"Timothy Gay has accomplished something special with this book..."--David Maraniss, author of Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero

 

"In this riveting account of the rough-and-tumble world of baseball a century ago, Timothy Gay revives the reputation of a player who has not been given nearly his due. Go ahead: Read this book and then try to keep Tris Speaker out of your all-time outfield."--George F. Will

 

"Tristam 'Spoke' Speaker sits, statistically, alongside baseball's greatest sluggers and fielders, but his story and name have been largely forgotten....Gay has insured the righting of history with this biography."--Publishers Weekly

 
"Tris Speaker was the prototype for Willie Mays...Timothy Gay has crafted an enjoyable and important book about one of the most dominant yet underrated players in baseball history."--Richard A. Johnson, coauthor of Red Sox Century and The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodger Baseball

 

"Gay has filled a serious gap in baseball history, and his effort compares favorably with Charles Alexander's acclaimed biographies of John McGraw and Ty Cobb."--Booklist

 

"[A] richly detailed biography"--Library Journal

 

"Tris Speaker is a most attractive figure for a biographer - a consistent winner, a defining athlete at his centerfield position, a Hall of Fame hitter but whose life has to this point remained untold. Timothy Gay, a journalist and essayist, has done an admirable job of bringing to life this powerhouse hitter and fielding spectacle. Gay presents a meticulously researched gem of a biography, full of colorful anecdotes of the baeball legends of Speaker's early century career, most notably his stint with the Red Sox, a ramshackle dysfunctional team that Speaker nearly singlehandledly molded into World Series champs. . .

"Gay is most fascinating when he explore Speaker's difficult relationship with the Boston culture. A Texan, a Southerner, a Protestant, Speaker was a most awkward fit in the sports city to which he brought so much. He never abandoned his open prairie ways and was always at odds with the Catholic establishment . . .

"The writing here is never simply anecdotal. Gay understand the role of the historian. He is more intersted in placing Speaker within his era than in merely capturing moments of Speaker's career. Consequently, the prose is vivid and appealing (Gay frequently quotes Grantland Rice and Gay's own prose recalls that impeccable proseline full of rich description and careful detail), but the presentation is never so pretentious that Gay forgets he is writing about the games grown up kids play; the cameos of the famous athletes are deeply involving and immediate. This is a wonderful read - and an important read as it becomes the definitive account of this nearly forgotten legend."--Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature