Impossible Dreams A Red Sox Collection [Paperback]

The Red Sox have long been the favorite subject of baseball's literati, more for what they haven't accomplished than for what they have. The mystery that shrouds this storied franchise has made for great copy for more than 100 years. But much of the very best writing on the team has often been obscured by romantic tales of legend and destiny, curses and conspiracies - until now. Turning solidly to the bedrock of traditional baseball writing, Glenn Stout has collected the best writing on the Sox that best tells the story of the franchise. A veritable sourcebook of more than a century of unforgettable baseball, Impossible Dreams is a book no self-respecting Sox fan can afford to miss.

The Red Sox have long been the favorite subject of baseball's literati, more for what they haven't accomplished than for what they have. The mystery that shrouds this storied franchise has made for great copy for more than 100 years. But much of the very best writing on the team has often been obscured by romantic tales of legend and destiny, curses and conspiracies - until now. Turning solidly to the bedrock of traditional baseball writing, Glenn Stout has collected the best writing on the Sox that best tells the story of the franchise. A veritable sourcebook of more than a century of unforgettable baseball, Impossible Dreams is a book no self-respecting Sox fan can afford to miss.

INTRODUCTION For much of their history, the Boston Red Sox have been a team caught between the promise of dreams impossible to reach and reality often too harsh to bear. As Sox fans know too well, they are a team whose early potential, with six pennants and five world championships in their first 18 seasons, has not been fulfilled in more recent history, which is to say since 1918. They have gone from a dynasty to a dynasty-always-in-waiting. And more so than any other team in sports, perhaps, writing about the Red Sox has alternately explored and exploited this gulf, often to l3-