Second book review

My second book review is The Teammates by David Halberstam. This book chronicles the lives and friendship between four of the greatest players to put on a Boston Red Sox uniform: Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Dominic DiMaggio. This book is about more than just four baseball players from the 1940s who became friends; this is about four guys who became men together on the baseball field... and off the field.

In early October 2001, Ted Williams' health was failing severely and he was dying. His dear friend, Dominic DiMaggio and his friend, Dick Flavin, a local television personality from his hometown in Massachusetts, decided to drive 1,300 miles from Massachusetts to Florida to him Williams. Their old teammate and friend, Johnny Pesky decided to make the trip with them, Bobby Doerr, the last of the four teammates could not make the trip because of his wife's failing health.

The book is set up as a trip down memory lane for DiMaggio and Pesky as they make their way down to Florida. It starts when they all broke into the minor leagues together in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They all either spent all or most of their careers playing for the Red Sox, something you hardly see nowadays, which is what makes their bond so special and why they all became lifelong friends.

All four of these guys had Hall of Fame caliber careers for the Red Sox and were the cornerstones of those great Red Sox teams of the 1940s. Ted Williams is the last player to hit .400 for a season. But this book is about a lot more than just what these guys did on the field. They were brothers, and had a bond that over 70 years, was never broken.

They all had different roles in their collective friendship, just as they did on the field. Williams was the big brother with the demonstrative personality, always looking out for "my guys," as he called them. DiMaggio was the intellectual of the group who always kept the cool head. Pesky, the son of Croatian immigrants, always had to prove himself because of his small stature, and never disappointed. Doerr was all business, showing up and taking care of his responsibilities, both on and off the field. This became even more evident as his wife's health began to fail.

What struck me about this book was the bond the guys had, it went way beyond baseball. They were best friends; they had something that you rarely see in modern-day ballplayers. It was not just about baseball, they kept each other in their hearts because of the bond they made during their careers. They traveled across the country to be with their dying brother during his final moments. Their bond went way beyond being teammates, they were family. This is not just a sports book, it is a book about four men who grew up on the baseball field together and are there for each other, on and off the field.