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Title: Nepotism At Its Worst
Review: This book was written by Walter Johnson's grandson, for the sole purpose of refuting Bill James' stated opinion--absolutely standard among baseball history experts--that Lefty Grove is the greatest pitcher of all time. While James has since reluctantly changed his mind, very few of the rest of us have. Johnson "pitched" when a pitcher only had to bear down on about 15 or 20 pitches per game; Grove pitched when any pitch could be hit out of the park, and lobbing in all of your pitches was suicidal. Grove won 9 ERA titles, all of them while pitching in hitters' parks, including 4 as a southpaw in Fenway Park after his 35th birthday; Johnson won 5 in a pitcher's paradise.So the book's biased premise is not only flawed, but untenable. Poor writing, presented in support of a nepotistic agenda, makes for a poor read. Sorry, Grandsonny, but Grove was better, and both Pedro and Roger Clemens may prove to have been better yet, when they are done.Jim Fahey
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