Fifty-nine in ‘84 reminded me of a favorite George Costanza quote from Seinfeld: “If you took everything I’ve accomplished in my entire life -- and condensed it into a day -- it looks decent.”
In this case, if you took everything “Old Hoss” Radbourn accomplished during the 1884 season -- and condensed it into a magazine article -- it would look decent. But inflating Radbourn’s 1884 season into a 300-page book, as author Edward Achorn did, stretches the one-dimensional storyline too thin.
This conclusion is not meant to diminish Radbourn’s tenacity that season: 59 wins, 678 innings pitched, 73 complete games, and so on. The statics are jaw-dropping. Problem is, these numbers did not translate into a page-turner. Fifty-nine in ‘84 has some nice moments, but I never found myself absorbed in it.
Perhaps this is because Radbourn’s feats are the byproduct of the baseball environment at the time. Two key factors were at work:
First, a larger macho culture existed among players in 1884 than today. Second, owners and managers in baseball’s early days rode players like a ten-cent horse.
In 1884, starting pitchers were expected to finish games. Pitchers expected it of themselves, and owners expected it of their players. Both groups were co-conspirators at setting this high, even dangerous, level of expectations. Complete games were a barometer of manhood and success.
I wish Radbourn’s journey throughout the 1884 season was more complex. Reading about his grueling workload details game after game throughout 300 pages, at times, felt equally gruelling. Even the author concedes that the mercurial Radbourn likely had no idea how many games he was winning. Wins, as a statistic attributed to pitchers, were not closely tracked at the time.
The book’s largest tangent is a tenuous storyline about a love interest named Carrie Stanhope who may or may not have been in attendance at some of Radbourn’s games. As suggested by the previous sentence, there is little concrete information about this relationship. In addition, the storyline felt forced. For both reasons, it’s tough as a reader to invest in it.
I feel satisfaction for having read all 300 pages, but cannot recommend doing so enthusiastically. Nevertheless, I look forward to reading Achorn’s next book which is available now. I enjoy reading about baseball’s early days and I see some promise from the author for next time.
Favorite Line
“While I may not live to see it, I predict that it will not be many years before the world’s championship will be between the two champions of America, Cuba and Japan and other foreign countries, where baseball is getting a firm hold.”
-- Frank Bancroft, Manager, Providence Grays
