Are you a lover of baseball? Of its history, statistics, and quirks of the game. This book is for you!

I’d never heard of Cy Williams. As a fan who has focused primarily on the American League throughout my life, I learned a lot about the National League, as well as general baseball history in an intriguing era — through the lens of this one player and the context in which he played.

There are fun anecdotes throughout the book, and plenty of interesting tidbits about things like the transition to radio broadcasts. But the main focus of the story, beyond highlighting the career and life of Cy Williams, was the transition between the so-called dead ball and live ball, and the impact that had on hitting and especially home runs.

I enjoyed the book immensely. My only quibble is that the book is highly repetitive, in part due to its organization, with some things mentioned in multiple chapters.

I listened to the audiobook (free through NetGalley, in exchange for review) and the reader was enjoyable. He read every chart and every included newspaper article in full, which added to the sense of repetition.

I always like to listen to books about baseball in the off season. So, this one definitely intrigued me.

I had never heard of Cy Williams. I found his life very interesting, especially since he was an architect. He also had some rare experiences in baseball.

I also enjoyed learning about baseball during the early 1900s. Lord, how times have changed.

All of that being said, there are quite a few parts that drove me a bit batty. This really does need a good fact checker. Plus, the listing of all the stats…and this happened quite a few times…just made me hit fast forward. Yes, I know baseball is game of math and statistics, but this could have been moved to the end of the book or cut down.

The narrator, Ward Paxton, I could listen to all day!

Need a book about a baseball player that had a unique career…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.

Cy Williams Baseball's Most Unique Star Slugger? To suggest that Cy Williams is the most unique slugger in MLB history may seem like a strange claim. He set the MLB and National League (NL) home run records and other unique records, on his speed in the outfield, on how he got into the game, on the handicap he faced, and on what he gave to the game regarding ethics and dedication. Some things centerfielder Cy accomplished back then are remarkable even today.

The author, Gary Williams, provides an in-depth look into the life and times of Fred “Cy” Williams in a clear and concise manner. He blends the growth of baseball into the story of Cy smoothly and flawlessly. As for the accuracy…well some things seemed off to me.