oscar, by his side, a man old enough to dimly recall the last time the Sox won a Series, back in 1918. Together, in the stands at cozy Fenway or in front of a snowy black-and-white TV, they watched and waited and prayed. In the end, the Curse of the Bambino struck again, but not before the Red Sox gave us one hell of a show. For twelve wonderful days, Americans were able to put aside their more serious concerns and lose themselves in the drama unfolding on two small fields of green. As the author so eloquently puts it, "For that lovely, long October moment, we became as children once again. And that is a gift of incalculable value."

Years later, moved by memories of that incomparable series, Hornig set out to meet and interview the members of the 1975 Boston Red Sox, a cast of characters that included party animals and pot smokers, with nicknames like Pudge and Yaz, Carbs and Willow, Señor and the Spaceman. Those candid conversations--Luis Tiant talking pitching in a motel coffee shop, "Spaceman" Bill Lee discussing philosophy at his rural hippie hideaway--are all here, skillfully woven together with a moving memoir and an exciting play-by-play of the triumphs and tribulations of that October classic: from "El Tiante"'s Game 1 shutout to Fisk's historic winning homer in the wee hours of Game 6 and the nail-biting finale, decided by a single, heart-stopping run.

Through it all, the underdog Red Sox embodied the spirit of the game, in victory and defeat, to give us the Series we needed--and one we'll never forget. Against the backdrop of one of American society's low points, The Boys of October celebrates baseball and the heroes who made it what it is.

Doug Hornig has published seven suspense novels, one of which was nominated for an Edgar. He has also written articles for such publications as Playboy, BusinessWeek, The Writer, and Gadfly. A native New Englander, he still follows the Sox from his home in Afton, Virginia.

"The 1975 World Series changed the way Americans felt about baseball. Watching these games was like blowing the dust off a favorite book and reading it for the first time in twenty years."
--Boston sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy

"I have had no time to mourn the boys of October. Doug Hornig's book for me is reconciliation with my nemesis and my ghosts. It can be read now! Mea culpa! Mea culpa!"
--Bill Lee

They say that baseball is about going home. In this elegant meditation on an unforgettable Fall Classic, lifelong Red Sox fan Doug Hornig goes home to find the heroes who made the 1975 World Series a sports masterpiece. Skillfully weaving together first-person interviews with members of the '75 Sox, an exciting play-by-play of the Series' most memorable moments, and a moving memoir of the author's relationship with his favorite uncle--a retired ballplayer himself--Hornig brings us back with him to the cobblestoned streets of Boston in a time when the country was still reeling from the turmoil of war, economic crisis, and political disillusionment. Although 1975 was not a very good year, it did give us some phenomenal baseball and a team that, even in loss, embodied the American spirit in its perseverance and sheer courage, teaching us lessons that continue to reverberate with meaning today.

Reviews

The 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds may have been the best ever played. Native New Englander Hornig, best known for his suspense novels, shares that view. In the magical fall of '75, Hornig was driving a cab in Boston; the Sox, despite their ultimate loss to the Reds, helped him move on with his life. More than two decades later he decided to write a book about members of the team. He interviews Luis Tiant, the colorful Cuban hurler who seemed to glance at the moon before every pitch; Carl Yaztremski, the Hall of Fame outfielder who defined clutch; and Don Zimmer, the Sox coach and soon-to-be manager. Hornig also chats with Bernie Carbo, who succumbed to drugs and alcohol after his playing days. As the memoir of a young man reconnecting with the heroes of his youth, this book may mean more to the author than to anyone else, but it will also be treasured by older fans who share those same heroes. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071402470
• ISBN 13: 9780071402477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288