Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, and Eerie Events by Dan Gordon
Haunted Baseball is more than just a solid collection of ghost stories and odd happenings. Dan Gordon and Mickey Bradley have given us a book filled with scares and spirit. The book, like the sport itself, tell something about the people in it, and transcends the sport and the ghost book genre. The ghosts are there, and the tight research from the authors offers background into such famous haunts and Yankee Stadium and the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg. The stories are well researched and delivered in a subtle eerie way. You become comfortable with the facts and then they slip the rug from under you. The ghosts invade the tales rather than overwhelming them. The first hand accounts from some of the most respected and well known names in the game makes the stories seem that more real.
But this book is much more than that. The book tells the history of such infamous curses as the goat of Chicago. These stories are known, but Gordon and Bradley get into more detail and reveal the truth behind the myths. The stories of the deceased still mourned by those left behind are touching, especially when you consider the macho athletes retelling them. It asks bigger questions and gives the reader the ideas of average men who happen to be professional player.
Perhaps the real strength of the book lies in its scope. The stories cover the spectrum of the weird and crosses culture lines. Some of the strongest stories are the ones of the Latin players who cherish the ghosts stories are part of their culture. The book even takes us to the Dominican Republic to hauntings players experienced when they were younger.
The audience for Haunted Baseball might be hard to get a handle on. Are there enough ghosts to satisfy the paranormal world and will sports fans be turned off by an mention of a phantom in Fenway. The authors shouldn’t have to worry. The balance they create allows the reader to enjoy each story while keeping an eye on the bigger questions.
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