Summer is a good time for me to do some light reading. To date I have read one pretty good book, one very good book, and one exceptional book.
Sir Walter: Walter Hagen and the Invention of Professional Golf[/b] is pretty good. I was disappointed in the prose. But I did come away with a profound respect for Hagen the golfer but saddened by his personal life. I had always heard stories about his partying but this book describes other personal shortcomings as well. My belief that his five Western Open wins should be counted as "Majors" was reinforced. The Western Open was certainly more important than the first few Masters. If you ask players of his era, they all considered it a major tournament.
Byron Nelson: The Most Remarkable Year in the History of Golf[/i] was a very good book. I had always like BN and had previously read his autobiography. He was an exceptional golfer who, like Jones, retired while he was still at the top of his game. His 11 wins in a row and 18 wins overall are records that will stand for a long time. Unlike Hagen this book reinforced my opinion of Nelson as an exceptional person.
The book I fell in love with was The Soul Of Baseball:A Road Trip through Buck O'Neil's America. Buck O'neil was a player/manager in the old Negro Leagues and played with the likes of Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. The book is as much about the Negro leagues as it is about the character of this extraordinary man. I had seen him on Ken Burn's documentary Baseball and was captivated by his gentle demeanor. When asked if he felt bitter aabout not being able to play in the majors, his refrain was, "Don't feel sorry for me. I played with the giants of the game. They just happened to be black players. After the game I would go hear Duke Ellington and Count Basie. I knew them personally." He would go on. Another asked him if he hated the white establishment who kept black players out of baseball until 1947. His reply will always stay with me, "Hatred will steal your heart." You don't have to like baseball to read this book. When you finish it you will be a better person.