The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine

Fay Vincent calls his book his "valentine to baseball" and it's not too far off from the truth. He has divided each chapter into their own "half innings," the "top half" being about a particular topic, and the "bottom half" being various lists. In between, his stories and opinions I found to be quite entertaining and even in some cases thought-provoking. Whether it's relaying old baseball anecdotes involving Hall of Famers like Yogi Berra, Ted Williams & Joe DiMaggio, or old Negro League ballplayers he got to know during his stint as Commissioner, or stories about his friendship with both George Bush and his son (a one time Texas Rangers owner), or more serious topics like the suspension of Pete Rose, his time and friendship with Bart Giamatti (the commissioner he succeeded in office after Giamatti's death), or his experiences at the earthquake-marred 1989 World Series, the reader is certainly never bored. I especially found his story about this fascinating, as I was among the crowd at that game 3 some thirteen years ago now. I never realized how much Isaiah Nelson, a SF cop on duty at the game helped to orchestrate the orderly evacuation of the park.After reading his thoughts on Rose, I as well as another reviewer have come to change my mind about whether Rose should be re admitted to the game (although as of this review, pressure to reinstate Rose in some capacity seems to be growing). I also agreed with him about Steve Howe, whose continued readmittance to baseball after several drug convictions in my humble opinion marred the game. When Vincent resigned as commissioner of baseball in 1992, I felt the game has been deprived of a leader, even if I sometimes disagreed with his decisions. I wouldn't call this book a "great masterpiece," but I'm glad I ignored a couple of negative reviews I've seen of it. This book is an enjoyable read and makes me wonder how different today's game might have been if Vincent had been allowed to at least finish out his term as commissioner, much less be commissioner today.

The anecdotes of old time baseball are worth the price off the book alone. Vincent's tales of meeting with Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio are priceless. The splitting of chapters into topics and lists were fun. Each chapter offered something new, a virtual learning experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to any real baseball fan. It shed a new light on his commissionership in my opinion and, in the true test of writing, actually changed my mind about Pete Rose and his inclusion into the Hall of Fame. I always thought Pete should be admitted, but after reading Vincent's words, I have changed my mind.

The Last Commisioner is interesting with many first-hand baseball stories and insights by the former Commissioner of Baseball. Fay Vincent's chapter on Bart Giamatti and Pete Rose's banning from baseball has again become a hot topic. Recent editorials, including the New York Times', discuss this issue. Fay Vincent's insights and his op-ed piece in the Times makes this book so timely. Vincent's childhood memories are priceless; the reclusive Joe Dimaggio comes to life for the reader. Do yourself a favor if you're interested in Baseball: Get the book and read it, keep it on your shelf. Good Luck !