Born and bred in Red Sox Nation, Carlton Fisk was the epitome of the New England ethic: stern but fair, hardworking, blunt and not willing to take guff from anyone. Even as a rookie catcher, he refused to kowtow to veteran pitchers who didn’t think such an inexperienced busher had anything to tell them.

Because Fisk was a local product --- born in Bellows Falls, Vermont, and attending high school and college in New Hampshire --- he was understandably a darling to the Red Sox faithful, especially when it came to facing the archenemy New York Yankees and his chief rival behind the plate, Thurman Munson.

"Wilson...does another serviceable job in telling the story of a young man who excelled and loved the game for himself, but brought joy to millions of fans as well."

Fisk and the Red Sox had their ups and downs before and after the 1975 World Series --- their only appearance in the Fall Classic --- despite having such stars as Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Luis Tiant and Carl Yastrzemski. The defining moment in Fisk’s career --- the one that eventually will lead off his obituary --- took place 40 years ago, when he launched his famous 12th-inning home run in Game Six of the 1975 World Series, considered by many the greatest contest ever played. (In 2009, Mark Frost published GAME SIX: Cincinnati, Boston, and the 1975 World Series: The Triumph of America's Pastime; Fisk’s image graces the cover.)

Replays of Fisk “willing” the ball to stay fair, clapping and jumping in the air when it did, enhanced the concept of a sport played by grown men who had a lot of little boy in them, as Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella used to say. (As an aside, the iconic video of Fisk’s historic blast, a staple of highlight shows of the biggest moments in sports, a) was an accident, attributed to the cameraman’s inability to move because a large rat was sitting on his root; and b) became the standard for the “up-close-and-personal” shot, as opposed to a wider view of the action.)

But no matter what lovely stories we hear about the beloved national pastime, baseball is a business. Doug Wilson does a good job of explaining how free agency shifted the power from owners to players and how that affected those two parties as well as the fans, who weren’t always on the side of the athletes, whose earnings were putting them out of reach with the common man.

As much as Fisk enjoyed playing in New England for obvious reasons, he was miffed when the Red Sox offered him no support or advice as he was recuperating from a horrific accident sustained as the result of a home plate collision in June 1974, returning to action almost a full year later. Ownership determined he was replaceable, just as they felt about any player, with the exceptions of superstars like Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle.

When the Red Sox failed to offer Fisk a contract by the established deadline following the 1980 season, he signed with the American League’s other hosiery team, the Chicago White Sox. In fact, he played longer in the midwest (13 seasons) than he had in the northeast (11), retiring at the age of 45 after an astounding 24 seasons, during which he was a Rookie of the Year and an 11-time All-Star. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Wilson, whose previous baseball work includes biographies of Brooks Robinson and Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, does another serviceable job in telling the story of a young man who excelled and loved the game for himself, but brought joy to millions of fans as well.