Book Review: "The Greatest Game" by Richard Bradley

Last night we witnessed another chapter in the history of the greatest rivalry in sports as the Red Sox stole the show in what was supposed to be a day for the Yankees. In The Greatest Game Richard Bradley takes us back to perhaps the biggest moment of the Sox/Yanks rivalry; the playoff of 1978.

Bradley's book does not just follow how the game unfolded but he tells about the entire 1978 season in New York and Boston. He brings old names like Fisk, Munson, Billy Martin, and Don Zimmer back to their prime, making it seem like they just stepped off the field and are getting ready for the second half of the season. He also does an excellent job at showing what a transitional time the late 70's were for Major League Baseball with the onset of free agency and the rise of big-market teams.

As a Sox fan I don't agree with the title of the book because no game can be the greatest if the Yankees come out on top. However, Bradley reminds us that the 1978 playoff game was not just Bucky F'n Dent's home run nor Yaz's pop up for the third out in the ninth anymore than the '86 World Series was just about Buckner. There were so many other storylines to the season and the game like Matin and Jackson's relationship or Mike Torrez on the mound for the Sox to face his former team that he believed never appreciated him.

The Greatest Game is a good read and something Red Sox and Yankee fans could enjoy as we get closer to the 30th anniversary of the game.