Two More To Read

[SmedIndy]

I read two great biographis recently:

The first was "Hal Chase" - and it was a good read. The author, Martin Kohout, allows the reader to decide whether Chase was actually crooked or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Since Chase was never proven to be crooked, there's just a lot of circumstancial evidence around him.

Chase is somewhat sympathetic, and Kohout does a good job proving to the reader that this man could have been the best defensive firstbaseman ever, if only he didn't have unexplained gaffes or mistakes.

Chase was a man full of hubris, and had other character flaws. He's a compelling figure.

The other is "Chris von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns" by Thomas Hetrick. von der Ahe is another fascinating character who built the Browns up to a great pinnacle, but was undercut by his own greed, hubris, and misunderstanding about baseball.

At times you need a scorecard with all the trouble he gets into, but it's an excellent character study.