The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg

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man with a pipe, November 8, 2009 (view all comments by man with a pipe)
This book had every reason to be a thriller: a professional baseball player who used his moxy to obtain crucial undercover intelligence during the world war; a scholar in athlete's clothing who commingled existences while remaining under most people's radar screens.

So why did this book fall entirely flat? First, the presentation was awkward, overstuffed with clutter and seemingly random and meaningless events, particularly after Berg's return from Europe at the conclusion of the war. But more than that, I was left to conclude that Berg was not a figure who warrants our attention after all. A good major league ball player but not a great one. But likely a worst spy. Mostly, Berg created an enigmatic image of himself that ultimately didn't hold sway with those in the know. Dawidoff presents a plethora of information indicating that Berg was usually awol on his spy missions; he could never account for his time or expenses; and his results were for the most part non-existent, self-exaggerated, or miniscule.

Berg is described by many as fascinating, secretive, complex, and so forth, and these characteristics are said to be what made him the "perfect" spy. But his personal characteristics, from this reviewer's professional experience, appear to implicate serious mental illness, a subject which was only tangentially broached. Probably half the book is devoted to Berg the lonely and wandering Vagabond during his last 25 years. There is the distinct feeling of watching a slow motion train wreck as one wades through episode after episode of Berg's off-center nomadic existence. But the episodes lead to nothing, other than the sad conclusion that the man simply wasn't what he - and others - had made himself out to be.

In the end, this is a story about a bright and talented individual who was most likely fraught with a debilitating mental illness which precluded his achievement of the lofty ends which this book attempts to portray. And as such, I ended up feeling sorry for Moe Berg more than anything else. Even so, I just couldn't help but feel -- against my will -- that the book was much ado about nothing.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780679762898

Author:

Dawidoff, Nicholas

Publisher:

Vintage Books

Location:

New York

Subject:

Political

Subject:

Military - World War II

Subject:

Historical - U.S.

Subject:

Spies

Subject:

Berg, morris, 1902-1972

Subject:

World War, 19

Subject:

Sports

Subject:

Biography-Political

Copyright:

1994

Edition Number:

1st Vintage ed.

Edition Description:

Trade paper

Series:

Vintage

Series Volume:

94-680-A

Publication Date:

19950531

Binding:

TRADE PAPER

Grade Level:

General/trade

Language:

English

Illustrations:

Yes

Pages:

480

Dimensions:

7.98x5.16x.97 in. 1.03 lbs.