Strength Down the Middle: The Story of the 1959 Chicago White Sox

Summer 2004 Reading List - Mini ReviewI really enjoyed this book for many of the same reasons other reviewers were disappointed with it. I really like Larry Kalas's perspective on the 1959 series. Not having been born soon enough to experience the the ecstasy of a city in celebration of an AL Pennant, I feel like I lived that experience vicariously through this fine narrative.An enjoyable feature of Strength Down the Middle is the way the story segued from the exploits on the field to the showmanship of Bill Veeck to the childhood of the author to the major headlines of the season in the world of sports and beyond. Reading it in many ways, evokes the feelings of opening a time capsule 45 years after the 1959 season unfolded. I do not feel that this book is particularly well titled. This volume is a very personal history and should wear a title that communicates the nature of the narrative. I believe the tweaking of the subtitle could achieve this. Remembrances of the 1959 Chicago White Sox would have better suited the material contained within.

I read this book for two reasons: I grew up in Chicago and I am a Sox fan. Mr. Kalas has captured the mood of the era in his reverent re-telling of the summer of 1959. The stories of his youth are interesting if you are a denizen of the era, but may induce yawns in younger readers. I also wish there was a little more dramatic punch to the descriptions of the games. It almost seems like he is just copying them from the box scores of the games. I guess the 1959 White Sox were just not as dynamic or glamorous as the Yankees or Red Sox, but they were my team, and I recommend this book to every White Sox fan.

This was a joy to read. My father had told me stories about the '59 White Sox and Mr. Kalas did a wonderful job of recreating the season. It helped me feel a little more connected with my dad. I especially like the bits of personal information he gave. I live close to where he grew up so I am familiar with the scenery he descibes. A great book for baseball lovers no matter what team you root for.

I grew up in South Texas in the 50's and 60's and related to the author's personal reflections throughout the entire book. I recall the White Sox and their pennant run while admitting to being a die hard Yankee fan not unlike most boys of those times without our own team to cheer for. I played many a sandlot game with my neighborhood buddies using the same broken and mended bats and decaying baseballs. I could recall my mother calling me in for dinner from our street playing fields as I read Larry's fond memories of the mongrel dog and his brother's game-winning home run. The baseball trading episodes left me wondering where my own boyhood treasures rest today. What a respite from my day ending pressures that I bring home from the office today. The day to day account of games also brought back memories of my early introduction to major league baseball by Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reece. I envy the author's fond recollection of sleep time radio broadcasts of his heros exploits; my experiences were relegated to Saturday afternoon television. The author nonrtheless took me back with him to where I thought I was in the room with him on those joyful radio celebrations. This book is a wonderful recall to days of joy and fun for boys and girls lucky to grow up in good family neighborhoods with caring parents and many friends. Thank you Mr. Kalas; I will read the book again soon to take me back again to a time lost for a middle-aged man with deep rooted baseball dreams.