The Great American Novel
by Phillip Roth
Published by Vintage Books
In a novel within a novel, the protagonist, or perhaps narrator if you
will, of this ingenious story, the author, one Word Smith, tells us the
story of perhaps the greatest cover-up in national history. The story
of course is that of the third Major League, the Patriot League that was
dissolved in 1946 after a massive infiltration of communists threatened
to destroy the integrity of the game. In an apparent plot to destroy the
American spirit the communists tried to discredit and destroy the game
of baseball, which was thought by many to be the true American religion.
Through the tale of the 90-year-old author, Word Smith, affectionately
known as “Smitty,” we learn the truth that for too long has
been hidden to the minds and history books of the last six decades. More
importantly we see that the Patriot League was expunged not just from
the history books, but also from the halls of Cooperstown today where
not one mention of the Patriot League remains. There is no tribute to
Luke Gofannon, the only man ever with a higher lifetime batting average
than Ty Cobb, or any of the other immortals of that league. Until this
book by Smitty, there was just the silence where baseball used to be.
The tale begins with an event that turned the Patriot League, and Major
League Baseball on its ear in 1933, when the first pitcher in Major League
history took seriously the fans cries and tried to “kill the ump”.
The umpire involved was Mike “the Mouth” Masterson, who had
just made a bad call that ended a perfect game for the rookie pitcher
Gil Gamesh. Gamesh, a pitcher of Babylonian decent, had pitched a record
six straight shutouts after entering the league and seemed destined for
greatness. Following the muffed call he threw a fastball, estimated as
a match for one of Ryan’s best, into the throat of Masterson that
crushed his larynx and nearly killed him. Gamesh was banished from the
game for life.
Fast forward ten years, where one of the proudest franchises of the Patriot
League “the Rupert Mundys” finds themselves homeless, a victim
of greedy owners and the War Department’s need for a port city staging
area to ship soldiers and supplies to the war in Europe. The Mundys were
at best a shadow of the great team they had once been, all of their great
players having been sold off by the sons of the deceased owner Glorious
Mundy, who had loved the game.
During wartime finding decent players was a hard thing and the sons of
Glorious Mundy did not even try. They built a team of misfits, freaks,
and whomever they could find cheaply. As a matter of fact, they cared
so little that they left the janitor in charge of the team when they went
on vacation. So because of the money they could earn by leasing their
stadium, the “Rupert Mundys” left Port Rupert, New Jersey (the
town is no longer called that) and became baseball’s only homeless
franchise (unless you count the 2003 Expos). So in 1943 the Mundys played
154 games, all on the road.
The Mundys were not a good baseball team - not even a halfway decent one.
In 1943 they finished 50 games out of the running. It was the beginning
of the end of the Patriot League. How could a team with a 14 year old
second baseman, a French-Canadian shortstop who spoke no English and had
only played in Japan, a catcher with a wooden leg, a dwarf as a starting
pitcher, and a first baseman who once lead the prison league in hitting,
but could only hit while drunk, have hoped to win?
These were men who would have done almost anything to get away from the
embarrassment of being a Mundy and some humiliated themselves to try to
get that chance.
This book in many ways is their story and the story of how the Patriot
League came to be infiltrated with communists. Even though league president
General Oakheart tried hard to fight the scourge and testified before
the house committee on un-American activities about the infiltration,
it was the fans that spoke loudest by boycotting the Patriot league games
following the uncovering of the plot.
Even the cities that once housed the eight great teams were tainted and
chose to rename themselves than be affiliated with the Patriot league
teams who once bore their names.
Roth in truth has a lot of fun with this book; he poked fun at baseball,
government, communism, capitalism, and even at himself, with “Smitty’s”
testimony before the Un-American Activities committee and the rejection
letters for his manuscript. His mockery of Hemmingway, Twain, and many
others seem just in line with his style. If you enjoy baseball you’ll
find a laugh or two in this book with its cast of unlikely (and perhaps
unlikable) characters, a strange but wonderful plot, and the commentary
about so many things that you might just add this to your list of favorite
baseball books.
Give this book 2.5 out of four balls, it won’t change your world,
but it will make you laugh, and possibly run a google search on the Patriot
League.
Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows: One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special. Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above
average, and worth reading/owning. Three balls: Stands out from
its peers and is highly recommended. Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together,
it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to
the local book store to get a copy.
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