Book Description

At last they're all together, in celebration of one of America's most beloved figures: from "It ain't over 'til it's over" to "You can't think and hit at the same time" here are all the famous Yogisms, those pithy-as-poetry legendary words that are among the most popularly quoted sayings ever. Compiled by Yogi Berra and his family, The Yogi Book is the official collection of all Yogi Berra's quotable quotes. And more than just the genuine sayings themselves, there's Yogi on hand to explain each saying's provenance. Including many rarely-before-seen photographs plus appreciations and comments from friends and colleagues, the Yogi Book is a one-man Bartlett's, and a look at the life of a legend. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Classic Yogi
This book is a great, but short read. It has most of Yogi's famous quotes and some that are not so famous, like something he may have said to his wife. If you are a Yogi Berra fan from way back or you just like him because of his different way of putting things, this is a must have. I got it yesterday and I finished it in a half-hour or so. So like I said it is not a long read but very enjoyable and will make you chuckle.

Enjoy the read, but don't take this book as historical fact
Yogi really DIDN'T say everything that's attributed to him. A whole cottage industry for sports writers has sprung up inventing way too clever stuff and putting it in Yogi's mouth.

Unfortunately, it may be too late to correct the record. How can Yogi disown such gems as "It's deja vu all over again" when everybody WANTS to believe he said it?

In the early 1980's I read an interview with Berra in which a journalist walked him through the fifty best known Berraisms, and Yogi disowned about half of them. Included in the spurious Berraisms was the world-renowned "It's deja vu all over again."

Sorry to be a spoilsport, but let's have a little truth here. Does anyone seriously believe that during his playing days this guy, who had such a shaky command of basic English, had the French expession "deja vu" in his word stock to draw upon when needed?

Fun and Nicely Done
What I liked about The Yogi Book is that it was a book about the man, by the man and for the man. It is a very simple book with a promising concept that had great pictures and timeless memories. The cut and dry attitude answers and explains the questions about his famous quotes in a way that is most delightful. The lack of nonsense and filler made the experience much more enjoyable and, combined with the fact that it was actually Yogi talking, made everything feel much more authentic and pure.

The one factor that seems to be a downside of the book is that is a very quick read. I was able to finish it in one hasty sitting and, being about as cheap as the day is long, I saw no need to purchase the book. For those that are fans as frugal as myself, I would recommend not purchasing but definitely reading.

Don't get me wrong, sure I'm a cheap [expletive], but that doesn't take away from this great read. You will be smiling the entire time you are reading and will be pleased that you took the time to go through all the classic quotes and great memories. Short and sweet, there's nothing wrong with that.

Funny, Funny
This was the funniest book I have read in years. It was quick to read. I laughed so hard that I cried. Must read for anyone who needs a laugh.

I Know He Didn't Say All Those Things He Said
This book has a lot of Yogi's famous sayings and how they first originated. While I was too young to see Yogi play, I've always admired him. Not just because of his apparent intent to destroy the English language with all of his malaprops, but also because of his Hall of Fame baseball career and his overall intelligence. When I was young and first heard some of his now famous quotes, I used to derive hours of giggles from them. Now that I am much older and hopefully wiser, I realize that Yogi makes a tremendous amount of sense with his observations. Essentially he's saying things in a short sentence that most of us spend an hour saying.

For example, "When You Come To a Fork in the Road, Take it," he's saying if you have a great chance for something, go after it and don't look back. Or when he says "It Ain't Over Til It's Over," he's saying the game is never over until the final out or the clock runs out on you. Or "You Can Observe A Lot By Watching," he's telling his former Yankee players to pay attention to the game they're playing in! After having read this short but fascinating and at times hilarious book, I've gained a new respect for Yogi as one of the truly great minds and people major league baseball has ever been lucky enough to have. While his quotes may prompt English teachers to jump out windows, I hope we get to hear a lot more of them. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The beauty of former Negro League star Buck O'Neil's autobiography is its tone: it's filled with thankfulness for the life he's had. Born into an era of racial segregation, O'Neil--truly aninspirational presence in the Ken Burns documentary Baseball--has a right to be bitter for the opportunities denied him; instead, he is at peace with the opportunities he took. A man of unmistakable dignity, O'Neil is a marvelous storyteller, and I Was Right On Timereads like a fireside chat. He spins tales of baseball's barnstorming era, offers memories of his all-time Negro League all-star team, and weaves deft portraits of the stars he played with (and against), most affectionately his good friend and long-time teammate Satchel Paige. Still, O'Neil doesn't whitewash the past. He has stared down injustice and confronted insult, yet instead of lecturing, he opts to inform. Now in his 80s, O'Neil, as chairman of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, remains a living part of baseball memory. I Was Right On Time gives that memory a rich, resonant voice. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

For love of the game
I became aware of Buck O'Neil through the video series "Baseball" by Ken Burns. I found the book to be full of many of the same qualities I enjoyed about Buck's contributions to the video: His love of the game and the people he knew who played it. There are plenty of stories about well-known negro league players we all know of, but I think you'll enjoy hearing about other great players almost no one else has remembered. I also praise this book and the author for staying positive and for seeing the good in life rather than dwelling on its many injustices. This is a precious man and I think you'll enjoy this book as a chance to "meet" him.

I You Love Baseball, You'll Love This Book!
If you watched Ken Burns's Baseball, then you probably remember Buck O'Neil. If not, you should read this book and get to know him. In addition to telling tales from his days playing with Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Monarchs, O'Neil shares advice and life lessons. The title of the book reflects his feeling that he wasn't unlucky to miss an opportunity to play in the major leagues, he was lucky to be able to play baseball, the greatest game there is.

The Ambassador Of the Negro Leagues
I was impressed with this book and its author long before I had the honor of meeting Buck O'Neil.Mr. O'Neil gave up a $4.000.00 speaking engagement to come to Humboldt,Kansas and speak free of charge.The author writes of his years playing and managing the Kansas City Monarchs.He tells stories about Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.There is no one better qualified to write this book about his life and how segregated baseball and life was then.Mr O'Neil helped found and lead the Negro League Baseball Museuem In Kansas City, Missouri.Mr O'Neil is one of only about 300 Negro League ballplayers still living and one of only about four still living who played in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s.Mr O'Neil is a treasure and his book tells the story.

Must Have
this Book reflects so much to me overall.Buck O'Neil is a special figure in any sport too me.He is somebody that whenever He is on tv I have too stop what I'm doing&listen.this Book is the same way for me.so many great stories&reflections of what He went through&all of the Great Players He played with&against is mentioned here.listening too Him is like having a Family Member telling you stories that you could listen too for a whole day non-stop he moves me.

A beautiful man tells a heartwarming story.
Buck O'Neil is a man with a story to tell - one of courage, hard work, joy, love, and history. Homespun, told as if Buck was sitting across from the reader, O'Neil reveals the bright side of a very sad period of history where great players were denied the opportunity to compete in the Major Leagues simply because of the color of their skin, but where great competition and inspiration occurred on the backroads and big cities of America as members of the Negro Leagues played all over the Western Hemisphere.

Buck refuses to be sad over the lost opportunity of playing in the Majors, but instead revels in being able to play with and against some of the finest players in the history of baseball. Because so many of his contemporaries had this same spirit, they enjoyed their lives and ended up paving the way for the Major Leagues to be integrated. This event is so much more than a mere baseball event, but an event that changed America in a great and grand way!

Reading this book was inspirational to me, and let me see that no matter what the circumstances, good can be found if you look for it. Buck is a person who reveals the secret of life - love others. ... Read more

Book Description

"I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can." -- Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is without a doubt the most famous character ever produced by the sport of baseball. A legendary player, world-famous for his hitting prowess, he transcended the sport to enter the mainstream of American life as an authentic folk hero.

In this extraordinary biography, noted sportswriter Robert W. Creamer reveals the complex man behind the sports legend. From Ruth's early days in a Baltimore orphanage, to the glory days with the Yankees, to his later years, Creamer has drawn a classic portrait of an American original. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Excellent Biography
An engrossing, informative biography of baseball's greatest player. Some biographers make the mistake of rattling off facts and statistics, as if to impress you with how much research they've done. Creamer wisely focuses on the story, including descriptions of important games that make you feel like you're on the field with the Babe. Comments by Ruth's contemporaries add to the realism. "Babe" gets off to a slow start--a chapter dealing with Creamer's feelings about writing the book, and more details about Ruth's childhood than you probably want to know. But once Ruth starts playing baseball, the book grabs you and won't let go. One caveat: the discussion of Ruth's womanizing, while necessary and not extensive, makes this book inappropriate for young readers. If you like baseball and want to learn more about Babe Ruth, this is the book to get.

A Legendary story by Robert Creamer
Of the 200+ baseball books I've read, "Babe: The Legend Comes to Life" is my favorite. Creamer wrote the book while some of the old-timers were still alive, and this makes his story come to life. If you want to learn about Babe Ruth, this is the definitive book to read.

A Gritty and Detailed Portrayal
This is a comprehensive book on our favorite early 20th century player from Baltimore. 50 years after his death he remains possibly the greatest, and no doubt the most famous, player to have ever entered the major leagues.

This book can best be described as warts and all. It starts with his rough childhood in an orphanage - which was basically a reform school - and how the Babe just excelled and became a natural player and hitter. It goes on and chronicles his rowdy life on and off the field, his indulgences and his mishaps until his premature death. He was not a man of moderation or a person that was able to pace his life. He was the opposite of say the current but now retired " Iron Man" Cal Ripken also from near Baltimore but a person famous for moderation. "The Babe"would often show up with a hangover and little sleep for a game. Then he would stuff himself with hotdogs during a game and still knock the ball out of the park.

He was a fascinating person, bigger than life, and every baseball fan must buy or borrow and read this book.

Five stars.

Jack in Toronto

Superior Babe Ruth Biography
Author Robert Creamer has created one of the finest George Herman "Babe" Ruth biographies. This book incorporates a plurality of fascinatingly engrossing details about the baseball career and non-baseball activities of Babe Ruth.
This portrait describes Babe evolving from his tumultuous life in Baltimore as the delinquent son of a saloonkeeper into whom many people consider as the greatest baseball hitter and baseball player of all time.
Robert Creamer gives the reader an exceptionally in-depth description of Babe Ruth's life activities, attitudes and habits before the beginning of his major league baseball career. Creamer even mentions a few facts about Babe's minor league baseball playing roommate Rodger Pippen who roomed with Ruth during their 1914 International League season. Although not germane to the Babe's career I do wish that Creamer had given a very brief history about Rodger Pippen's history and his later-to-be significance to Baltimore. Pippen's International League statistics for that 1914 season were omitted. After Pippen's baseball career he later became a notable sports editor for the "Baltimore News-Post". Rodger Pippen was the primary individual who convinced Baltimore to create Memorial Stadium n the early 1950's. It is also believed that he may have been the first individual to create the phrase "Believe-It-Or-Not!". Rodger Pippen was a longtime friend of my great-grandfather Boston Fear's family. When Babe Ruth was dying from cancer he decided to make one last trip back to Baltimore to visit Rodger Pippen, other friends and family.
Robert Creamer presents many detailed facets about Babe Ruth's baseball career with the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Boston Braves. It would have been a bit more of an improvement if Creamer had explored the Babe's epic making record breaking 1927 sixty home run season in more exquisitely minute detail. The biography could also have given the reader a more behind-the-scenes explanation of the silent and talking movies the Babe played in. Also, Babe Ruth's life after his major league baseball career ( the retirement years ) and his off-season exhibition baseball performances could have gone into more depth. Perhaps some day a Ruthian baseball scholar will write a book comprising these oft-overlooked topics.
Robert Creamer's book splendidly evokes an appreciation of how highly important Babe Ruth was to revolutionizing and popularizing baseball. This biography is most definitely one of the "must-read" books about Babe Ruth. Every baseball lover should possess a copy of this book on their home bookshelf.
Babe Ruth may very well be the most famous American athlete of all time. No less an authority as baseball hall-of-famer Ted Williams called Babe Ruth "the greatest baseball hitter and baseball player of all time" and that "Babe Ruth was Bunyanesque ( like the mythological folk tale Paul Bunyan ) bigger than life".
For a small state in geographical square mile area Maryland certainly has produced an unusual statistically high proportion of Baseball Hall of Fame players ( e.g. Babe Ruth, Jimmy Foxx, John Franklin "Home Run" Baker, Judy Johnson, Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove, Al Kaline ) or potential-to-be Baseball Hall of Fame inductees ( e.g. Cal Ripken, Jr., Harold Baines, Bill "Swish" Nicholson ). However our state is very proud to state that we produced "The Sultan of Swat" , "The Bambino", "The Maharajah of Maul", etc. who is otherwise known as George Herman "Babe" Ruth! Even some of Babe Ruth's descendants today live around the Baltimore, Hagerstown and Salisbury cities of Maryland.

the Bambino lives!
This a great book for baseball fans . sportslovers of all kinds and anyone interested in American history in the 20th century. Babe Ruth the icon is made human again for all of us who missed him when he played the game. The first sports celebrity in a nation that has gone on to become obsessed with celebrity and sports heroes. Babe paved the way in an era that saw tremendous change in American life. He is portrayed here " warts and all" and emerges as a warm hearted man with a huge appetite for living who was clearly in the right place at the right time.
This is one of the finest sports biographies I've read. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

Great Read!
I enjoyed this book very much.Many funny and insightful stories. You really get a feel for what the life of an umpire is like...the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A safe call for baseball fans to read.
I was given this book to read while I was sick in bed.I love baseball, but I probably would not have picked up this book on my own.I was not, however, at all disappointed.Ken Kaiser's book made for a wonderful read.He (or his co-author) correctly understood that this type of autobiography is only of interest as it pertains to the world of baseball, so there is very little about Kaiser's personal life away from the job.

Kaiser's anecdotes are often funny and very revealing of the umpire's job.He dispels many ideas of how an umpire makes certain calls.Much of these myths are voiced by sportscasters/writers who like to sound as if they know the inside scoop of the game including the mind of the umps.

I knew of Kaiser's name when he umpired, but I was mostly neutral about him, unlike my positive thoughts about the delightful Ron Luciano, or the less happy thoughts of someone like Rich Garcia.His stories also make clear that what some believe as the self importance of the current umpires is nothing new to the game, but their working conditions have certainly improved.

The book ends sadly, though, with Kaiser an apparent victim of the Richie Phillips led union.Don't get me wrong, Kaiser is a big fellow and capable of making up his own mind, but the former union's advise was equaled in absurdity by the former air traffic controllers union.The result was predictable and the game is not better off.Kaiser deserves much credit for providing a well articulated defense of the umpire's job, his tributes to Ron Luciano, the Ripkens and his blasts at Earl Weaver, sports journalists, and the baseball hierarchy.

Good stories but skewed viewpoint
The best parts of this book are the stories about what it was like to be a minor league and major league umpire. The worst parts, from my perspective, are in Kaiser's biased views about the umpires' labor problems and the quality of umpiring in the majors. Kaiser goes on at length about how every umpire has his own strike zone, and complains about the attempts to standardize it. While it's true that calling balls and strikes is very difficult and that absolute standardization is probably impossible, it's also true that several umpires' strike zones had gotten completely ridiculous (Eric Gregg would regularly call strikes on pitches several inches outside, for example).

Kaiser says he trusted union head Richie Phillips too much when he agreed to resign along with most other major league umps. The problem wasn't just one of trust - it was one of arrogance. The umpires thought they were bigger than the game, that a mass resignation would force the owners to come crawling. They also failed to consider whom they were dealing with. Sandy Alderson accepted the mass resignation. This is the one time in labor history that a union broke itself. Major League Baseball owners have historically been poor labor negotiators, but they finally ran into a group of people who were worse. Kaiser doesn't face up to any of this, in my opinion. He admits it was a mistake to sign his resignation letter, but apart from that he seems to see himself as a victim.

I think the book is worth reading, as long as one takes some of Kaiser's views with a grain of salt.

A Great Book
I loved this book. It literally made me laugh until I cried. I couldn't put it down. I loved reading about behind the scenes in baseball and I especially enjoyed walking down memory lane picturing Ken Kaiser on the field. A great read, highly recommended, and a note to Mr. Kaiser..........I hope you win your battle with MLB, you deserve it. You were a great umpire, hang in there. As a great lover of baseball, I still can appreciate the job you did, even if I didn't always agree. Good Luck! Everyone else.........buy the book and give it as gifts. It makes a wonderful reading experience.

LIFE WITH A UMPIRE
Mr.Kaisers book is a must for anyone at all interested in what those men in blue do. I for one, did not know,but was extremely curious as to what goes on when a batter,manager,pitcher,or even a fan yells at a umpire. Kaiser tells it like you would be behind the mask yourself. I think the patience to be a umpire is only second to being a high school teacher. Having a somewhat career as a pro-wrestler helps in both cases. This book is the best I have read about the life on and off the field and the struggles to become a major league umpire. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For the four decades he's been writing about baseball for The NewYorker, Roger Angell has led all shortlists of the game's most astute andelegant chroniclers. With A Pitcher's Story: Innings with David Cone, heattempts, with thrilling command, something he's never tried before--devoting awhole volume to one player by spending an entire season at his heels. In pitcherDavid Cone, a cerebral student of his game and articulate practitioner of hiscraft, Angell finds a subject as perfect as the perfecto Cone hurled against theExpos on Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium in 1999. Better still, he finds inCone a partner unwilling to shrink beneath the hot light of what would prove tobe an agonizing and introspective year.

One of the game's premier pitchers, Cone came unglued in 2000; his 4-14 seasonwas a disaster. The "wizardly old master" Angell had intended to extol wassuddenly "Merlin falling headlong down the palace stairs." There's gold to bespun from that, though, and Angell, the essayist as deft alchemist, spins away.The more Cone struggles--the more he battles age, doubt, injury, and the variouscurves baseball fate can throw--to regain what he's lost, the more valiant heseems. It gives A Pitcher's Story its depth, its heart, its spirit, andits honor. If Angell entered into the project with the intention of getting agrip on the delicacies of pitching, he does, but he comes away with so muchmore. Like good battery mates, Cone and Angell work with, and off of, eachother. Together, they evoke a canny portrait of a career at the crossroads, anda meditation on the powers of an elite athlete's pride. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Reviews (18)

brought back memories about a great pitcher
I've been a fan of David Cone since I was a little kid growing up in New York as a Met's fan. Even as my team started to unravel after 1986 and 1988, Cone was stellar, leading the league in strikeouts and being the one constant quality player that the team had. When he was traded out of New York I still tried to follow his career and was happy when he returned to New York, even as a Yankee. It was with great disappointment that I read about his last season where he just fell apart and ended with a 4-14 record. It was a sad ending to a great pitcher.

I wanted to read this book about David Cone. The book was originally supposed to be about the craft of pitching, how a top level pitcher prepares and the mechanics of pitching. That is the book that Roger Angell intended to write. However, when Cone's mechanics broke down and his season fell apart, Angell stayed with him and realized that he had a completely different story. This is the story of David Cone's last season with the Yankees and the collapse of a talented ballplayer.

Baseball is a game of digression. Since the only action in the game takes place during frenzied bursts of motion between long periods of waiting, this gives the sportswriters and broadcasters time to talk about the game at hand as well as games and moments from years past. This is a good thing to think about as you begin to read the book. Roger Angell takes us through the 2000 season of David Cone. He also provides a biography of Cone as well as moments from different parts of his pitching career. This is just like a baseball game where everything is connected to history. What is happening in May might recall David's rookie year, or his high school days. This is how the book goes, from the 2000 season when Angell is spending time with Cone right to David's childhood and back again. It may feel at times that there is very little organization, but I felt that it had part of the natural flow of watching (or listening to) a baseball game.

Some readers might be put off by the lack of chronology to the book and that it jumps around quite a bit. It is a little distracting, but it wasn't bad at all in my mind. It just felt like this is the way you tell the baseball story. I was completely enthralled by this book and I'm glad that I got the chance to read about one of my favorite pitchers from my childhood.

Late Innings
Aging veteran writer Roger Angell spends the 2000 season with aging veteran pitcher David Cone. Cone struggles with injuries and mechanics to produce a sub-par 4-14 record. Angell struggles with the project in general, producing A Pithcer's Story. Anyone who's enjoyed Roger Angell's previous baseball writing knows that his forte is explaining the game through it's players, relaying anecdotes that give us a sense of being inside the game, and putting the current events of baseball in their historical context. When A Pitcher's Story allows for these moments, Angell shines (see chapters Normal Pain and This Statesman). Unfortunatly, the format (following David Cone through a season) doesn't really allow for this. Maybe David Cone wasn't the right head to get into, maybe Roger Angell wasn't the right guy to try. In either case I hope they can both put the 2000 season behind them and give us one more good year.

This Book Was Poor
I am a great ball fan and a regular at the Blue Jays games - especially when the Yankees or the A's or Seattle come to town. Cone was here when we (my team the Jays - I do not own the Jays, everyone here calls them his team) won the world series in 92 and we all loved him.

I was excited when the book arrived from Amazon.com, but very disappointed when I actually read the book. I never finished it. I thought it was slow and a bit light. The author cannot keep your attention and the book wanders. Waste of money only one or two stars. Sorry but that is my humble opinion. Read DiMaggios's book "The Hero's Life" for a good biography about life on and off the field.

Jack in Toronto

A Journey with Mr.Cone
Roger Angell takes you through the troublesome and nail-biting career to the ordinary every day life of the renowned pitcher, David Cone. From his first participation in a major league uniform with the New York Mets, to many thriving seasons with the Yankees and Red Sox, and from the time that David's arm felt like a stable rocket launcher, to the end of his career when he prospered by throwing mostly split-fingers and curveballs instead of a blazing fastball. A Pitchers Story not only makes the reader envision a life as an imfamous pro-baseball player, but also learns from the way to handle themselves under extraordinary pressure. This book is also similar to a pitching lesson in itself, as grips of seams and the twists of wrists are manifested by the masterful Cone. I am sure that this story has made hundreds of people realize how hard-working and dedicated a person must be in order to maintain a respectable and successful career in the big-leagues, as Cone consistently did throughout his almost two-decade career. This book is certainly better than the average biography, and I would recommend it to any lovers of "America's Past Time."

The Essential David Cone
I'd been waiting a long time for a book to be published about my favorite baseball player, David Cone. This book is excellent in describing Cone both professionally and personally. A must-read for David's fans! ... Read more

Book Description

The extraordinary life of Jackie Robinson is illuminated as never before in this full-scale biography by Arnold Rampersad, who was chosen by Jack's widow, Rachel, to tell her husband's story, and was given unprecedented access to his private papers. We are brought closer than we have ever been to the great ballplayer, a man of courage and quality who became a pivotal figure in the areas of race and civil rights.

Born in the rural South, the son of a sharecropper, Robinson was reared in southern California. We see him blossom there as a student-athlete as he struggled against poverty and racism to uphold the beliefs instilled in him by his mother--faith in family, education, America, and God.

We follow Robinson through World War II, when, in the first wave of racial integration in the armed forces, he was commissioned as an officer, then court-martialed after refusing to move to the back of a bus. After he plays in the Negro National League, we watch the opening of an all-American drama as, late in 1945, Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers recognized Jack as the right player to break baseball's color barrier--and the game was forever changed.

Jack's never-before-published letters open up his relationship with his family, especially his wife, Rachel, whom he married just as his perilous venture of integrating baseball began. Her memories are a major resource of the narrative as we learn about the severe harassment Robinson endured from teammates and opponents alike; about death threats and exclusion; about joy and remarkable success. We watch his courageous response to abuse, first as a stoic endurer, then as a fighter who epitomized courage and defiance.

We see his growing friendship with white players like Pee Wee Reese and the black teammates who followed in his footsteps, and his embrace by Brooklyn's fans. We follow his blazing career: 1947, Rookie of the Year; 1949, Most Valuable Player; six pennants in ten seasons, and 1962, induction into the Hall of Fame.

But sports were merely one aspect of his life. We see his business ventures, his leading role in the community, his early support of Martin Luther King Jr., his commitment to the civil rights movement at a crucial stage in its evolution; his controversial associations with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Humphrey, Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, and Malcolm X.

Rampersad's magnificent biography leaves us with an indelible image of a principled man who was passionate in his loyalties and opinions: a baseball player who could focus a crowd's attention as no one before or since; an activist at the crossroads of his people's struggle; a dedicated family man whose last years were plagued by illness and tragedy, and who died prematurely at fifty-two. He was a pathfinder, an American hero, and he now has the biography he deserves. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

This book cooks!
I wasn't a huge baseball fan when I started this book, but I'd heard of Jackie Robinson. I used to think I knew who he was. Well, you don't anything until you read this book! The comforting text inches over every exciting aspect of Jackie Robinson's life. It was written using information that Jackie Robinson's wife provided for the first time. The topics range from rising above racism to sharing personal family experiences. If you love baseball, this book is absolutely for you. However, if you're not really into sports (like me), then you'll still adore this true-life story that seems almost unreal.

Brings the Legend who was Jackie Robinson to life.
In his excellent biography of Brooklyn Dodgers infielder Jackie Robinson, author Arnold Rampersad has painted with a crisp and lively narrative an objective, balanced , and candid portrait of a legend. Here is seen the complex, driven man that was Jackie Robinson, "warts" and all. He was the proud and fiercely determined African American athlete, extraordinarily gifted in at least four sports; a sometimes overly sensitive man who despised racism always fought against it, even in the pre-Civil Rights era of the 1930s and 1940s, and even at the risk of conviction by military court-martial. He used an unconquerable will and ambition to became a football, baseball, basketball and track star at Pasadena Junior College; one of the greatest football running backs in UCLA history, and ultimately, under the guidance of legendary Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey, the first African American professional baseball player of the modern era. Rampersad traces Robinson's struggle against racism during his early Dodger years; it is a poignant and compelling story.

The book also shows the more human side of Robinson: a quiet and sensitive man, and a political activist whose fight for racial equality was consistent throughout his life; a wonderfully loving husband but sometimes distant father; and a businessman of tremendous integrity. At Rampersad's hands, Jackie Robinson is a genuinely heroic and admirable person. This is a book which allows the reader to really get to know its subject. It is one of the finest biographies I've read in many years. Highly recommended!

Terrific Read
This biography does an outstanding job of giving an overview of Robinson's life and times, from his early, awnry but talented years in Pasadena, through UCLA, then the military, and then the Brooklyn Dodgers and beyond. It paints a picture of a strong willed gentleman with enormous pride, dedicated to his family, and dedicated to the idea of racial integration and equality. The influences of his mother on his early, somewhat (understandably) confrontational character, that allowed him to ultimately be the individual who paired with Branch Rickey to integrate "America's Pastime" are clearly laid out.

Some reviewers have faulted the author for not being more interpretive of Robinson's politics - specifically, that he was a Nixon supporter in 1960 and a Rockefeller supporter in 1968 (while also being a strong supporter of Civil Rights, active in almost every civil rights organization) and Humphrey supporter as well. I think the book lays out all the facts for the reader to see for themselves. Robinson's coming of age - in an era when a Dixiecrat from a Jim Crow state (LBJ) led the passage of the Civil Rights Act - was a time of a shifting political landscape that didn't settle out until near his death (he also broke badly with Nixon later in Nixon's career). The Republican party's mantra of self-reliance, and Robinson's determination to succeed in business in the same way he did in sports, made his attraction to the party not a big leap; the alienation of this country's African American establishment from big business was not a pre-ordained fact in the time Robinson lived.

Finally, Robinson's own family struggles were also a reflection of the confusing and troubling times in which he lived.

Robinson died too young for us all. This is a great book and I would highly recommend it..

an engrossing, human story
i'm not particularly interested in baseball, but i am particularly interested in American history from the human perspective. i could have read a much more dry account of the turmoils that dominated American race relations throughout the middle of the 20th century, but instead i've read this fascinating account of those terrible, backward days from the perspective of a true pioneer, Mr. Jackie Robinson.

of course he is looked back on now as a symbol, a mythological figure. i always knew peripherally of Jackie as the same thing most people do: the first black man to play major league baseball, a step forward & up in the painful struggle of the times. but this book presents him as a human being, a fallible man who lived most of his life not on the baseball field, but in a relentless pursuit of his ideals and desire for a better life for himself and everyone around him.

the reviewer before me questions the biographer's lack of judgement of Robinson. i am curious as to why he feels Rampersad should insert his own analysis; the biography presents analyses of Robinson by many of Robinson's contemporaries, and then presents the recorded facts available to clarify incidents & statements. yes, this is an intensely personal biography, perhaps too personal in places. it is very much centered on Jackie's private correspondences. it is absolutely told from Robinson's persepctive, as best can be reconstructed from his widow Rachel & the papers he left behind, but it feels very honest, not at all like an airbrushed bit of hero-polishing. it is in places very blunt about Jackie's shortcomings as observed by his peers & contemporaries.

before i stretch this out any longer, i'll just say that this is the most engrossing biography i can ever recall having read. it's an account of a fascinating life in an amazingly recent time, in an America that seems so long ago but is still discouragingly recent. readers will learn not just about Jackie Robinson, but about two American eras as well.

Pulls its punch
Professor's Rampersad's biography of Jackie Robinson is a book that's needed now. It's incredibly informative about the man behind the legend. (I think Roger Angell's blurb sums it up: "[the] book arrives just in time to save the man from his own legend.") However, Rampersad doesn't focus much on Robinson's baseball life, and he seems to be holding back judgment on Robinson despite the opportunities to do so.

Before digging in the dirt, I want to say that this book is crisply written and chock full o' facts about Robinson's life. Rampersad obviously had the full support of Robinson's widow, Rachel, and her views are constantly felt throughout the book. It's almost told from her point of view, in fact, and thus feels like a intimate, loving homage to the man.

But there are some issues and character flaws in Robinson that Rampersad shows or hints at, but never fully explores. For example, we never truly felt the force of the hatred leveled against Robinson during his efforts to integrate baseball. There are a few quick references to name-calling, a couple of pitches thrown his way, but what made Robinson so bitter, what filled him with the hatred that so obviously ate at him later in his career? It's implied, rather than shown, as if it were too terrible even to discuss. On the whole, the chapters on Robinson's baseball career are woefully thin. It's clear that Rampersad is not much of a baseball fan - including a few factual errors about the sport's rules and game play - and it's a shame, because baseball is as much about its stories as it is about its action.

And then there's Robinson's role as Civil Rights' leader, which Rampersad describes, but withholds all judgment on. Why exactly did Robinson favor the Republican Party, even long after it was obvious that the GOP proved to be the party of segregation and white privilege? Also Rampersad only hints at the acrimony and in-fighting between Robinson and such organizations as the NAACP and SLCC.

Presented with the facts supplied by Rampersad, it seemed that Robinson was a vain, proud, and sensitive man, who was extremely susceptible to flattery, especially from powerful whites. It also seems that his success in baseball convinced him that he would be successful in other areas, especially politics. But it seemed that he was over his head in that area, always a tool of the professionals, Nixon and Rockerfeller.

Notice I say "seem" a lot! That's because Rampersad never states any of this outright, he only hints at it - enough to acknowledge these characteristics, but fails to explore them. Rampersad never digs into Robinson's psychology, never explains or contemplates motivation, cause, or effect of any of Robinson's endeavors. It's so easy on Robinson that I suspect Rampersad wrote this book for Robinson's widow - or maybe her approval of the book was necessary as part of some deal for use of her letters. Or perhaps Rampersad was too aware of Robinson's near-saint-like stature in our nation's culture to find any fault with the man. In any case, he definitely pulls all punches, and the book, though informative, feels incomplete.

Yes, Robinson was a hero. Yes, he was courageous. But he was also a man, full of frailties and inconsistencies, just like the rest of us. To withhold judgement does him as much diservice as it does us... ... Read more

Book Description

Since Ichiro Suzuki joined the Mariners in 2001, he has awed America, earned the respect of his teammates, and won the heart of Seattle. But being notoriously private and media-elusive: baseball fans know very little about him. Ichiro on Ichiro gives readers a rare glimpse into the mind and soul of this amazing player. He recalls memories of his childhood and his relationship with his father in Japan; his baseball career and celebrity status in his home country; his feelings on arriving in America for spring training; adapting to American culture and receiving awards and adulation. Reclusive Ichiro trusted no other writer than Narumi Komatsu to conduct this Q & A interview. Readers are fortunate to be brought into this exceptional conversation and to share in Ichiro's closely held feelings on the sport, the Mariners, his wife, and the media. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Perfect I'm Not is, indeed, not a perfect book, but as in baseball, literary imperfection can make for a thrilling ride. Part Horatio Alger, part libertine, Wells peppers the narrative of his rise from poverty in Ocean Beach, California to baseball fame and fortune with numerous prurient tales from behind the locker room door. He is frank about the use of steroids among his fellow players and he's not afraid to burn major bridges (one must assume they were already on fire) in his ferocious attacks on such baseball luminaries as veteran general manager Pat Gillick. And the story behind his woozy perfect game is legend. All this is entertaining stuff and worth the price of admission.

The book, however, falls too often into a pattern of explication and justification for Wells’s "entertaining" run-ins with the law, baseball management, players, and even his own family. We learn that young Dave Wells once punched his sister and broke her jaw, but, he explains, this was because his sister had scraped his sunburned back with her fingernails. This childhood story is then repeated--in a grown up form--several times. In many cases, it does seem that he is justified in claiming innocence--or at least in claiming he got an eye for an eye. But repetition of these explications--which even include bad pitching performances caused, we learn, by nascent physical problems (elbow, shoulder, bone chips, gout, back)--take away his agency in his own story. The hero is always a victim. In the end, then, the book is as flawed as its author, offering entertaining insight--some perhaps unintentional--into the man and his game.

Reviews (35)

Keep Crying, Sox Fans
3 reviews, 2 from people who obviously have not read the book and are Yankee-haters. The simple fact is, David Wells is a flake, but he's also a winner. He's the kind of guy that many a baseball fan would like to share a beer with, and I mean the regular fans, not the luxury box-sitting, shrimp cocktail-eating and leave in the 7th inning to beat the traffic "fans". The stories are about Wells' experiences, not what the media has spun to represent their own points of view and axes to grind. I applaud him for speaking his mind. There is going to be fallout from it, from people who object to the way that he portrays events, to the players and fans of cities and teams he has lit into, and he'll have to live with that. I appreciate his candor. He's no role model, certainly. And reading about his experiences, a sane, rational and sober person will conclude that it is not the way to make it to the major leagues. But it is how he chooses to live his life and as long as he's not hurting anyone I say "hoist another one, Boomer".

PERFECT I'M NOT
Being a lifelong baseball fan, I read anything I can get my hands on regarding it. I personally found this book extremely entertaining and very enjoyable. David Wells has much to tell about his rise to the top of AMERICAS GAME. He brought me on a wild ride from the beaches of southern California to the bars in Manhattan. His writing about baseball is excellent as well. If you are a fan, READ IT. If the boring RED SOX had a few characters like Wells, maybe it could spark them to winning something.

A homerun (even though he's a pitcher)!
I was interested in David Wells' life. This book satisfied that. To my astonishment, it is incredibly well-written, funny and insightful. The stories and revellations are great. Best baseball player's book I've read in years. Superior on all accounts to the recent David Cone book.

BOOMER BELLOWS
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK BY DAVID WELLS. SOMETIMES CRUDE, FUNNY, SAD, HONEST, AND GROSS. HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS DESCRIBING IN DETAIL HIS LIFE AND CAREER. HIS LANGUAGE LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED AT TIMES, BUT OVERALL THIS IS A VERY ENTERTAINING BOOK. HIS INSIGHT AND OPINIONS ARE VERY CANDID AND CONTROVERSIAL. I THINK HE NEEDS TO BE IN REHAB FOR ALCOHOL AND FOOT IN MOUTH ADDICTION. BUT STILL VERY WORTH READING. HE IS NOT A BAD GUY BUT JUST HUMAN AND VERY OUT SPOKEN. TURN IT DOWN A BIT BOOMER.

A surprisingly funny and candid read. I loved it.
I never liked David Wells, mostly because I only knew him as a Yankee player. That alone is generally enough to get me not to like someone. :) I wanted to check this out solely because of the "hype" surrounding the book. And after having read the book, I have to wonder if the negative press surrounding the book and some of it's "expositions" weren't self inflicted. Read the book. It's a wonderfully entertaining read. He talks about all the problems he had in his life early on, from his time in the minors, to the boredom in the bullpen (although his story about getting women in the stands to flash them is awesome) to his battles with team management, and lots on the Yankees. I also got a charge out of his comments on former Reds owner Marge Schott, and her dog.

I have to admit that this book goes on my recommend list. It was a funny read, and for a baseball fan like myself, gives me some insight into the mind of a baseball player. I really enjoyed it. The link here is for the hardback edition of the book. There is a paperback version scheduled for release, but it's not currently slated until Mar 1, 2004. The hardback is available now.

Oh, BTW, if you're someone who isn't into the liberal use of foul language, you might want to stay away from the book. It's not like every third word is f this or f that, but there is definitely more than a smattering of f-bombs and the like in the book. ... Read more

Book Description

At the time of Hank Aaron's birth in 1934, Babe Ruth reigned as baseball's home run king, and the Negro Leagues were an African American's only hope of playing professional baseball. Latent hopes for a different future thrived on Carver Park in Alabama, however, where a young Hank Aaron was soon to be seen perfecting the powerful stroke that would later make him one of the greatest hitters and most revered players in the history of the game. The owner of over 3,000 career base hits, the winner of two batting titles and one world championship, and the all time RBI leader and home run king, Hank Aaron began his historic career integrating the South Atlantic League, and spent much of his professional tenure as a member of the only major league team in the South. Despite the animosity that thus surrounded him both at home and on the road, Aaron never ceased to excel, and even achieved his most enduring feat-breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record-under threats to his own life. This enlightening biography provides a stunning portrait of one of the great hitters and great men of major league baseball history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lots of fun; not enough story, too many stats
The first third or so of this book is a history of early baseball from the anarchic "rounders" to an adult game with an agreed on set of rules. There are lots of great stories about basic things, like theinvention of the baseball glove and how Al Spalding first came up with theidea that fielders shouldn't stand right by their base (duh!).But most ofthe book is short histories of all the teams that ever played (like theCincinatti Porkers), most of them lasting no more than a couple years inthe 1880's and 1890s. There are also lifetime stats on lots of earlyplayers. I wish more of the book had been on the early history, but perhapsthere just isn't that much information known. ... Read more

Book Description

Jack McKeon became a baseball legend by doing things his way, and he shares his remarkable odyssey with the same reckless abandon. The cigar-chomping, storytelling principal of the proverbial old school made the most of a late-in-life opportunity and led the Florida Marlins to victory in the 2003 World Series. His journey to becoming the oldest manager to reach baseball’s promised land is as hilarious as it is unlikely, and you will believe him when he tells you he’s not stopping there. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

STOP THE PRESSES!!!! A good idea for Jack McKeon?
"I'm Just Getting Started: Baseball's Best Storyteller on Old School Baseball, Defying the Odds, and Good Cigars" had the unfortunate luck to be released at approximately the same time as Jose Canseco's much more popular book - - "Juiced : Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big."

With the assistance of Kevin Kernan, Jack McKeon recounts his life in 211 double spaced and large font pages.Of note, Amazon lists the book at 213 pages, but the last two pages detail the manager's record.This is an important fact as it personifies the book in a nutshell.It appears that the author(s) filled in space simply to increase the page count and this detracts from the value of the book.

While the stories are interesting, the editing is horrible and while reading this book, the reader constantly envisions Jack McKeon dictating his words and Kevin typing these words exactly as spoken and then submitting these same words for approval from the publisher without editing.

Most of the book focuses on Mr. McKeon's managerial days and it does a good job of making the reader appreciate how hard he has worked and how far he has come.Jack McKeon uses this book to obtain his revenge on those who let him go (i.e. Cincinnati comes up a lot in the book), but I have no problem with this as he is sailing on top at the present moment.In addition, revenge is best served on a cold platter and he utilizes this mantra well.

Having said this, the book is essentially a hodgepodge of words put together.Sure, it may sound like a conversation, but many ideas are repeated and unnecessary.If you remove the letters from fans, reduce the font, and eliminate the double spacing, you will realize that this book is not quite worth the $16.47 Amazon price.
... Read more

Book Description

Paul O'Neill was the undisputed heart and soul of the four-time World Series–winning New York Yankees from 1993 to 2001. A champion and an icon, he was a dedicated, intense athlete who not only wore the trademark pinstripes with pride, he bled blue and white. O'Neill epitomized the team's motto of hard work and good sportsmanship, traits instilled in him by the man who was his friend, confidant, lifelong model, and biggest fan: his dad, Chick O'Neill.

Paul O'Neill has rarely spoken publicly about the significant role his father played in his baseball career. But now, in Me and My Dad, he speaks from the heart about the man who inspired in him a love for the game and a determination to always play his best. For some, baseball is more than a game -- it's a way of life. Chick O'Neill was one of those people. Paul recounts how his father, after serving as a paratrooper in World War II, pitched in the California minor league, until he discovered that his true passion was his family. Later he was devoted to his son's dream of becoming a professional ball player and was always there -- from coaching Little League to being in the stadium when Paul played for the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees.

In Me and My Dad, Paul also remembers the highlights of his amazing career: being called up to the majors by the Reds, his first World Series, being traded to the Yankees -- and taking part in their phenomenal four World Series wins. He also reflects on his father's untimely death during the 1999 World Series and the farewell tribute given to him by his fans during his last game in Yankee Stadium.

Reviews (9)

Bleeding Yankee blue & white
I hardly remember Paul O'Neill as a Red's player, he's always been a Yankee to me. Never have I ever seen any one bleed Yankee blue and white as Paul O'Neill did. This book is a great book. He brings the same perfection to writing a book as he did on the field. His story brings new meaning to father/son baseball relationships.

Indians fan changes mind, thinks O'Neill is okay!
Being an Indians fan I have never been a Yankee or Paul O'Neill fan. This was mainly due to O'Neill's actions of emotion of breaking water coolers or throwing his helmet after he failed on the field. After reading his book "Me and my Dad". I still hate the Yankees but I do respect Paul O'Neill. He was a great ballplayer and he loves the game just like his Dad taught him to. This book gives a good capsule of a journey of a little kid and his Father by his side from little league to the majors. One side note, there is a typo in the book about the 1997 Yankees - Indians playoff game. Sandy Alomar hit the home run off Mario Rivera not Robbie Alomar. As an Indian fan I will never forget it!

Top Ten Baseball Book of the Year
The father-son baseball connection has been done many times but usually in connection to fans, not a major league player and his dad. This original & touching treatment of the topic makes Me and My Dad one of the 10 best baseball books of year and worthy of its Finalist nomination for the 2003 CASEY Award.

A True Role Model for Today's Youth
I have always respected Paul O'Neill and looked up to him as a young Reds fan growing up outside of Cincinnati. His book gives you a heartfelt in depth look of what made Paul O'Neill the humble, hard working, family man that he is and that is none other than his father, Chick O'Neill. Their father-son relationship is bonded by their love for one another and their love for America's favorite pastime. This is a great read about family and baseball.

Great Book
I am not a Yankee fan at all but I loved Paul O'Neill's book. It brought back memories of playing in little league and brings hope and inspiration for me as I attempt to play college baseball. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in baseball or developing a good relationship with their father or mother. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not long before his death, Ty Cobb, as complex and haunted a human being as ever stepped onto a diamond, tapped a young writer named Al Stump to collaborate with him on his autobiography. The result, My Life in Baseball: The True Record, never came close to reaching first base; with Cobb (holder of the game's highest lifetime batting average and lowest lifetime reputation) calling the signals, it was an antiseptic whitewash, as false as its titular claim would have you believe otherwise. Hidden between the lines was the living hell that Cobb--reclusive, bitter, ravaged with cancer, in great pain, and shunned by the baseball community--put Stump through to make sure his demon-filled story was properly sanitized.

Some 30 years later, Stump brilliantly wrought his revenge with the best tool a writer can wield: absolute honesty. In Cobb, he rectifies his earlier cover-up and paints an unforgettable portrait of an unforgettable character: The Georgia Peach--pits and all. Not only does Stump painstakingly assemble the disparate pieces of Cobb's tangled personality and storied career, he also recounts in scrupulous detail the literal wild ride that comprised his months in the company of the dying baseball legend. It is, from its opening inscription ("To get along with me," Cobb told Stump, "don't increase my tension"), a tour de force, as good a sports biography as exists, and an altogether riveting telling of a riveting life. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Cobb the legend
Was Tyrus Cobb as good as you imagined? Better.

Did Tyrus Cobb innovate the game? Absolutely.

Did a worse human being play the game? Maybe not.

Al Stump focused on the first and especially the third question above. Being a sports writer, Stump knows that a healthy legend and juicy scandel sells books. In this book Stump gives excellent descriptions of some of the most famous incidents in baseball- mostly from the mouth of Cobb with whom Stump spent parts of a year interviewing. Perhaps that time tainted Stump. For example, Stump repeatedly mentions the 'extreme cruelty' Charlotte Cobb used as grounds for divorce. He fails to mention that Mrs. Cobb stressed that it was mental and never physical abuse. Why? Perhaps Stump intended to paint Cobb as completly vile. Perhaps Cobb deserved it. But this important information for a book of nearly 500 pages to fail to mention. Stump keeps a highly negative focus on Cobb the man while building up Cobb the player.

I finished this book disliking Cobb the man, convinced Cobb the player would have dominated ANY era, and wanting to know more- so I read Alexander's book. Charles Alexander's "Ty Cobb" provides a more complete, less biased view of Cobb in about half the pages. The Stump book is more colorful however.

Amazingly eye-opening
This book is a quick read for baseball fans, and an interesting look at the psychosis of an American icon for non-baseball fans. Al Stump went through a living hell while writing Ty Cobb's ghost-written autobiography and thirty years later he tells Cobb's true story. The story of Cobb's obnoxious, cruel behavior is told in detail, with Stump's vicious pen tearing at the soul of the legend. It is rare in biographies to see a writer tear at the subject, but Stump does it as a reconciliation with his soul. In between the lines, Stump comes to terms with his own demons, and it brings the book to life. Every one of Cobb's misgivings and psychotic rampages is shown, and his one truly great asset, that of being the greatest baseball player of all time, is also given full credit. An amazing work for its balance between the two worlds of writing the truth and writing what our legends want us to see is covered. Al Stump wrote the story of an American legend in everyday life in Cobb, and leaves the reader one possible conclusion, Cobb isn't the man we want our children to emulate.

A not-so-sweet Peach
A "natural" with a Napoleonic complex ("He knew how to win against the odds"), Tyrus R Cobb was, in the words of his biographer Al Stump, "the most chilling, the eeriest of all American sport figures". In fact, Mr Stump's impressed if sometimes impatient "Cobb" (1994) is subtitled "The Life and Times of the Meanest Man Who Ever Played Baseball"; and Mr Stump, who has contributed to Esquire and Sports Illustrated, has the anecdotes to prove it -- some from the Georgia Peach himself. Mr Stump helped Cobb write his memoirs in 1960, and it seems their collaboration was wary, to put it mildly. One thing Mr Stump never had any doubt about: Cobb was a great player. With a career batting average of .367 (compared to Honus Wagner's .329, for instance) and 6,294 put-outs, he was formidable both at bat or in the outfield. Then there was the draconian side: the bullying of team mates (even worse when he became player/manager of the Detroit Tigers) and using his spikes as stilettoes against opponents. Cobb had a reputation as a virulent racist, his hatred of Negroes causing him on one occasion to even beat up a black woman. During his rivalry with Babe Ruth Cobb's ethnic prejudice went so haywire he accused Ruth of being the product of miscegenation and applied all the common slurs. He also attacked fans (as did Ruth), sending at least one to the hospital. Of course, the "cranks" often asked for it, the stands filled with a rudeness and disrespect mainly confined today to a stadium which shall remain unnamed. Cobb's personal life and the reasons for his problems are sketchy. The razzing he received as a rookie, added to a bizarre family tragedy, caused him to have a nervous breakdown at the age of twenty. Some of Cobb's contemporaries thought he was truly insane, but the explanation for his behavior could be less drastic. Emotionally selfish (though financially generous) and subject to tantrums, it could be he simply never grew up; but Mr Stump doesn't explore the complexities that thoroughly. Of the 20 photographic illustrations in the book only one shows one of his five children. The wives are not pictured at all. Cobb was married twice and divorced twice. The second wife is barely mentioned; the first wife was strictly kinder Kirche Küche. As Cobb grew older, the Game grew away from him. His despotic attitude (Mr Stump calls him "the Torquemada of the ballpark") became unacceptable to a new breed of better-educated ballplayer, and his rejection of the Ruthian home run meant that many of his tactics didn't work anymore. He died in 1961, an alcoholic alienated millionaire, admired by Mr Stump though he felt distanced from Cobb. (Just three of Cobb's fellow players attended his funeral.) The fact that Mr Stump wrote this lengthy biography is proof that he thought Ty Cobb was an athlete worthy of respect and remembrance for his professional intelligence. As Connie Mack said: "His secret is that he thinks two plays ahead of everybody else."

Riveting
Al Stump was chosen to ghostwrite the memoirs of Ty Cobb in 1960. After almost a year of research and harrowing experiences, "My Life in Baseball: The True Record" was published. The final product, which bore the name of Ty Cobb, was, in the words of Stump, self-serving. So much of the Cobb story either remained untold or was sanitized that Stump decided to write a corrective article for True Magazine. This article brought accolades and eventually "Cobb" published some 30 years after the original Cobb autobiography.

Ty Cobb was the first player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and from a purely baseball perspective, he was most certainly deserving. Many of baseball's pioneers are given short shrift today and even devoted fans are ignorant of their accomplishments and the conditions under which they played. Low pay, abuse by owners, no helmets, beanballs, doctored balls and dim lighting were all circumstances that ball players from the early part of the 20th century had to endure. To then realize that some of the personages in the book (Cobb, Mathewson, etc.) excelled in this environment is staggering. I could list Cobb's accomplishments....homeplate steals, his lifetime batting average or any of the other statistics that imbue baseball with its unique charm, but suffice it to say that Tyrus Cobb is arguably the greatest player to ever don a cap. It is of course the case that this is not the whole story. If it were, Cobb would be remembered much more fondly; however, this biography may not have been necessary and even if it were written, it would likely be less interesting.

The dark side of Cobb make him a decidedly unsympathetic human being. Here was a man possessed of great intelligence, business acumen, persistence. A fierce competitor with a certain sense of honor who, for example, was instrumental in forming baseball's first union (the Baseball Players Fraternity) to protect the rights of all players. He also set up a charitable foundation (the Cobb Educational Fund) to aid bright but poor students from Georgia. This normally taciturn man was reported to have cried when some of the students helped by his endowment tearfully thanked him. Yet within this same man existed a person who was bigoted, foul-mouthed, humorless and prone to violent outbursts when he felt wronged.

In the preface, the author writes "During the long stretches of time we spent together, my feelings for Ty Cobb were often in flux." Every chapter in this page-turner of a book provoked the same sense of ambivalence in me. While some of his on-field antics, and especially his bigotry, are painful to read and well-nigh impossible to forgive, his talents and the tragedies which he experienced make him a figure not easy to dismiss or forget. The untimely death of his beloved father and the subsequent murder charges levied against his mother seem to have set the stage for an adulthood destined to be memorialized in print or perhaps even the silver screen.

At the time of his death, Cobb was estranged from his surviving children. The book concludes with Al Stump telling us "....the funeral of the most shrewd, inventive, lurid, detested, mysterious, and superb of all baseball players went unattended by any official representative of the game at which he excelled." Whether you are a baseball fan or not, this book is an informative and compelling read.

Perhaps Baseball's Most Disliked Player
This book documents the life and times of one of the most complex, violent, angry, and racist men to ever play the game of baseball. It takes the reader from his growing up in rural Georgia to going to Detroit to play for the Tigers and finally to his later years in California and his death of prostate cancer in 1959. But along with these personality defects, Cobb had incredible talent to go with his competitiveness----and he was competitive both on and off the field. Anyone interested in baseball's history would undoubtedly enjoy reading this biography of one of the game's most colorful characters. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1997 the American people will celebrate with great fanfare and publicity the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson's explosive entrance into major league baseball. Robinson has become a national icon, his name a virtual synonym for pathbreaker. Indeed, much has transpired between this young African-American's first bold strides around the baseball diamonds of a segregated America and General Manager Bob Watson's pride in assembling 1996 World Champion New York Yankees. Recognizing this monumental event in America's continuing struggle for integration, Jules Tygiel has expanded his highly acclaimed Baseball's Great Experiment. In a new afterword, he addresses the mythology surrounding Robinson's achievements, his overall effect on baseball and other sports, and the enduring legacy Robinson has left for African Americans and American society.

In this gripping account of one of the most important steps in the history of American desegregation, Tygiel tells the story of Jackie Robinson's crossing of baseball's color line. Examining the social and historical context of Robinson's introduction into white organized baseball, both on and off the field, Tygiel also tells the often neglected stories of other African-American players--such as Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron--who helped transform our national pastime into an integrated game. Drawing on dozens of interviews with players and front office executives, contemporary newspaper accounts, and personal papers, Tygiel provides the most telling and insightful account of Jackie Robinson's influence on American baseball and society. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Exceeds Expectations
I purchased this book to learn more about Jackie Robinson and his relationship with Branch Rickey. Jules Tygiel gave me that (in an unbiased, thorough manner with great historical perspective) and then some! I gained an increased appreciation for the role of the Negro Leagues in the development of Major League baseball. I gained insight into the changing perceptions of baseball management, playe