Rating: 
Summary: I really WANTED to like this book
Review: I grew up a baseball fan but had become less and less interested in the game, until last season. As a Cubs fan, Harry Caray's death prompted me to start watching the Cubs daily again. I found the season to be so incredible, and really was hoping this book would capture that mystique. But, like several other reviewers here, I found the factual mistakes and Lupica's self-absorption overshadowing anything I could have enjoyed about it. Here's another glaring error -- page 173, the Yankees were going to play their second playoff game on September 31. (Didn't anyone proofreading this book know the poem "Thirty days hath September...."???) Another error that I as a Cub fan noticed was that Lupica said Gary Gaetti was traded to the Cubs by the Cardinals. Nope - the Cards released him, and the Cubs signed him a few days later. I also found it quite hypocritical that Lupica criticizes baseball announcers for preparing homerun calls ahead of time before McGwire's 62nd, after describing how his "good friend" Bob Costas, who wouldn't even be broadcasting the game, had a homerun call for number 62 prepared and did it for Lupica. This could have been a good book, but fell far short.
Rating: 
Summary: If you are a father or a fan, you will love this book!
Review: I picked up this book on the strength of it's cover design and also based on having enjoyed Lupica's work before. When I started reading it on a Sunday afternoon, I was just going to read for awhile and move on to something else. Something else never came that day. This is a wonderful reflection back on a magical season, made more resonant for glimpses into Lupica sharing the year with his sons the way I hope one day to share my passion for the game with my own son. From start to finish, I was transfixed as Lupica brought the season back to the forefront of my memories. Great job, Mike!!
Rating:
Summary: yikes
Review: I recall the summer of 98 fondly. Unfortunately this book didn't contribute to it at all. This is easily the poorest writing I've ever had the mispleasure of reading. Furthermore, the author was never able to arrest my attention and really allow me to relive the moments. It just fell short in every way.
Rating:
Summary: Recap of the '98 season from a family point of view
Review: I recently brought this book and Tim McCarver's "The Perfect Season" at the same time to get a recap of the '98 baseball season. I read McCaver's book first and was sadly disappointed by it. His short essays only touched on the things I wanted to read about (the home run race, Cal Ripken sitting down, etc.) and he wrote about things that did not have any interest for me. So I approached this book with little hope for anything better. I instead found myself hooked when I read the preface in which he said he promised his wife not to buy his new born daughter her first baseball glove for awhile, say when she is three. The rest of the book just flowed. He reviews the season from the prospective of how it affected his family from getting hooked on baseball during the '61 season with Maris's record by sharing it with his father and how he shared the '98 season with both his three sons and his father. I liked the insights about the game and what it means to people that have been affected by the game, such as Roger Maris's boyhood friend or a fan from the Dominican Republic that now lives in Washington Heights in New York. The fact that he is a sports writer and was able to give his boys an insiders look at the game only made me envious. Hey, why couldn't my Dad have been a sports writer during a dream summer like this and let me have this fun. I read this book while having an uncomfortable medical proceedure and it took my mind right off what was happening in the real world and took me back to the dream summer of '98 and how my family shared the excitement. Mr. Lupica even made me like the Yankees (a team I have loved to hate since growing up in Ohio in the '50's and I was rooting for the Indians.) All in all I found that this is a book that I had wanted to read but did not know existed. Read this book if you want to relive the Summer of '98.
Rating:
Summary: Ugh!
Review: I was really looking forward to this book. I am a great Yankee fan and wanted to be able to relive the '98 season. I happened to be in a bookstore (just browsing, of course)and began reading a copy. On page 19, I found a glaring error: Lupica reports that the Cardinals have won 7 World series when most fans know they have won 9. Finding this type of mistake so early in the book makes me wonder how many more like it, that I will not recognize, there are and really ruins the experience for me.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the baseball facts plus the father-son aspect
Review: I, too, just finished this book in one sitting. It brought back memories of this past '98 season as well as memories of my own family, my three boys who all went through Little League and beyond, and their father who had been their coach. Our family has a bond partly due to baseball. One son at 52 is still playing tournament baseball, the another son is managing a Little League team. Lupica's accounts of the collection of baseball memorabilia and baseball cards parallels the goings on of my sons and their three sons. It was a delightful read for me. Not everybody's cup of tea, perhaps, if one is not a "baseball family," but perfect for a family that loves the sport. Good going, Mike Lupica
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, But Slight
Review: If you're looking for a historical recounting of the summer of '98 in baseball (as so many of the other reviewers apparently were), this isn't it.Instead, this is really the story of Lupica and his sons (with occasional appearances by his dad and wife). It tells how the events of 1998 impacted them, where they were at important times, etc. If you're looking for history or for an account following the players, look elsewhere. If you'd like to read a fascinating, if slight, view of the impact of the Great Homer Race on a family of baseball fans, you'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Is A Gonner
Review: In the season of the "home run," Mike Lupica adds to that massive number with a well-hit "dinger" of his own. I have always admired his remarkable writing ability, and this book clearly displays it. Lupica has the personal knowledge of the sports' world to write hundreds of books, but here, he goes about it in a completely different way. The baseball summer of 1998 will always be remembered for the home run battle between Mark McGwire and Sammy "Say It Ain't" Sosa, and their epic run at "61." However, Lupica entered the human element of the season. He added wonderful personal stories that brought out the emotions of his family during the wild ride. He also peppered the book with humorous tidbits from the fans that made the book gel cohesively. This book was truly a pleasure to read, and one that any baseball fan would enjoy. It is the perfect tribute to a sensational year.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Is A Gonner
Review: In the season of the "home run," Mike Lupica adds to that massive number with a well-hit "dinger" of his own. I have always admired his remarkable writing ability, and this book clearly displays it. Lupica has the personal knowledge of the sports' world to write hundreds of books, but here, he goes about it in a completely different way. The baseball summer of 1998 will always be remembered for the home run battle between Mark McGwire and Sammy "Say It Ain't" Sosa, and their epic run at "61." However, Lupica entered the human element of the season. He added wonderful personal stories that brought out the emotions of his family during the wild ride. He also peppered the book with humorous tidbits from the fans that made the book gel cohesively. This book was truly a pleasure to read, and one that any baseball fan would enjoy. It is the perfect tribute to a sensational year.
Rating:
Summary: INSPIRING ACCOUNT OF A GREAT SEASON.
Review: INSPIRING ACCOUNT OF A GREAT SEASON.IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT BASEBALL WILL ALWAYS BE A GREAT GAME AND IT CAN BE PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.THANKS,MIKE FOR WRITING A GREAT BOOK.
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