George Vecsey

Eight World Cups is a timely and clear-eyed view of World Cup football. Vecsey is a veteran journalist who has been writing about soccer for the New York Times since the early 1980s. The title alludes to the number of cups he has covered. With that experience comes an expert world view of the game and the personalities involved. Vecsey provides a personal view of covering the cups – a bit of football travelogue – as well as writing about the games.

His observations are witty as well as show more astute. About the Italian team’s adherence to the “tradition of enforced celibacy” during the 1982 cup: “It isn’t the sex that weakens a footballer but rather the demand for tickets from old friends and relatives.” On the perceived lack of action in soccer that many Americans cling to: “Things happen. But you have to watch.” On the controversial and troubled Argentine striker Diego Maradona scoring a goal in the same 1986 game as his “Hand of God” goal-saving handball: “He had sinned and then sought absolution with the most developed part of his being, that is to say, his feet.”

As indicated in the subtitle, Vecsey doesn’t shy away from the difficult issues. He addresses the perceived corruption, cronyism and egotism of FIFA, the poor opinion of soccer in the U.S., and the “hamster wheel of soccer,” where players now rarely get a break between their leagues, cup competitions and national team duties for some.

Not only an excellent book to prepare for the World Cup about to be played in Brazil this summer, but a pleasure to read. show less

Vecsey, a sportswriter for The New York Times, writes a series of essays and memories of international soccer dating back to the 1982 World Cup in Spain, tying it in with his own love of the game back to his childhood. The title is a misnomer, because Vecsey writes about Women's World Cups and Olympic games among other competitions, but the eight men's World Cup finals he attends from 1982 to 2010 are the core of the book. In addition to some lovely writing describing the games and show more controversies of the each World Cup, Vecsey gives a sense of the host nation where he and his wife generally set a up a home base for a month. He writes about the great players of each era from Diego Maradona to Zinedine Zidane. A major focus is the rise of the United States men's team from a non-entity to one that regular qualifies for the World Cup and is competitive. Vecsey also explores the seamy underside of FIFA and CONFACAF with the greed and corruption that runs alongside the beautiful game. All in all, this is a nice American take on World Cup football from a personal perspective. show less

New York Times sports columnist George Vecsey’s Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game (Modern Library, 2008) is a concise and idiosyncratic history of the game of professional baseball. His brief survey avoids the nine-ending cliché of many introductory baseball history books in favor of a more topical analysis of professional baseball’s pasttime. Vecsey gives us a breezy twenty-chapter background narrative of the game and a crisp vision of America’s go-getting show more spirit.

Vescey surveys the pre-Civil War roots of the game (pondering its ancient origins) to its development under determined immigrants (such as Henry Chadwick who transplanted cricket and rounders into American culture). His study leads all the way to to the revitalization of the game during the 1998 Major League Homerun chase between first baseman Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and right fielder Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs. The chase resulted in both players breaking Roger Maris’s long-standing and highly sought-after record of 61 home runs and the renewed faith of fans in Major League Baseball. Along the way Vecsey manages to not only trace the struggle for racial integration in baseball and how the color barrier was finally broken by the legendary Jackie Robinson but manages to devote an entire chapter to the globalization of the game (focusing particularly on Japan and Latin America).

Vecsey’s examination of our American past time does not stray away from the dark periods of the game, however. The pages that examined a host of baseball scandals and other dark moments highlighted the paradoxical nature of a game that is too often associated with puritanical American ideals. We often fail to realize that our baseball gods may possess an Achilles' heel. For instance, Babe Ruth was a beloved herculean athlete with a big heart yet he lived a rather flamboyant and unhealthy lifestyle. Vescey does not shy from retelling these tragic and dark moments and how our heroes failed themselves and ultimately their fans. And he does so with a journalist’s eye for candid detail. The pages that revisited the host of baseball scandals and other dark moments, such as recreational drugs, labor disputes, gambling, segregation, the 1919 White Sox scandal, and the former wagering hit king Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds (the honor of hit king now goes to Ichiro Suzuki of the Miami Marlins) were perhaps the most riveting. And yes, heartbreakingly, Vescey investigates our recent disenchantment with McGuire, Bonds, and the steroid-era. As a young fan who lived through the steroid-era, I can personally tell you how hard it was to hear that one of my heroes (McGurie) was taking performance-enhancing drugs. Perhaps we idealize our heroes too much? Or maybe they are too much like us?

Throughout Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game, Vescey stresses the continuities of the game emphasizing the importance of the game as a living history. Vescey’s survey might be breezy but it has plenty of action and colorful commentary. Vivid and engaging, with the occasional old-fashioned opinion thrown in for good measure (which may be indicative of age), Baseball: A History of America’s Favorite Game is a short, yet far-reaching introductory to the magic of America’s past time.

Reread: April 2021. This is a great book to help get me in the mood for Spring and baseball season. show less

I was just getting into baseball as Stan Musial's career was winding down.
I was also a Mickey Mantle and Yankees fan, and, of course, back then it was
much more difficult to get information, especially living in Oklahoma, so my knowledge
of Stan Musial came mostly from Hall of Fame discussions, baseball cards and reading
books about baseball history.
I really knew very little about "Stan the Man" until I read this book.
Mr. Vecsey paints a wonderful picture of Musial. He highlights what a
great show more baseball player he was, he was truly one of the great three of his time - Musial,
Williams and Dimaggio. He also shows many sides to Musial that the casual fan probably
is not aware of; I certainly wasn't. He was a very humble man, probably as much untouched
by the celebrity of his greatness as any ballplayer was. He had a wonderful sense of humor
and loved to tell jokes and stories and pull out his harmonica and play.
He campaigned for John F. Kennedy and was close friends with James Michener. He also
helped out with the Poland baseball program. At age 74, suffering from prostate cancer, he
got out of bed and travelled to attend Mickey Mantle's funeral.
He was truly a great player and human being. This is a very good read and wonderfully informative. show less