The Boston Red Sox–St. Louis Cardinals World Series in 1967 was a classic between two storied franchises. In the midst of the tumultuous ’60s, America needed a distraction and these two teams provided it. The Red Sox finished the 1966 season in ninth place in a 10-team league, so no one expected them to be a contender in ’67. But two players, pitcher Jim Lonborg and left fielder Carl Yastrzemski, had incredible seasons, Lonborg winning the Cy Young Award and Yaz claiming the American League’s MVP. The Cardinals were led by Bob Gibson, a future Hall-of-Famer who is generally acknowledged as the most ferocious pitching competitor who ever played the game. Whalen, an associate professor of social sciences at Boston University, relied mostly on print sources for his research, but he did interview a half dozen people involved in the Series. A particularly nice touch is a chapter summarizing the rest of the players’ careers and post-baseball lives. This is a fine baseball book that effectively places a memorable season and World Series in the context of the times.

Booklist

I definitely enjoyed the book, and if you either remember that World Series, the incredible AL pennant race, or just like to read a fascinating baseball story, I suggest you read Spirit of ’67. It’s more than worth your time to relive when Red Sox Nation was born.

The Mighty Quinn Media Machine

“The Red Sox Impossible Dream helped create the Boston sports culture we know and love. Tom Whalen’s compelling book shows how and why our city, and our nation, felt the drama of the ’67 World Series so deeply.”

Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston

“I turned 14 in the Red Sox summer of '67 and it was the greatest fan experience of my life. In Spirit of '67, Thomas J. Whalen takes me back to those days when the Red Sox were the only thing that mattered. A terrific time-travel read.”

Dan Shaughnessy, NY Times best-selling author, Boston Globe sports columnist

For all of us for whom 1967 was a Red Sox season of magic, miracles and memories, and for those many who may never taste a baseball season so sweet, this is a reverie for the ages about a ball team for the ages.

David Shribman, Executive Editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and former Pulitzer Prize winning Washington bureau chief of The Boston Globe

“Thomas Whalen provides an entertaining and factually sound account of two storied major-league franchises--the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals--who returned to greatness to compete in the epic 1967 World Series during a tumultuous time in our history. This exciting story will appeal to baseball scholars and fans."

James N. Giglio, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at Missouri State University and author of Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man