The Red Sox Fan Handbook
From SoSH
Author: (compiled by) Leigh Grossman
Publisher: Swordsmith Books
Date: 2001
Summary: The subtitle of this book, which accurately captures its assorted content, is "everything you need to know to be a Red Sox fan...or to marry one". It is a fact-filled, somewhat whimsical view of Red Sox fandom and Red Sox history. The first section of this book outlines the history of the Red Sox franchise by breaking it into titled time periods, including "the selling of Babe Ruth and the Dark Ages" (1920-1932), "The Gerbil Years" (1976-1980), and "Chaos Descends" (1981-1985). The next section, "The Players", contains mini-biographies of over 300 players in Red Sox history, providing a great reference and some interesting reading for those wondering who, for example, Howard Ehmke was. There are also sections describing the "Fenway Park experience", a rather banal set of questions and answers about baseball and the Red Sox, and a somewhat outdated Minor League section. Reading the list of promising Red Sox prospects was somewhat amusing, since the 2001 lists included players like Rick Asadoorian, Tony Blanco, Juan Diaz, Steve Lomasney, Dernell Stenson, and Seung Song.
In general, this book is somewhat useful as a guide to Red Sox players and history, although much of its information could probably be found online or in "official" Red Sox histories. If you're looking for a book for a recent convert to Red Sox nation, you might consider this one.
