Neyer’s purpose is not to make some well-known legends like Tommy Lasorda, Bob Feller, Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, Greg Maddux, and Fred Lynn, among others, look foolish. Rather, as he explains:

…I think the truth is just as interesting as the myth. Actually, I think the myth is plenty interesting by itself, because of course every myth contains a kernel of truth (or so we’ve been told). But when you pile some literal truth on top of the truthiness? Delicious as frosting on a sugar cookie.

Perhaps my favorite anecdote comes from Mickey Vernon, who spoke about an encounter between Red Sox legend Ted Williams and pitcher Tommy Byrne. In the margins of that text was another story regarding an encounter between another former pitcher, Pedro Ramos, and Williams, and a similar version of the same story between Tigers ace Dizzy Trout and the Splendid Splinter. In each instance, the story ends with the head-strong Williams getting the last word in on their rivalry. Of course, did they really happen? Well, to learn that, you need to pick up a copy of the book.

Ed. note — Many thanks to Allan Wood from The Joy of Sox for turning me onto this book. Please take a moment to check out his great site!

                          

Our Red Sox: A Story of Family, Friends, and Fenway obviously touches a lot on Boston’s successful 2004 campaign, but the main focus of the book is what it has meant to Sullivan, his family, and his friends to live through the agony and ecstacy of wearing that spoked “B” on your cap and rooting for a team that year after year had you wondering: What if…. Sullivan first tells of his father who, like many others, had often stated: “I hope that they win it in my lifetime.” (For “Artie” Sullivan, that would not happen, unfortunately, but he would take his intense loyalty to Ted Williams, “a class guy,” to the end.) He speaks to his membership with the Benevolent Loyal Order of Honorable and Ancient Red Sox Diehard Sufferers (BLOHARDS) of New York, founded years before Red Sox Nation came to fruition, as he quietly roots for his team from afar. He also talks of doing everything that he can to pass on that love to his children, errant foul balls at a Lowell Spinners game, Lowell being the Single A affiliate of Boston, and the horrific sight of finding the unfamiliar sight of Yankee blue all around him in Westchester aside. Of course, the book would not be complete without speaking the suffering endured by Sox fans after witnessing the horrific end to the 2003 campaign at the hands of those very Yankees, setting up what would be a memorable 2004 season in which the collective weight of he and other Red Sox fans would be lifted.

In short, Sullivan’s book is a heart-warming tale that stretches across generations of star-crossed Red Sox fans, some who have waited exactly a lifetime to see Boston win that elusive championship; it’s a story that any baseball fan will enjoy, no matter whose cap you wear.