A very thorough book about the 1920 season and one fatal incident, along with its impact on several lives. The level of baseball detail may be too high for the casual reader. Unlike many baseball books, the umpires perspective is also utilized.

A key highlight of the book (and the season) is the marvelous play of rookie Joe Sewell in eventually replacing Chappie at shortstop. This was a time of gambling, rough play, and the rise of Babe Ruth, and each of these is well represented in the story. An extensive bibliography lists the many books and articles used to research this book.

I read the Lyons Press paperback reissue of this book, and the quality of that was subpar. Errors in the text and a newspaper style typeface were annoying, and the binding was coming unglued. This book looks far more worn than it should be for it's mere year in the library with likely low circulation. Overall rating - 4 stars, but seek out an earlier edition.