Books : The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World (Vintage)
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN num: 9780375713071
ISBN number: 0375713077
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 544
Printing Date: March 11, 2008
Publishing house: Vintage
Release Date: March 11, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 202636
Studio: Vintage
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At 3:58 p.m. on October 3, 1951, Bobby Thomson hit a home run off Ralph Branca. The ball sailed over the left field wall and into history. The Giants won the pennant. That moment—the Shot Heard Round the World—reverberated from the West Wing of the White House to the Sing Sing death house to the Polo Grounds clubhouse, where hitter and pitcher forever turned into hero and goat. It was also in that centerfield block of concrete that, after the home run, a Giant coach tucked away a Wollensak telescope. The Echoing Green places that revelation at the heart of a larger story, re-creating in extravagant detail and illuminating as never before the impact of both a moment and a long-guarded secret on the lives of Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca.
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Rated by buyers 
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This book goes to the front of the sports book line. I was 15 years old when I watched Bobby Thomson hit the shot heard around the world. Joshua Prager recaptures the events leading up to the home run then takes you to a satisfying conclusion. You want a sports book. Go out and get this one. It is a can't put down read. I can't wait to see what book Prager writes next. I hope it's another baseball book.
The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World (Vintage)
Rated by buyers -
the New York Giants? Do you remember them? Even better. The Echoing Green is a book or should I say cd you'll enjoy. I understand the book may be a tough slough, but listening to it was enjoyable. Joshua Prager confronts one of baseball's historical moments. Bobby Thompson hit a ninth inning homerun off pitcher Ralph Branca to give the Giants a win over the Dodgers & propel them into the 1951 World Series. Mr. Prager certainly takes his time about it. He ranges far & wide going back in time with the history of Thompson, Branca, Leo, the Dodgers, the Giants etc. Did Bobby Thompson know what pitch was coming when he hit it? That questions is ultimately unanswerable. Probably yes. It was available to him. Did it matter? To lots of people in & out of baseball it does & still resonaates today. From a centerfield office in the Polo Grounds Giants coaches with a telescope could see the catchers sign to the pitcher & though a system of buzzers & signs let the batter know what was comimg next. This apparently was down during the last half of the season. The system was installed by an electrician, who was a Dodgers fan. That this homerun changed the life of two relatively obscure ballplayers is indisputable. And tragic. Both Thompson & Branca had to live up to or live down it forever. It defined their lives. Lots of detail & stories for a hardcore baseball fanatic. You want my cd, be the very first to read this review & let me know where to send it. It's yours ppd.
Rated by buyers 
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The book is very interesting because of the subject, but it is over-written, and the writing gets in the way of the material.
Rated by buyers -
The Echoing Green is simply the best baseball book I have ever come across. As a lover of the game and baseball lore, I simply couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. Detail after detail about the events leading up to and after "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" is beautifully described in Mr. Prager's book. It is obvious to any reader that this book was not written over night. Prager leaves no stone unturned as he tracked down some 20 odd living players from the NY Giants and others who were or could have been associated with the most memorable season in baseball history. Thomson hit the most famous homerun in history on October 3, 1951. Prager does likewise in his literary tour-de-force. Although I was not alive when this season took place, the vividness of the book, makes me wish I was.
I was so taken by this book that I turned Prager's story into a Mock Trial at my school. The premise being that the Dodgers were petitioning MLB to have the NYG 1951 season invalidated due to the Giants unethical means of procuring the National League Pennant. Some 47 students participated and presented cases for both sides. Needless to say most of all the information I used was from The Echoing Green. I had to read the book over at least 3 times to make sure I had the story and the events down right. The trial in my school went well. It was well received by friends, collegues, and even some members of the media. Many of the faculty, staff, and some of the students, purchased the book and all have thanked me for turning them on to a terrific read.
History shows the Giants won the pennant in 1951. Nothing will change that fact, not even a well written book. As a lifelong Giants fan for 40 years, I am not at all upset to read this story. In fact, it was enlightening to find out what really happened. The quote "Every picture tells a story," is so true. We now have to take into consideration that according to Prager's book ,Thomson's "Shot Heard "Round the World" homerun picture tells a different story. Kudos to Josh Prager for writing a terrific book on a terrific subject!!
Rated by buyers 
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OMG. Let's get on with the story of "The shot heard round the world. "By chapter 9 I was so fed up with how the Giants used every possible technology known to man to steal the catcher's signals, I wanted to scream. No. I just stopped reading the book. I know the story of the "Miracle of Coogan's Bluff," but I don't care that Durocher spent 9 chapters trying to steal signs. Sorry. I love the game, my uncle was at the game and there are much better books on the market that tell what happened in this, one of the greatest sports stories of all time. Get on with it!!!!!!!
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