52 in 25: #9 - The Slide

 I am falling a little behind, thanks to a hectic schedule, but in my defense, I have 2-3 other books that are near completion.  My next completed book was a bit of a surprise, since I never heard of it before I saw it at Half-Price Books a couple of months ago.  It’s The Slide: Leyland, Bonds, & the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates by father-and-son duo Richard Peterson and Stephen Peterson.

 

The title has a clever double-meaning.  For one, it symbolizes the “slide” of the once-proud Pirates franchise after the world championship in 1979 to decades of losing with 3 stellar years in the mix, 1990-1992.  Those years bring in the second meaning of the title, since it was the “slide” by Sid Bream in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS that ended their three years of success and lead to 20 years of losing, the longest stretch of any franchise in any sport.

 

Leyland with Bobby Bonilla and Bonds

There are basically three sections of the book.  First, the fall of the Pirates after 1979 to the resurgence under Jim Leyland in the late 1980s.  Second, and the most significant section, the seasons of 1990-1992, including chapters for each playoff run.  Finally, a very brief look at post 1992, including a final chapter on the few successful seasons in the 2010s.  Overall, it is a bit inconsistent.  I could tell that there were two different authors.  Parts were duplicated.  More could have been said about the difficulties between Leyland and Bonds.  Probably most disappointing was the quick run-through of the 20 years after 1992, with a brief mention of Jason Kendall (the most important player during that period), one mention (as far as I could find) of Jason Bay, the third most important player of that period, and not even one mention (again, as far as I noticed) of Brian Giles, the second most important player of those 20 years.  So, it became a little more frustrating as it went along.  Basically, unless you’re a die-hard Pirates fan, or want to know slightly more about the 1990-1992 Pirates, it’s not worth your time, unfortunately.

You wouldn't know this guy existed if you just read this book