Zack Wheat: The Life of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer
Author Joe Niese offers an exhaustively researched take on the life of one of baseball’s finest
I’ve had people ask me why I spend so much time watching sports when it seems so incongruous with my other, more intellectual pursuits. My response is always the same. Watching sports relaxes me. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how. All I know is that I can turn on a game and forget the problems of the world for three hours. Honestly, I don’t even care why it works. Most other things in life make me irritated, so I’m not inclined to question the ones that bring me relief.
I gave extra thought to the magic and the joy of sports while I was reading Joe Niese’s excellent biography on Zack Wheat. The grand nostalgia surrounding all things baseball is capable of reminding us of everything that’s great about America. With recent political events, I was in dire need of reading this book, and I feel rejuvenated having done so.
All eras of baseball have their unique appeal, but there’s something particularly special about Wheat’s time. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1909 to 1927. Just think about that for a moment. If Captain America went to war in 1939, growing up, Zack Wheat must have been the favorite player of a young Steve…
