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Living on the Black
Pitchers are the heart of baseball, and John Feinstein tells the story of the game today through one season and two great pitchers working in the crucible of the New York media market. Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina have seen it all in the Major Leagues and both entered 2007 in search of individual milestones and one more shot at The World Series-Glavine with the Mets, Mussina five miles away with the Yankees. The two veterans experience very different seasons--one on a team dealing with the pressure to get to a World Series for the first time in seven years, the other with a team expected to be there every year. Taking the reader through contract negotiations, spring training, the ups of wins and losses, and the people in their lives-family, managers, pitching coaches, agents, catchers, other pitchers--John Feinstein provides a true insider's look at the pressure cooker of sports at the highest level.
515 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
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About the author
John Feinstein
62 books584 followersJohn Feinstein was an American sportswriter, author, and sports commentator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
October 25, 2014
The premise of following two pitchers (Tom Glavine - Metz, Mike Mussina - Yankees) through the 2007 baseball season is the most interesting thing about this book.
The "Black" is the border around a seventeen inches wide home plate. A great pitcher can consistently get the ball over the black edges of the plate. A pitcher who throws straight over the white plate will have a short life in baseball.
Feinstein originally wanted to write this insider's look about David Cone in 2000, but, as Feinstein discusses in the introduction, the New Yorker's Roger Angell had dibs on following Cone through a season. He's SOL. Seven years later, Feinstein doubles down and writes about two pitchers.
Too bad this book, at over 500 pages, seems to last as long as a baseball season. In hindsight, Mr. Feinstein might have better dropped one pitcher from the narrative, shortened the book and developed his inside perspective on the art of pitching from only one pitcher's p.o.v. (or talk about a year with one team's pitching staff). As is, the story is neither engaging nor memorable for either pitcher.
I'll not read another Feinstein book unless it concerns a sport I know next to nothing about. Despite being the kind of book a serious fan would more likely purchase, he gives a level of detail the serious fan will find uninteresting, or perhaps he's just allowing that the reader might only have a casual interest. Either way it is a labor to finish.
Since the Mets and Yankees both had a disappointing 2007, fans of these teams may find the ending very anti-climactic. For your time. A much more compelling and enjoyable book on a New York team is Buster Olney's "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty."
The "Black" is the border around a seventeen inches wide home plate. A great pitcher can consistently get the ball over the black edges of the plate. A pitcher who throws straight over the white plate will have a short life in baseball.
Feinstein originally wanted to write this insider's look about David Cone in 2000, but, as Feinstein discusses in the introduction, the New Yorker's Roger Angell had dibs on following Cone through a season. He's SOL. Seven years later, Feinstein doubles down and writes about two pitchers.
Too bad this book, at over 500 pages, seems to last as long as a baseball season. In hindsight, Mr. Feinstein might have better dropped one pitcher from the narrative, shortened the book and developed his inside perspective on the art of pitching from only one pitcher's p.o.v. (or talk about a year with one team's pitching staff). As is, the story is neither engaging nor memorable for either pitcher.
I'll not read another Feinstein book unless it concerns a sport I know next to nothing about. Despite being the kind of book a serious fan would more likely purchase, he gives a level of detail the serious fan will find uninteresting, or perhaps he's just allowing that the reader might only have a casual interest. Either way it is a labor to finish.
Since the Mets and Yankees both had a disappointing 2007, fans of these teams may find the ending very anti-climactic. For your time. A much more compelling and enjoyable book on a New York team is Buster Olney's "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty."
September 27, 2011
The moral of this story is: don't let someone writing a book (or filming, that's you San Francisco Giants) follow you around for the season. David Cone should have warned Glavine and Mussina.
Despite, or maybe because of, the two pitchers' trying seasons, I enjoyed reading their thoughtful insights and those of their teammates, coaches, and competition, about both the process of pitching and Major League Baseball in general. As a Mets fan, it was a bit depressing to re-live the 2007 collapse, but it has been both preceded and followed by so much bad baseball in Flushing that I'm used to it.
I think you need to love baseball to love this book; also being a New York baseball fan would help. Mets fans know only too intimately who the Yankees are and what the Yankees are doing...going to the post-season of course! Actually any New York baseball fan knows way too much about both teams. And even a Yankees fan can and should admire not only Mike Mussina's pitching, but Tom Glavine's career as well.
(Caroline's pick--D'backs fan)
Despite, or maybe because of, the two pitchers' trying seasons, I enjoyed reading their thoughtful insights and those of their teammates, coaches, and competition, about both the process of pitching and Major League Baseball in general. As a Mets fan, it was a bit depressing to re-live the 2007 collapse, but it has been both preceded and followed by so much bad baseball in Flushing that I'm used to it.
I think you need to love baseball to love this book; also being a New York baseball fan would help. Mets fans know only too intimately who the Yankees are and what the Yankees are doing...going to the post-season of course! Actually any New York baseball fan knows way too much about both teams. And even a Yankees fan can and should admire not only Mike Mussina's pitching, but Tom Glavine's career as well.
(Caroline's pick--D'backs fan)
June 20, 2025
This book is a miss from Feinstein. The premise is good, but I didn’t really get any huge insights out of it. Glavine and Mussina were two of the game’s greatest but also most self-aware stars. Even on the bad days, they had the ability to compartmentalize. I think it suffered because of that. The subjects didn’t have the every man for himself desperation like Feinstein’s golf writing nor the unstable genius like his book about Bobby Knight. It was just boring at times. The highlight of this book was it reminded me of a lot of great random names from the peak of my childhood baseball fandom.
Also did he even have an editor/fact checker for this? Lots of typos + Cecil Fielder never won an MVP like it says he did.
Also did he even have an editor/fact checker for this? Lots of typos + Cecil Fielder never won an MVP like it says he did.
March 31, 2017
This book offers an insightful glimpse into the wife and the thinking of an athlete I particularly admired. Since the subjects of this book were about my age, it was interesting to see how they handled life revolving around a boy's game.
July 18, 2019
I must confess, I've become a John Feinstein fan. His ability to draw information out of athletes is simply breathtaking. From the clubhouse, to the mound, to the union, this is really a no holds barred look at what pitching in the Major Leagues is really like. Some of the stories of how the players union deals with certain situations are eye opening and maddening to the an average fan (me).
June 3, 2020
When you can't listen to baseball on the radio, the next best thing is reliving it through a well written book. Especially then the Yankees lose.
July 6, 2011
I originally bought this book hoping that it would provide insight into the most unique position in baseball - pitching.
And it did have insight, plenty of it. The problem was that the insights were occasionally dull or common sense (so, I guess, not technically an insight), or the information was hidden under piles and piles of other information.
The book claimed to follow two pitchers through one full season. In that, it succeeded. It's success weighed it down, though, as going almost pitch-by-pitch, inning-by-inning with these two pitchers meant that there are whole pages of unnecessary detail. Some of this detail relates to specific games, but others relate to routines and habits of pitchers - which could have been interesting, but the author chose to waste it on tedious details such as what the pitchers eat for breakfast during spring training. (And if you're into that kind of thing, I won't spoil it.)
There was plenty of interesting information, though. I was especially intrigued by the relationships that develop between pitchers and umpires, as well as what exactly pitching coaches do when they "visit" the mound during a game.
It's also important to note that the book did cover a very special moment - Tom Glavine's 300th win.
Overall, though, there was simply too much detail to keep my attention.
And it did have insight, plenty of it. The problem was that the insights were occasionally dull or common sense (so, I guess, not technically an insight), or the information was hidden under piles and piles of other information.
The book claimed to follow two pitchers through one full season. In that, it succeeded. It's success weighed it down, though, as going almost pitch-by-pitch, inning-by-inning with these two pitchers meant that there are whole pages of unnecessary detail. Some of this detail relates to specific games, but others relate to routines and habits of pitchers - which could have been interesting, but the author chose to waste it on tedious details such as what the pitchers eat for breakfast during spring training. (And if you're into that kind of thing, I won't spoil it.)
There was plenty of interesting information, though. I was especially intrigued by the relationships that develop between pitchers and umpires, as well as what exactly pitching coaches do when they "visit" the mound during a game.
It's also important to note that the book did cover a very special moment - Tom Glavine's 300th win.
Overall, though, there was simply too much detail to keep my attention.
October 10, 2009
Ultimately, my problems with this book aren't the book's problems: it is not, in fact, John Feinstein's fault that I loathe Tom Glavine with the fire of a thousand suns and would cheerfully punch Glavine in the face if ever presented with the opportunity. It's actually a solidly good, interesting book; could have been shorter, could have cut some of the needless Glavine-angsting crap, but overall, I really enjoyed it. There's good stories in it, about the Yankees and Mike Mussina and bit players on the Mets, and fascinating stuff about pitchers and how they work. And, hey, it's a Feinstein book that doesn't mention Coach K once. That's a huge selling point for it.
But man, I effing hate Tom Glavine. I mean, come on: who sues the goddamned Braves just because they release your ancient ass instead of over-paying you to pitch badly? Sit down and shut up, Tom Glavine. Nobody cares anymore.
This book helped me forgive Moose for leaving the O's for the Yankees, in ways I didn't think I ever could, but it just made me loathe Glavine more, that spoiled jerk.
But man, I effing hate Tom Glavine. I mean, come on: who sues the goddamned Braves just because they release your ancient ass instead of over-paying you to pitch badly? Sit down and shut up, Tom Glavine. Nobody cares anymore.
This book helped me forgive Moose for leaving the O's for the Yankees, in ways I didn't think I ever could, but it just made me loathe Glavine more, that spoiled jerk.
December 9, 2010
A workmanlike account of the 2007 seasons of two veteran pitchers, Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina, in the twilights of their outstanding careers. As it happened, both were pitching for their respective New York teams, which were both vying for slots in the post season. The story is engaging enough, but I get the feeling that baseball isn't Feinstein's main sport; he denigrates young players who were on their way to becoming very good ("the immortal Wandy Rodriguez"), and refers to Derek Lowe as having "one of the best sinkers in the game", which is certainly true, but being a "veteran lefty", which is a bit of a head-scratcher, to put it mildly. He also states (or implies) that both his subjects will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame; Glavine certainly will, but Mussina is going to have to get in line with Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, and Curt Schilling.
Honestly, for me the chief value of this book rests in its up-close view of the Mets' spectacular collapse at the tail end of the 2007 season, which had me gleefully rubbing my hands throughout the following off-season.
Honestly, for me the chief value of this book rests in its up-close view of the Mets' spectacular collapse at the tail end of the 2007 season, which had me gleefully rubbing my hands throughout the following off-season.
May 14, 2013
This is an account of the lives of two major league pitchers, one for the Yankees and one for the Mets during the entire 2007 season, from off-season work to spring training and real baseball.
Before we get to 2007 John Feinstein gives us a history of their lives leading up to this year.
Even though I am a big baseball and Yankee fan I didn’t quite love this book. At one point I remembered how 2007 ended and almost quit. It is incredibly detailed, at time too detailed which tended to make it drag at points. It was an almost game by game narrative, which makes it good that he was writing about pitchers who don’t play every game. The book also contains thoughts and observations from team mates and friends and family members. A very fascinating account of life in the major leagues that I feel could have been shorter than it was.
Still if you are a baseball fan I would recommend it.
Before we get to 2007 John Feinstein gives us a history of their lives leading up to this year.
Even though I am a big baseball and Yankee fan I didn’t quite love this book. At one point I remembered how 2007 ended and almost quit. It is incredibly detailed, at time too detailed which tended to make it drag at points. It was an almost game by game narrative, which makes it good that he was writing about pitchers who don’t play every game. The book also contains thoughts and observations from team mates and friends and family members. A very fascinating account of life in the major leagues that I feel could have been shorter than it was.
Still if you are a baseball fan I would recommend it.
Read
August 31, 2010Feinstein conceives an idea to follow two pitchers for an entire season charting their ups and downs. He chooses Tom Glavine, a Met, and Mike Mussina, a Yankee, as his two subjects for 2007. The book begins with a potted history of each pitcher's career up to 2007. As the season progresses Feinstein reveals the fragile nature of each pitcher's confidence. It is surprising how often they tinker with their mechanics and how unnerved they get by bad umpiring. Glavine's 2007 is more dramatic. He wins his 300th game and the Mets implode in the final weeks of the season and blow the pennant. All of this is enjoyable enough reading for any baseball fan but it's reporting Feinstein can do in his sleep. The same phrases and adjectives are used repeatedly as if F. is writing by formula. Next project, Feinstein needs to stretch himself more.
December 4, 2015
I'd like to give this book 3 1/2 stars but can't quite figure out how. Not the best baseball book I've read but Feinstein successfully portrayed Tom Glavine and Mike Missing as something we as sports fans often forget they are...fallible human beings. As a Mets fan since I'm 5, it was duty to absolutely despise Glavine after choking against the Marlins at the end of '07. I don't even dislike him after reading this book. All by itself, that's a reason for Mets fans to read this book. I will admit, reading the 2007 collapse didn't hurt as badly as living through it did...it did still sting. The trade off is, reading about Glavine getting to 300 was much cooler than when I watched it happen. Totally worth the couple of days to read this.
December 28, 2020
Very surprised that I might have actually enjoyed this one more than The Amateurs, which was about basketball in an athletic conference I used to work in. My baseball knowledge is fairly basic but I think the difference might have been that I watched a fair amount in this time period so I was familiar with all the players which made it easier to keep up with. In the Amateurs, I knew the schools and some of the coaches and support staff but as the book was written about six years before I got there, I didn't recognize any of the player names. I certainly feel like I know a lot more about baseball and even though I'm not a Yankees or Mets fan, I've always liked Mike Mussina and loved Glavine from his Braves days.
October 21, 2012
This would be a 4 star book if Feinstein had taken a hundred or so pages out. Glavine and Mussina were very compelling in a way I found surprising, but there are times that Feinstein acts like he is writing for the encyclopedia, and he falls back on some hoary cliches from time to time on top of it all. There are four average players who Feinstein dubs as "the immortal so-and-s0" over the course of the book
Read
July 29, 2011I like John Feinstein. I like Mike Mussina. I like Tom Glavine. Why is this book so bloody annoying?! Could it be there is no real story? Could it be Feinstein's writing voice is perfect for radio? I tried fifty pages to figure out the source of my pain and eventually gave up. Hardcore Yanks or Mets fans (or even some rosy-glassed Braves fans) might find something here. I found little.
July 19, 2012
awesome!!!!!
June 18, 2018
With my home team Orioles mathematically eliminated from the post season until the next decade, it was time for me to engage in some light summer reading to take up the time I would normally spend watching baseball. So, I picked up this book, which had been sitting on my shelf for about 6 or 7 years, and jumped right in.
"Living on the Black" is the story of two Pitchers in the twilight of their careers: Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina. (Pitchers MUST be in caps when defining these two masterful hurlers.) Feinstein has crafted a book that almost reads like a Hollywood film (probably starring Kevin Costner in his prime -- as both players!). It is filled with interesting comparisons and contrasts too numerous to mention. Two highly paid, aging Pitchers, with incredible credentials and pitching for different teams in New York in 2007 must face diversity and challenges, even as the end of their careers draw perilously close.
Feinstein shadows and interviews both icons for a full season, from spring training in Florida to the final days of the 2007 season. If there is one lesson to be learned in this book, it is that PITCHING IS VERY DIFFICULT. The two Pitchers have over 500 wins and 38 years of experience between them, yet Feinstein does an excellent job getting in their heads to demonstrate how important confidence and adaptation are on the mound. How significant concentration and determination are, with each and every pitch that they throw. Additionally, the book is filled with many behind-the-scenes accounts of interactions with some of the era's most successful and memorable players and managers (Jetah, A-Rod, Clemens, Torre, Rivera, Randolph, Lo Duca, etc.).
Glavine's story begins in New England, with recollections about his addiction to hockey and overall youthful athletic prowess. It spends a lot of time describing his years with the Atlanta Braves, where he had the most success despite winning only one World Series ring. In fact, his relationships with John Smoltz and other Braves players are described more vividly than those with his Mets teammates. What makes Glavine's story most compelling is that 2007 was the year that he sought his 300th career victory. The countdown and suspense that Feinstein sustains as Glavine gets closer and closer to The Number makes the book hard to put down. Couple that with the Mets fighting for their lives to win the division, their strife on and off the field, and interactions with the omnipresent New York media, and you can clearly see that Glavine is in the middle of a hot cauldron.
Mussina's story is a little different. Born in Pennsylvania, Mussina graduated from Stanford University in 3.5 years and went on to a very successful career with the Baltimore Orioles. After 7 seasons with the Yankees, 2007 is Mussina's worst season, filled with injury, self-doubt and poor results at times. But Feinstein does an excellent job showing how a crafty veteran pitcher like Mussina (with help from his coaches), is able to turn things around and still manage to win 11 games. Glavine goes through similar episodes but, in the end, has considerably better statistics that Mussina. Thankfully, Mussina and Glavine each gave Feinstein full access and shared their unabashed thoughts and fears with him for the better part of a year. And that is what makes this a really good baseball book.
"Living on the Black" is the story of two Pitchers in the twilight of their careers: Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina. (Pitchers MUST be in caps when defining these two masterful hurlers.) Feinstein has crafted a book that almost reads like a Hollywood film (probably starring Kevin Costner in his prime -- as both players!). It is filled with interesting comparisons and contrasts too numerous to mention. Two highly paid, aging Pitchers, with incredible credentials and pitching for different teams in New York in 2007 must face diversity and challenges, even as the end of their careers draw perilously close.
Feinstein shadows and interviews both icons for a full season, from spring training in Florida to the final days of the 2007 season. If there is one lesson to be learned in this book, it is that PITCHING IS VERY DIFFICULT. The two Pitchers have over 500 wins and 38 years of experience between them, yet Feinstein does an excellent job getting in their heads to demonstrate how important confidence and adaptation are on the mound. How significant concentration and determination are, with each and every pitch that they throw. Additionally, the book is filled with many behind-the-scenes accounts of interactions with some of the era's most successful and memorable players and managers (Jetah, A-Rod, Clemens, Torre, Rivera, Randolph, Lo Duca, etc.).
Glavine's story begins in New England, with recollections about his addiction to hockey and overall youthful athletic prowess. It spends a lot of time describing his years with the Atlanta Braves, where he had the most success despite winning only one World Series ring. In fact, his relationships with John Smoltz and other Braves players are described more vividly than those with his Mets teammates. What makes Glavine's story most compelling is that 2007 was the year that he sought his 300th career victory. The countdown and suspense that Feinstein sustains as Glavine gets closer and closer to The Number makes the book hard to put down. Couple that with the Mets fighting for their lives to win the division, their strife on and off the field, and interactions with the omnipresent New York media, and you can clearly see that Glavine is in the middle of a hot cauldron.
Mussina's story is a little different. Born in Pennsylvania, Mussina graduated from Stanford University in 3.5 years and went on to a very successful career with the Baltimore Orioles. After 7 seasons with the Yankees, 2007 is Mussina's worst season, filled with injury, self-doubt and poor results at times. But Feinstein does an excellent job showing how a crafty veteran pitcher like Mussina (with help from his coaches), is able to turn things around and still manage to win 11 games. Glavine goes through similar episodes but, in the end, has considerably better statistics that Mussina. Thankfully, Mussina and Glavine each gave Feinstein full access and shared their unabashed thoughts and fears with him for the better part of a year. And that is what makes this a really good baseball book.
July 7, 2025
I learned something new with this book. In baseball, a pitcher is referred to as living on the black because the edges of home plate in outlined in black. My plates never had black so I never knew that is where the term came from.
Living on the Black follows Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina, two of the best and most consistent pitchers in the game during the 2007 season.
Glavine and Mussia have some great similarities. At this point in their career, they both throw in the 90s or lower (considered soft in major league baseball) both have moved on from their original teams. Both play in New York. Both are union representative for their teams, including during the 94/95 strike. Both have a great understanding of the game. Both are at the ends of their career. Both grew up playing many sports and baseball was not their first sport of choice.
But they also have many differences. Glavine was drafted directly out of high school. Mussina went to college. Glavine plays for the Mets, Mussina for the Yankees. Glavine has a chance for his 300th win during the 2007 season, Mussina is going for 250. Glavine has always been a soft thrower, Mussina velocity has decreased with age and is learning to Live on the Black. Their personality is completely different, Glavine outgoing and always willing to speak to the media. Mussina very quite, reserved, sarcastic sense of humor.
I loved the premise of this book and did enjoy reading it. I didn't like how their stories bounced back and forth. I wish it was more divided. The descriptions of the games became monotonous and boring. It could have been done much better.
Overall, I enjoyed learning the inside of pitching and what goes on during a season during the ups and downs and even during injuries. Great book for a baseball fan.
Living on the Black follows Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina, two of the best and most consistent pitchers in the game during the 2007 season.
Glavine and Mussia have some great similarities. At this point in their career, they both throw in the 90s or lower (considered soft in major league baseball) both have moved on from their original teams. Both play in New York. Both are union representative for their teams, including during the 94/95 strike. Both have a great understanding of the game. Both are at the ends of their career. Both grew up playing many sports and baseball was not their first sport of choice.
But they also have many differences. Glavine was drafted directly out of high school. Mussina went to college. Glavine plays for the Mets, Mussina for the Yankees. Glavine has a chance for his 300th win during the 2007 season, Mussina is going for 250. Glavine has always been a soft thrower, Mussina velocity has decreased with age and is learning to Live on the Black. Their personality is completely different, Glavine outgoing and always willing to speak to the media. Mussina very quite, reserved, sarcastic sense of humor.
I loved the premise of this book and did enjoy reading it. I didn't like how their stories bounced back and forth. I wish it was more divided. The descriptions of the games became monotonous and boring. It could have been done much better.
Overall, I enjoyed learning the inside of pitching and what goes on during a season during the ups and downs and even during injuries. Great book for a baseball fan.
June 5, 2023
Really enjoyed this book. Enjoyed Feinstein’s other books, his journalism and segments on NPR. The book follows two star pitchers, Tom Glavine of the Mets and Mike Mussina of the Yankees thru the 2097 season. My baseball fandom is somewhat tenuous, follow the Phillies from an arms length. This book is Phillies adjacent and just before the Phillies 2008 World Series victory. Even now, the Mets hold a special place of disdain in Phillies Fan’s hearts. And the Yankees… they don’t call them the Damn Yankees for nothing. Even a National League fan can root against the Yankees. First cogent explanation I’ve read that traces the evolution to pitch counts, 5 man rotations and relief specialists. All started with lowering the mound in 1969 to put the batters on more equal footing with the pitchers and give baseball what the fans want, more hitting and runs. Glavin and Mussina prove to worthy of the task as students of the game and their position as pitchers and willing to take the time to explain the nuances in terms that Feinstein can articulate to the reader. If you like non-fiction sports stories, any of Feinstein’s books are worthy of the read.
January 24, 2018
Glavine, I knew some about, Mussina, I knew very little. Over a long season, I got to know them both. Different, interesting, talented, thoughtful, & admirable.
162 games is a long season & at times this seemed to be a long book. This was not my fav Feinstein book. Although, somewhat tedious at times, I still enjoyed the behind the scenes long at pitching. From the off season, Spring training, the ups & downs of the season, the bullpen, game day, off days.
The conversations that are held at the mound, food they ate, what time they got up, the Strike season, the mental side, & the difficulty of staying healthy & the constant need to adjust.
Glavine’s chase of 300 was a highlight. While watching the collapse was painful to watch. I found myself looking forward to the day Pitchers & Catchers Report this Feb.
If you like baseball you’ll probably like the journey. If you don’t like baseball, I’m not so sure.
162 games is a long season & at times this seemed to be a long book. This was not my fav Feinstein book. Although, somewhat tedious at times, I still enjoyed the behind the scenes long at pitching. From the off season, Spring training, the ups & downs of the season, the bullpen, game day, off days.
The conversations that are held at the mound, food they ate, what time they got up, the Strike season, the mental side, & the difficulty of staying healthy & the constant need to adjust.
Glavine’s chase of 300 was a highlight. While watching the collapse was painful to watch. I found myself looking forward to the day Pitchers & Catchers Report this Feb.
If you like baseball you’ll probably like the journey. If you don’t like baseball, I’m not so sure.
July 30, 2019
Full disclosure: I only read about half of this book - the half that was about Mike Mussina. I skipped the Tom Glavine parts.
My wife and I attended the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony a few weeks ago, and I wanted to read up on Mussina before his induction. If you know anything about Mussina, you know that he was one of the more thoughtful and articulate players of his era, so it should be no surprise that he made for a good subject for a book. The problem, however, is that Feinstein had the misfortune of interviewing Mussina (and Glavine, for that matter) during one of his worst seasons in the Major Leagues. If he had only waited a year (as he notes in the new afterword in the edition I read), he would have caught Mussina during his one and only 20 win season. That would have made for a more compelling read, in my opinion.
My wife and I attended the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony a few weeks ago, and I wanted to read up on Mussina before his induction. If you know anything about Mussina, you know that he was one of the more thoughtful and articulate players of his era, so it should be no surprise that he made for a good subject for a book. The problem, however, is that Feinstein had the misfortune of interviewing Mussina (and Glavine, for that matter) during one of his worst seasons in the Major Leagues. If he had only waited a year (as he notes in the new afterword in the edition I read), he would have caught Mussina during his one and only 20 win season. That would have made for a more compelling read, in my opinion.
May 31, 2023
Highly informative read that takes you through the lives of MLB Hall of Famers Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina. Feinstein followed both pitchers through the 2007 season and chronicled the highs of lows of that year for both men. I learned a ton about baseball, specifically about pitching, which, as a baseball fan, was really interesting. However, Feinstein is extremely stat heavy, and genuinely took you through both pitchers' 2007 season, pretty much game by game. At some points, he broke innings down pitch by pitch which led to the book feeling more like a very, very long recap article.
That said, it was cool to get an insider's perspective on how the game works and to hear the names of several players I'd grown up watching. Feinstein chose well in following Glavine and Mussina, both extremely dedicated, dependable, and unassuming players.
That said, it was cool to get an insider's perspective on how the game works and to hear the names of several players I'd grown up watching. Feinstein chose well in following Glavine and Mussina, both extremely dedicated, dependable, and unassuming players.
May 18, 2017
Feinstein has picked his subject well. This is a book about pitching in the major leagues. It is not primarily about the Yankees or the Mets or about 2007, though his subjects pitch in New York and we follow the progress of those teams. It is a book about being a pitcher, about "living on the black." Every baseball fan should read a book like this (and this is a good choice) though I cannot imagine a non-baseball fan finding much here. It is for nerds, so I loved it. Tom Glavin and Mike Mussina are thoughtful and articulate. Both have been in the majors a long time. This is what makes the book so good. They admit when they pitch poorly. They brag when they pitch well and, above all, they let us into the mind of the most important person on the baseball diamond.
May 9, 2020
Excellent read! This book offers great insight into the constant tension between the physical and mental aspects of pitching, as well as the personalities of Mike Mussina and Tom Glavine, the two pitchers who are profiled. As an Orioles fan, it was heart-wrenching to watch Mike Mussina go to the Yankees while still in the prime of his career. This book covers the background of how that decision happened, and now that I know the background, I feel like I would have done the same thing. John Feinstein excels at writing about sports, and these two pitchers in particular, providing just enough history for each to give context, but not so much that it devolves into mind-numbing bean counting.
October 4, 2020
An interesting read but not super engaging for someone like myself who is a casual baseball fan. I still don't get how a pitcher counts a game as a win - even after asking some more avid fans and googling it extensively. Anyhoo - I really like biography and this satisfied my taste for a bit of info into the lives of two very interesting men.
Glavine and Mussina were names I was not even familiar with before reading this (I did say I was a casual fan) - but after the detailed account of their lives and the 2007 season, I got a good idea of what amazing athletes baseball pitchers are and what mental strength it takes to play for so long and accomplish so much.
Glavine and Mussina were names I was not even familiar with before reading this (I did say I was a casual fan) - but after the detailed account of their lives and the 2007 season, I got a good idea of what amazing athletes baseball pitchers are and what mental strength it takes to play for so long and accomplish so much.
June 24, 2021
Interesting to read about pitching in 2007 and realize how much things have changed since then - more specialization, focus on different metrics, etc.
Also interesting to read about baseball before replay. There are a few scenarios in the book that clearly show the impact replay has had on the game.
As for the book - Feinstein is a good sportswriter and reading about two guys I have always liked was a pleasure. It was very interesting to get a pitchers perspective on the game. There was a little too much game description for me, some of which seemed extraneous, but overall this is a good baseball book.
Also interesting to read about baseball before replay. There are a few scenarios in the book that clearly show the impact replay has had on the game.
As for the book - Feinstein is a good sportswriter and reading about two guys I have always liked was a pleasure. It was very interesting to get a pitchers perspective on the game. There was a little too much game description for me, some of which seemed extraneous, but overall this is a good baseball book.
March 19, 2018
Had high hopes and found this book only ok. There was too much inning by inning, batter by batter description of almost every start (the book is 525 pages) at the expense of thoughtful discussion of pitching and the challenges of the long season. There was that -- just not enough. While Tom Glavines family is part of the book, Mussina's family os oddly almost absent. I am a Yankee fan and a fan of both of these guys. In the end, I do not recommend. It short have been 300 pages.
July 4, 2020
A fascinating study of one season in the life of two veteran pitchers. Feinstein artfully alternates between the stories of Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina, including their histories and the various ups and downs of the 2007 season. Highly recommended for any fan of baseball, particularly anyone interested in the flow of a season, as well as the support system for and the pressures on pitchers.
August 5, 2022
I like the comparison and contrast of the two pitchers and they paralleled the season as they went along. For me though I am a little biased since I have been Mussina fan since his rookie year and it takes me back to the season and his struggles. Author did a good job of representing the pitchers' feelings and their mindset through the season.
July 31, 2024
Very different take on the sports biography which I enjoyed a lot. Instead of following one athlete for their career, we get a deep dive on a single season of two over the hill hall of famers trying to grab a few more career milestones. Fantastic read and Feinstein does a great job of capturing both Glavine and Mussina's unique personalities.
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