Big Hair And Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball And America In The Swinging '70s (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
A great read on baseball in the '70s! I knew I would probably like this book, but was suprised by how much. The writer has a perfect format, at least for me, and I loved reading this to the point where I probably read it too fast.The author, Dan Epstein, has an introduction and then instead of going all over the place, divides his chapters into years of about 25-30 pages each. So 1970 had a whole chapter dedicated to it. 1971 had a whole chapter decided to it and so on and so on. There is about three to four breaks after two chapters focused on years that discuss things from the weird uniforms, astroturf, weird celebrations and styles of afros and beards people wore.I should have just read a chapter a night for this book and listened to some music in the background from each year (example- Dark Side of the Moon for 1973, Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffitti for 1975, Who's Next for 1971, The Clash's first album for 1977) but it was so good I finished it in about five to six days.I like how the author tells about someone who had a good year and then to back it up puts in quotation marks their batting average, home runs, RBI, steals etc). Book really flowed well as it doesn't go into the labor situation with Marvin Miller and Curt Flood for that long but does talk about it.I was born in 1977 and don't remember any of the baseball that occured in this book except for replays but it was a good read and I felt I was watching all this stuff for the first time. I hope Epstein reads this and decides to do a book in the same style on the 80's since I grew up watching baseball during that era. I recommend for any baseball fan. I've seen reviews marking this down because it's merely a pretty straightforward rehash of baseball from 1970 to 1979 with only marginal comment on baseball's effect (or the effect on baseball) of the culture at large. With that assessment I basically agree, thus my 4-stars is probably biased by the fact that I love baseball, I started paying attention to it during the last 2 seasons of the Seventies (the 1978 World Series is the first that I have recollections of watching), and I'm familiar with the cast of characters. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read then, despite the fact that perhaps many people could have written the same book.
What do You think about Big Hair And Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball And America In The Swinging '70s (2010)?
A charming, witty, affectionate ride through a great lost era of professional sports.
—Shelbs
Chock full of interesting facts, but Epstein never creates much of a narrative.
—nakita_66
Really fun. Would be great if the author wrote one about the 1980's.
—jdcramer
