Summer of '68: The Season That Changed Baseball -- and America -- Forever

As a 10-year-old in the summer of 1968, I was living and breathing sports and just becoming aware of national and world events. Thus, this book is like a diary of that incredible year, with all manner of insights sprinkled in to bring added meaning to the events we all followed that summer. Tim Wendel describes the big games but also what they meant to the participants, the sports, and the nation. I especially liked the interviews with the athletes decades later, as they described their lives before, during, and after the summer of '68. Great trip down memory lane for those of us of a certain age, and great education for those who were not around then.

Students of American history know that 1968 was a very historic year. The facts are easy to revisit -- Vietnam, Presidential election, assassinations, and so on.It was a very busy year in sports, too. Joe Namath was at his peak as a quarterback (he'd help his Jets win the Super Bowl), the Boston Celtics' dynasty was rolling along, and a crazy Olympic Games took place in Mexico City. That doesn't include the World Series, which at the time was an obvious highlight of the sports calendar.What's more, the fun and games weren't held in a vacuum. Those playing our sports were certainly influenced by events taking place around them.Author Tim Wendel takes a look back at the year, concentrating on baseball, in his new book, "Summer of '68." Just a look at the psychedelic cover will have you ready to give this book a "far out, man" rating.The two teams in the Series that year were perfect examples of the times influencing the games. The St. Louis Cardinals had a great mixture of players -- blacks, whites, and Latins -- who all got along and played together. The Cardinals were coming off wins in the Series in 1964 and 1967. The list of stars was a long one, including Bob Gibson and Lou Brock.In their way in the 1968 World Series were the Detroit Tigers. That team missed out on the American League title the year before by a game, and probably had the best team. The Tigers were determined to erase that black mark on the record, and they did in relatively easy fashion. In fact, Wendel doesn't have much drama concerning either of the pennant races to cover here.The Tigers' players grew up together in the minor leagues and thus came of age together in Detroit. Some of them were even from Michigan, and thus had an immediate connection to the area upon arriving in the big leagues. It was impossible for those players not to notice that the city had been clobbered by riots in the summer of '67. The Tigers received some credit for a lack of problems in that department in 1968.Wendel uses a series of anecdotes to get the point across about the year. The baseball portions often centered on 1968 as "The Year of the Pitcher," as Denny McLain had a 31-win year and Bob Gibson's earned-run average was just over 1.00. There were other stars that year, such as Luis Tiant and Don Drysdale. But then, in the next section, the story can jump to track star Jim Ryun trying to figure out how best to run in the altitude of Mexico City in the Olympics.Wendel does have a memorable World Series to work with as a climax. The Cardinals raced out to a 3-1 lead, only to let it slip away. Mickey Lolich (three wins) was the unexpected hero for the Tigers, while Curt Flood (Game Seven error) was something of an unexpected goat as unfair as that description is.Wendel did some good research here, checking out a variety of books and articles for reference material. He also talked to some of the principals, even though quite a few from that time period have died. Has it really been this long?What we have, though, is more than worth your time. If you are old enough to have lived through the year (guilty), you'll remember a lot and learn a bit more. If you aren't, then you're in for an engaging head-shaking look back.

Turbulence, unrest and upheaval marked 1968 in the United States. It was a time marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, riots in major U.S. cities, Vietnam protests and an ugly Democratic Convention marked by violence.In baseball, 1968 was The Year of the Pitcher. Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers won 31 games, becoming the first pitcher to win 30 since Dizzy Dean accomplished the feat in 1934. Bob Gibson recorded 13 shutouts and fashioned a record-setting 1.12 ERA. McLain and Gibson were named Cy Young and MVP winners.There were five no-hitters tossed, including Jim "Catfish" Hunter's perfect game and no-hitters on back-to-back days by opposing teams. The Giants' Gaylord Perry hurled a no-hitter on Sept. 17 vs. the Cardinals while the Cardinals' Ray Washburn tossed a no-hitter against the Giants on Sept. 18 at Candlestick Park.The collective ERA of all the major league teams was 2.98. Carl Yastrzemski won the AL batting title with a .301 average."In 1968, we of the pitching profession came as close to perfect as we have ever come in modern history, and probably ever will," said Bob Gibson.The World Series featured the matchup of the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers had lost the 1967 pennant on the last day of the season and the Cardinals had won the 1967 World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox. In 1968, the Tigers helped restore Detroit's community spirit following devastating riots that left 43 dead and 2,000 blocks burned.The anticipated Great Confrontation of the '68 World Series was between McLain and Gibson. Mickey Lolich of the Tigers, however, was the unlikely hero of the World Series as he won three complete game victories, including Game 7 against Gibson. Lolich had been relegated the bullpen with a 7-7 record in mid-season. He earned his way back into the rotation and finished at 17-9.The '68 Series is also known for the risky move Tigers manager Mayo Smith made, moving Mickey Stanley from the outfield to shortstop in order to get Al Kaline, who had missed much of the season with a broken arm, back into the lineup.Wendel addresses many of the key issues of the 1968 World Series, including Lou Brock being thrown out at the plate in Game 5, whether Gibson should have started Game 6 on short rest like McLain did and whether the Cardinals were overconfident in Games 5 and 6, knowing that Gibson would pitch Game 7 in St. Louis.Having been a college sophomore in 1968, Wendel's story is a familiar one. He does, however, dig up some unfamiliar information and interesting statistical nuggets. This is a fairly slim book and an easy read. The book consists of 145 pages of setup and the '68 season, 70 pages of the World Series and 20 pages of aftermath.After the 1968 season, baseball lowered the pitching mound, decreased the strike zone and went to divisional play. And, the designated hitter wasn't far off.

Very good read..especially for baseball fans. Wendel effectively fused baseball into the historical backdrop of the day.