****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This book was bought for me as a Christmas present, and I love it.First and foremost, it's a breakdown of the history of baseball's no-hitters and perfect games. From the late 1800s to present day, the book chronicles various great performances, and seemingly Herculean efforts of some of early baseball's workhorses.Some of the content:-The clutch work of Don Larsen's no-no in the World Series-The domination of Rick Wise who hit two HRs during the game he pitched a no-no-The sad and heart-warming story of Wilson Alvarez pitching his no-hitter one year - to the day - after losing his baby boy-The inspiring Jim Abbot, who played in the majors with one hand, throwing his gem for the Yankees-Johnny Vander Meer's amazing back-to-back no-hitters-Even the unfortunate players like Harvey Haddix, who threw 12 perfect innings and lost the gameThe book is outstanding, with huge, full-page color photos, history of the game, the impact of pitching and no-hitters, box scores from various no-hitters/perfect games, and assorted tidbits about most of the games.What's great is the DVD that accompanies the book. There are cross generational interviews, going back to the old days and including some modern players. There are highlight reel catches and defensive gems that allowed some of the pitching performances to become no-hitters or perfect games. There are several appearances of the old, hideously designed, bright rainbow jerseys of the Astros, which, cause nausea, but seem to cause an equal amount of nostalgia related love.What's more, the DVD includes a workout segment from Major League Baseball where they interview Nolan Ryan. And as an extra to the DVD, the ninth inning of six no-hitters is on the DVD (including Nomo's gem for the Red Sox and Gooden's perfection with the Yankees).This book, and DVD, is a great buy for any baseball lover. You can't go wrong with this book if you are giving it to an avid sports fan who loves to read and watch sports shows.
