Book Description

Rogers Hornsby has the highest career batting average of any right-handed hitter and the second highest career mark overall. "The Rajah" won seven batting titles and hit over .400 three times. He was also one of baseball's most successful player-managers, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a historic World Series triumph over the Yankees in 1926. Hornsby had an unrivaled passion for baseball; as a young player, he once even donned a disguise to play in a women's league. But his unyielding drive to succeed often alienated him from lesser players, and his penchant for the racetrack made him powerful enemies in baseball's higher ranks. Jonathan D'Amore presents a fascinating look at this outstanding hitter and complicated man. ... Read more

Book Description

Harry Caray broadcast over 8,000 regular season games. His first game was on opening day in 1945. Harry packed 883 years of living into and 83-year life and lived by a simple credo: "The meter is running so you'd better live it up." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

How can u beat Harry Caray?
I Remember Harry Caray is a good book and i highly suggest buying it if you are a die hard Cubs fan like myself. This book has some very good stories in it about Harry and the Cubbies. Harry Caray is in my mind what really kept me watching the Cubs through their terrible years and this book is the perfect tribute to a wonderful man. ... Read more

Book Description

What is Roger Kahn, best-selling author of THE BOYS OF SUMMER, doing owning a near-bankrupt minor league baseball team?What is this bunch of major league rejects doing playing their hearts out for an organization that pays peanuts and rations practice baseballs?

They -- and you -- are finding out if the dreams that baseball is made of can come true in real life. This funny, poignant story of one special season will make you hesitate before you ever call anything "bush league" again.

"Irresistable...Read this book, whether you like baseball or not. Roger Kahn will show you the glories of getting your head in the game, be it baseball or life." (Milwaukee Journal) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Major League Book About Minor League Baseball
In 1983 Roger Kahn went in search of a minor league baseball team to buy. After his first choices fell through, he ended up owner and president of the Class A Utica Blue Sox in the New York-Penn League. Lacking a major league affiliation, he put together a rag tag group of players who had been dropped by various major league club's minor league affiliates or who were never drafted. This book establishes Kahn's life long love of baseball and then follows the Blue Sox from opening day to the final game of the 1983 season. Many books on baseball have used this inside the clubhouse format. Jim Bouton's "Ball Four" and Pat Jordan's "A False Spring" come readily to mind. "Good Enough to Dream" is different from the others in that it is told from the perspective of the front office.

The machinations of the front office, the relationships among the players and the manager, the descriptions of the long bus rides, the dreams and hopes of the players, and the hardships that all involved are willing to withstand for the love of the game are all interesting and well told. The one area which failed to hold my attention was the long narrative of the Blue Sox's run for the league title. Kahn attempted to heighten the drama with repeated illustrations of why the team felt that the league office was working against their success and he left no doubt about the strong will to succeed that drove everyone in the organization, but in the final analysis I just couldn't seem to care enough about who won the 1983 New York-Penn League championship to do more than skim through the last one hundred or so pages. That having been stated, this is a very good book about a part of baseball that few fans ever get a chance to see.

truly captures the life of the young ballplayer
Having played for Coach Gattis in college I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Ten years may have mellowed the man some, but, I could feel the same intensity from the book that he brought to the field. The book really captures the essence of what it is to be a ballplayer that is a border-line "pro". Or, as the title aptly states "Good Enough to Dream". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A bore of a book
The author is a baseball mediocrity who failed as both a player and manager.He offers little insight into the game and has nothing interesting to say.Read _Sleper Cars and Flannel Uniforms_ instead.Eldon Auker is a genuine character, a great baseball man, and his story provides more entertainment in 200 pages than Metro does in 500.

A real home run
Although I don't know much about baseball, I can tell you that you don't have to know much to enjoy this book. This stories are timeless and his love of the game is contagious.
However, if you do know a lot about baseball you will be delighted beyond belief. This is a great chance to hear inside, candid stories about all of your favorite players. And it seems as though Charlie Metro has met them all.
This book is a wonderful piece of History that should not be overlooked. Just read the first page and you will be hooked. ... Read more

Book Description

Roberto Clemente, Minnie Minoso, Orlando Cepeda, Miguel Tejada and Jose Santana. These men are the immortals, the pioneers, the famous, the soon-to-be famous and the forgotten ones. They know that home is everything -- home is the barrio where they improvised baseball on unpaved streets and sandlots; home is home plate where the batter stands waiting for the next pitch, where runs are scored and games are won; and home is the magical ballparks of major league baseball where they dream to play. Villegas' wonderful full-color photographs, with Breton's companion bilingual text, reveal the essence of the Latino ballplayers' journey: the struggles, dis-appointments and the sometimes enormous successes. The book features the journey of Miguel Tejada, All-Star shortstop for the Oakland Athletics, from his barrio in the Dominican Republic through his 2002 breakout year. The photographs let us witness the barrios where the dreaming begins, the young dreamers who will never leave their home, the major league facilities where young players learn English and gringo baseball, the forgotten players playing semi-pro in the Bronx and keeping their dreams alive, Latinos struggling through the foreign world of the minor leagues, the major leaguers and the immortals.

Preface by Orlando "the Baby Bull" Cepeda from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Lifetime .297 batting average, 379 homeruns, MVP 1967 with the Cardinals, Hall of Fame 1999.

Jose Luis Villegas is a long-time sports photographer and contributor to Edward James Olmos' photo-anthology Americanos. With Marcos Breton, he received the Alicia Patterson Fellowship for their collaboration on Latino baseball, culminating with Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer (Simon & Schuster, 1999). Breton collaborated with Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa on Sosa: An Autobiography (Warner Books, 2000). Breton also contributed to the Subway Series Reader (Simon & Schuster, 2000). Villegas and Breton live in Sacramento where they work for the Sacramento Bee.

Reviews (2)

Enthusiastically recommended for the fans of Latino players
In Home Is Everything, Marcos Breton presents story vignettes of Latinos involved in American Baseball, told in both English and Spanish, and enhanced with full-color photographs by Jose Luis Villegas. Slices of daily life training and competing in this great sport, as well as the names and brief profiles of remarkable and dedicated people, comprise this celebration of baseball which is enthusiastically recommended for the fans of Latino players.

A piece of Art!
This book is very well photographed and written. The photos are stunning and colorful as well as informative and narrative. Not your stanard picture book, this is much better and will have a longer shelf life as the players are legendary. A must have book for the photographer, the sports fan and the Latino communities around America. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

VERY ENJOYABLE
I AM FROM CLEVELAND AND I GREW UP WATCHING HIM COVER THE SPORTS ON CHANNEL 5 NEWS. HE ALSO HAD AN EXCELLENT SHOW CALLED QUARTERBACK CLUB COVERING EACH WEEKLY BROWNS GAME. HIS CAREER IS A GREAT ONE. I THINK HIS BOOK IS VERY INTERESTING, WELL TOLD, AND ENTERTAINING. HE HAS MADE MANY RELATIONSHIPS WITH A GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE SPORTS WORLD. I SALUTE KEN AND HIS GREAT CAREER.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TELLING OF HIS CAREER AND THE EVENTS HE HAS BEEN A PART OF. A MUST READ FOR CLEVELAND AND BOSTON FANS.

Very enjoyable!
Ken Coleman was the announcer for the Browns and the Indians. I enjoyed reading about Jim Brown of the Browns and other football players. I remember a lot of the ball players for the Indians. They were noted for having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball in the late 1940s and 1950s. Ken was also the announcer for the Red Sox.

A Man with A Memorable Career
Although Ken Coleman was primarily identified with the Boston Red Sox, you don't have to be a fan of the Bosox to enjoy this book. (I'm a Tigers' fan.) Ken was blessed to be a part of the Cleveland Indians, Coach Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns during the days of the great Jim Brown, Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, and two stints with the Boston Red Sox, including the Impossible Dream year of 1967 (The Year of the Yaz.) The most interesting story that I found was Ken's telling for the first time the story of the decline of Indians' pitcher, Herb Score. People attribute Score's decline to the 1957 line drive off the bat of Yankees' infielder, Gil McDougald. However, Coleman relates that Score had his ankle injured in a spring training pickup basketball game in 1958 and tried to come back too soon before his ankle had a chance to heal and ended up with a sore arm. Ken provides us with a good summation of his career and his subsequent retirement from play-by-play work. He wanted to continue on a year-by-year basis, but an excuse was given that an announcer was wanted who would insure of being there for four full years. We are all remembered by what we give to others, and Ken Coleman gave his listeners and others he came into contact with a lot to remember. The Lord doesn't permit us to know all the good we do for others, but, in time, He will reward us. Thank you, Ken, for sharing your career with us.

A "must" for baseball enthuiasts and Boston Red Sox fans.
Talking On Air: A Broadcaster's Life In Sports is the biographical story of Ken Coleman, former Boston Red Sox broadcaster who worked in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1989, including ten years with the Cleveland Indians and four years announcing games for the Cincinnati Reds. In the twenty years he spend as the voice of the Boston Red Sox, Coleman became known to millions of New England baseball fans, making him an institution throughout the region, and eventually resulting in his election to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. Talking On Air is a "must" for baseball enthusiasts in general, and Boston Red Sox fans in particular!

GREAT NOSTALGIC READ!!
This is an outstanding sports book written by a true gentleman who writes with such great honesty.If you like nostalgia,look no further,this book has it all.Go back in time when sports was more than just money,and Coleman was there through it all with such great heroes like Ted Williams,Yaz,Jim Brown,Otto Graham, etc. Highly Recommended!! ... Read more

Book Description

When in 2000 the Baseball Writers Association of America elected the ever-durable Carlton Fisk to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, many fans quietly pointed to the Hall's omission of Fisk' greatest American League contemporary, Thurman Munson. And when in 2001 the writers honored Kirby Puckett, the Twins star forced to retire with glaucoma after a brilliant but brief 12-year career, the same fans began to raise their voices in support of Munson, another short-timer who was once the toast of his team's hometown. In a position that requires the strapping on of hot, awkward equipment and the torturous alternation of standing and squatting, most catchers struggle to maintain electrolytes, let alone a respectable batting average. It is, in fact, a position so demanding, that men deemed good ball-handlers or pitcher confidants might hang on in the big leagues for years despite their drag on a team's offensive production. Munson, like Fisk and National Leaguer Johnny Bench, was a tough-as-nails backstop, a Gold Glove winner, and the unquestioned leader of his team. Like Bench and Fisk, too, though to a lesser degree, Munson had home run power. But the Yankee captain was in, at least one respect, an even rarer breed of catcher-one who manages despite the physical and mental demands of his position to finish each year somewhere near the .300 mark. Munson, who ranked in the top 10 among A.L. hitters five of the nine full seasons he played, was widely considered one of his generation's great clutch hitters. When the star catcher died at age 32, he was still in his prime, and it seems clear to many that on August 2, 1979, misfortune denied Munson his place in Cooperstown. Outlived by his contemporaries, who went on to post more impressive career numbers, and now overshadowed by the accomplishments of catchers from the current batter-biased era, Munson's chances for recognition grow increasingly faint. But for all the praiseworthy things he did on the field in his short career, Thurman Munson accomplished as much in between the innings and games he labored through. And it might be his influence for which he's ultimately remembered. In this work, author Chris Devine pays special attention to Munson as teammate, friend, husband, and father. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not the best book I've ever read...
I need to first state that I am a HUGE Thurman Munson fan.I have almost every book written about him.I couldn't wait to read this book but after I finished I was pretty disappointed.There really is nothing new in this book.We know that Munson was a great player, that he loved his family, that he had a difficult relationship with his dad, etc.Devine seems to have taken the easy route in writing this book which is to say that he got most of his information from already printed sources.He doesn't seem to have spent a lot of time doing original research.For example: there are NO interviews of his own.He didn't speak to any teammates, players from other teams, much less any of his family.If you have the books written about Munson or the articles from newspapers or magazines then there is really no need for this book.On the other hand, if you want a one stop synopsis of all of these media, then this is a good book for you.Just don't expect to learn anything new.

Somebody call an editor
Wow - the worst-written baseball bio I've seen in a long time.I grew up a non-Yankee fan, but I always admired Munson.I thought he would be a ripe subject for examination, but Devine's writing just dulls the whole book. Not recommended.

Grade School Writing
I ordered this book before it was published and I jumped on it when it finally arrived at the house.After about an hour of reading I had to take a break from the book and I have never picked it up again.The writing was terrible, I felt like I was reading a book designed for sixth graders.The book has no style, it never draws you into the life of Thurman Munson.After the first chapter I had to wonder why I thought this guy was so great that I'd want to read his biography.It seems to me that someone with such a great life as Munson would be an easy target for a great book--it would almost write itself.But Devine took any and all life out of this great character.I'll keep the book only to add to my collection and it will gather much dust on that shelf.

devine=divine
I go to school with Chris Devine and not only is he a great writer, and Thurman Munson; A Baseball Biography a great book, but Chris is also divine in personality and in looks!

Devine=Divine
I go to school with Chris Devine, and not only is Chris a great writer and Thurmun Munson: A Baseball Biography, an awesome book, but Chris is also divine in personality and definitely in looks as well! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Scrapbook Autobiography
This short (122pages) book commemorates Nolan Ryan's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame by telling the story of his rise to baseball's elite beginning with his boyhood in Alvin, Texas, and ending with his remarks at the induction ceremony many years later.

This really is similar to a family scrapbook. It includes family photographs, interesting stories, and information you may not have run across before. Newspaper excerpts and comments celebrate each of Ryan's seven no hitters and the game in which he set the all time strike out record. Also included is a section in which Ryan's contemporaries comment on their favorite memories of the hall of famer. The list of contributors in this section is extensive and includes such fellow Hall of Fame inductees as Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Frank Robinson, and Henry Aaron.

I found the two best features of the book to be the great pictures and the question and answer session which covers a variety of topics. Among the things the reader will learn are who Ryan's heroes are, what his greatest thrill was, how he wants to be remembered, and what advice he has for those who are running the game today.

If you are a general baseball fan looking for an in-depth autobiography of this great pitcher, you will probably be disappointed. On the other hand if you are a collector of Nolan Ryan memorabilia or just a fan of the man himself, this is a must have book. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1961 Roger Maris made Baseball history by hitting 61 home runs...and beating the great Babe Ruth’s record. Yet he’s still on the outside of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Has his time finally come? Did Maris earn his “title to fame?" ... Read more

Book Description

“Much of what we know about Satchel Paige . . . is undoubtedly true, some of it is probably apocryphal, all of it contributed to his legend as a ballplayer and one-of-a-kind personality.”
-- From the foreword by Bob Costas

Satchel Paige’s witty quips and savvy observations -- on everything from health to wealth, from race relations to baseball-- are an enduring part of American mythology. At long last, a definitive collection of quotes, stories (from Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, and many others), vintage newspaper articles, photos, and memorabilia celebrates the inimitable magic of Leroy “Satchel” Paige.

Stats
Games: 2,600
Shutouts: 300
Strikeouts: (1 Game) 24
Won: 1,934
Lost: 104
Airplanes: 1
Goats That Ate Birth Certificate

1
Born: July 7, 1901 -- July 7, 1905 -- July 7, 1906 -- July 7, 1909 -- July 7, 1911 ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Fun and poignant!
One cannot help but be moved by this little book of various sayings of and articles about Satchel Paige. Yet this is one of the most delightful reads I have experienced in quite a while. David Sterry and Arielle Eckstut have put together a collection of witicisms and rare articles that will delight the baseball fan and history buff.

Beautifully illustrated with vintage photographs and pictures, this book is a gem. A reader will learn about the spirit of a man who looked Jim Crow in the face and won!

A primer on baseball's greatest showman, Satchel Paige
It is assumed that you already know something about Leroy "Satchel" Paige when you start reading "Satchel Sez." After the introduction you are immediately hit with a Pop Quiz about Satchel where you had better know how he got his nickname, what year he was born in, and who was the best man at his wedding, or you might as well hang in up right then and there. David Sterry and Arielle Eckstut have put together an amusing little book that takes Paige's "witty quips and savvy observations" (the latter qualifies as the "wisdom" part of the sub-title) and surrounds them with vintage photographs, cartoons, newspaper articles and other memorabilia from his fabled career. The wit and wisdom provided deals with not just baseball but also health, wealth, women and race relations. While it is clear Paige was a showman of the first order, an ability exceeded only by his pitching prowess, "Satchel Sez" also deals with the "World" Paige lived it, with its Jim Crow laws and blatant racism. Most baseball fans who come to this book will do so because they have heard some of Paige's most famous comments (#1 would be his sixth rule on how to stay young: "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you"). They will discover many more lines equally as good if not better. The vast majority of people who read this book are going to learn something new about Paige, which is always a pleasure.

A jewel, just like Satchel
Satchel Paige. Just saying the name brings to mind a personality as vibrant and singular as any seen in the world of baseball. This short, effective book presents a glimpse into the truly marvelous wit and wisdom of the pitcher who seemed terminally young, throwing baseballs with purpose and precision into his 60s. A pitcher who once struck out 24 batters in one game. A player many claim was the ultimate master of the pitched ball. A competitor with constant chatter and quips. A man who was relegated to second-class citizenship because he was African-American, yet with whom all the white teams of the 1930s wanted to play against in the barn-storming games because he was such a draw. Take a peak at this book and you'll glean a new insight into the man who became a legend. The authors have captured the essence of Satchel via quotes about and by Paige, lots of photographs, stats, stories, and memorabilia all wrapped in a wildly successful graphic design.

I learned so much from this book!
I'm not much of a baseball fan, and Satchel Paige has always just been a name to me, but a friend showed me this book and I couldn't resist reading it. I do like history, philosophy, and stories about people with integrity who overcome obstacles to do what they love and live by their own standards, and Satchel Sez pleased me on all of those levels. For those of you who are as uninformed as I was before I read this book, Leroy "Satchel" Paige started out with a job carrying suitcases at the age of seven and went on to become the greatest pitcher baseball has ever known, with stats that far outshine the records set by white players who were allowed careers in the big leagues. Satchel played in the Negro Leagues for almost his entire career - he spent a few years in the Major Leagues. He was eventually named the oldest rookie when he was in his sixties. "Age is a question of mind over matter," he said. "If you don't mind, it don't matter." The book is colorful, fun, and easy to read, pairing quotes and anecdotes by and about Satchel with lots of photographs of the man himself. Satchel's humor and easy-going nature are captured here, but at the same time the book portrays his grace and dignity, a side of him that has often been overlooked due to racial stereotypes. Satchel has lots of advice to give on everything from baseball to aging to women to stomach trouble. Some examples are: "Slow down, you last longer," "Be satisfied in your own world," and "Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Home plate don't move." He also offers inspiration, such as, "You have to believe in yourself. When you believe, you do." One of my favorite quotes could be applied to the racism he faced: "It's not what you don't know that hurts you. It's what you know that just ain't so." I'm also impressed by Satchel's goodwill. For sure, he trash-talked and was never modest about his genius, but he was generous at the same time. Once he didn't show up to the Negro League equivalent of an All-Star game because the owners of the teams refused to donated all of the proceeds to returning wounded GIs. When he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (Negro League players were supposed to be recognized separately), he said, "There were many Satchels." I am simultaneously impressed, informed, and inspired by Satchel Sez, and I would recommend it to anyone. ... Read more

Book Description

When the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first class of players in 1936, Ty Cobb received more votes than any other player-even more than did fellow inductee Babe Ruth. Cobb, known as the "Georgia Peach," was universally recognized as the best player from the "dead ball" era. He also had the reputation of being its most ferocious player. His fierce determination to succeed helped Cobb equal or surpass more offensive records than any other player, and his career average of .367 is still the highest of all time. Cobb's unyielding and often ferocious work ethic, though, made him many enemies, and his occasional episodes of violence marked an otherwise impeccable career. Baseball author Dan Holmes offers a fresh and fair-handed look at the life of baseball's first true superstar. ... Read more

Book Description

i Last Time Out i recounts the circumstances surrounding the final games of some of the greatest baseball players like Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb and others, and puts you in a box seat to witness and sense the moment as these glorious careers ceased, most often with little fanfare. ... Read more

Book Description

In the spring of 1945 Pete Gray, who had lost his right arm in a childhood accident, made his debut with the St. Louis Browns of the American League. Dubbed "the one-armed wonder" by sportswriters, Gray was a controversial figure from the moment he stepped on a major league diamond. Club owners saw him as a gate attraction for war-weary baseball fans; some of his teammates openly questioned his ability and felt that he cost them a chance to capture a second consecutive pennant. Gray was left to wonder just how good a ballplayer he really was.Though some may have doubted Gray's ability, no one questioned the cantankerous outfielder's desire to reach the major leagues. From the coalfields of northeastern Pennsylvania, Pete Gray fought his way through the minor leagues with single-minded determination. Despite his missing arm, he was the most valuable player of the minor league's Southern Association in 1944. His on-field exploits and relentless fire became an inspiration to the many servicemen who returned from the battlefields of World War II with missing limbs. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

MUST READ
AN EXCELLENT STORY ABOUT AN INCREDIBLE MAN. PETE IS A HERO IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. THIS BOOK MAKES HIM HUMAN WITH FLAWS. I REALLY ADMIRE THIS AMAZING MAN. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS SOME MOTIVATION TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS IN THEIR LIFE. I AM GLAD TO SEE THIS MAN GET THE ATTENTION HE RICHLY DESERVES FOR AN INCREDIBLE FEAT. HE PLAYED BETTER THAN MEN WITH 2 ARMS. IN ANY LEAGUE HE PLAYED, PETE IS A HALL OF FAMER.

Not Soccor, but Not Bad
As a boy growing up in the West German State of Hess, I came to admire the great national soccor league players of my time. Since coming to the States, I have learned something of The Great American Past time. While initially dubious of the tradition in this country of professional athletisism I, none the less felt proud to meet Mr. Pete Gray while travelling on extended vacation through the Pennsylvania Anthracite region, (my family owned and operated mines along the Ruhr prior to the war).

Having overcome the obstacles inherent to anyone, of working with the deficiency of one limb, (most particuarly an athlete), Mr. Grays grim determation served as an inspiration to his generation.

While sad that he is little remembered outside his own home town, Kashatus' book brings to us quite vividly his life and times.

I Wish I Was There-I Was
"~As a veteran of the conflict from which Mr. Gray was excluded by circumstance, I fondly recall his exploits and reading about them in the Pacific Theatre. I consider him no less a hero than I. He too served.

One-Armed Wonder: Pete Gray, Wartime Baseball, and The Amer
Brilliant overview of not only the man, rather a well balanced portrayal of his struggles, victories and defeats. A fine overview of the culture in which he was nurtured, (and ultimately retired into), helps set the tone for this fine biography.

Having met Mr. Gray, I believe in this books authenticity.

Well-written story of a one-armed man who played in Majors.
This book is well-written. It is the life story of Major League Baseball's one-armed outfielder, Pete Gray. Gray grew up in the Hanover section of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in the coal belt. He lost his right arm as a youngster, yet still played one year in the Major League for the St. Louis Browns. Grey was MVP of class AAA Memphis, stealing 68 bases and batting over .300. Here's the neat part: I visited Pete Gray this week (8-5-99), who is 84 years old, in a nursing home in Sheatown (near Nanticoke, PA). He signed my book and we spoke for about 30 minutes. He is still very sharp and friendly. The book reflects life in the coal towns. Gray (who's real last name is Wyshner, which is listed on his nursing home room) told me he never worked, making his income only from baseball. He said his most memorable moment was going 8 for 8 in a doubleheader, then getting pinch hit for in his 9th at-bat! A great book for history buffs. Vince Trivelpiece 8-7-99 ... Read more

Book Description

Orel Hershiser has much to say about how to succeed against the odds. Cut from his high school and college teams, he managed to climb to the top of his profession through minor league stints in Iowa, Texas, and New Mexico. He diligently paid his dues day after day until he accomplished his dream and became the highest-paid pitcher of his time. Along the way he was guided by principles and values that he now shares in the pages of this inspiring book. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Positive, Insightful, Spiritual& Practical
Orel Hershiser might seem to be one of those people who "had it all given to him" but after reading the struggles he had to overcome you'll discover that perception is wrong. He had to work hard and overcome numerous obstacles before reaching the top of his profession. The principles that led to success in his arena apply in all areas of live as he points out so clearly in this excellent book (with Robert Wolgemuth).

One theme is to focus on what you can control and don't expend energy on the rest. He emphasizes how important the preparation process is because it's all about focus. That is what one can control. If one continually prepares, success is inevitable. He talks about building a mind-set where everyday counted. Excellence mattered to him. He wasn't trying to please his coaches, he was seeking excellence for its own reward.

As a Christian he talks about how he came to know the Lord Jesus. I bought the book because I knew he was a Bowling Green man. It turns out he's a class act all the way around. His advice is solid.

Orel Hershiser gets personal
Orel Hershiser was one of the most dominant pitchers during the 1980's and 1990's. He won over 200 games, he posted season ERAs of 2.66. 2.03, 2.26, and 2.31, he has 13 double-digit victory seasons and he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series in 1988. During that magical season he won the CY Young Award, the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP. So it is safe to say that he is qualified to write a book on how to be successful in life.
In his second book Between the Lines: The Nine Things Baseball Taught Me About Life, co-authored by Robert Wolgemuth, Hershiser writes about how his experiences in baseball taught him about perseverance in life. Although Hershiser stared in the Majors, his rise was not an easy one. He had to overcome many obstacles early on in his career. He was stuck in the minor leagues for four years and he had to come back from serious shoulder surgery in the prime of his career. Hershiser also talks about personal miseries with him dropping out of college after getting cut from the baseball team and then later in life dealing with the death of his good friend and agent Robert Fraley. The book was an easy read and Hershiser offers some very good advice about life or at least on how he became successful. The book is not organized chronologically but instead Hershiser and Wolgemuth headline each chapter with his principles of life. Readers looking for play by play analysis of his career will be disappointed with Between the Lines because Hershiser takes a more personal account of his life in and out of baseball.But overall the book taught me things about life and inspired me to strife for my goals not only in sports but in life.

Baseball Lessons & Life Lessons are the Same!
Here's a book that in simple terms tells the reader about how overcoming the challenges in baseball are similar to those that average people encounter in life.I think that this would be a good book for young people who may be in team sports.It can help them see the greater benefit of playing sports rather than being caught up in winning and losing.Being from Los Angeles, I have a little more awe for Orel Hershier, who for a period of time was the best pitcher in the game of baseball.I hope that other mature athletes in football and basketball do books like this so that our youth can gain the full benefit of being in sports.I hope that parents buy this book for a Christmas present for the young athlete in the family. ... Read more

Book Description

In the great cultural icon that was baseball slugger Mickey Mantle, we see America’s romance with boldness, its celebration of muscle, and its comfort in power during a time when might did make right. But if his life symbolized the great expectations of 1950s America, it also epitomized the dashed dreams of a troubled generation in the 1960s and its unrealistic hopes for achievement. Mickey Mantle: America’s Prodigal Son is both an explosive biography of one of the world’s most fascinating and enduring sports heroes and a telling look at the American society of his time. During six years of research, former Sports Illustrated writer Tony Castro interviewed more than 250 friends, teammates, lovers, acquaintances, and drinking buddies of one of America’s most famous heroes. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

SORRY
Well, sorry to be the only one in disagreement, but this is a trivial and sophomoric book with absolutely nothing original in it. First off, I did live during Mickey's time, and I knew him casually. There are a lot of books describing Mickey's faults, all of which he admitted to himself. The pop psychology, done from a distance, with just the right amount of politically correct sociology really gets old in sports books. The Author contradicts himself several times and does not understand at all the mentality of managers or players in the late 40's and 50's. He gets off on the strangest tangents, and I can't for the life of me figure out what he was driving at. It's a pointless book that reminds me of an article in a checkout stand tabloid. Skip this, get Golenbock's "Dynasty" or "Wild, High and Tight".

meticulously researched
if this is your first interest in a book about "the mick", castro's work is a great place to start. i wish this one was available before i read the other three in my collection. what sets this book apart, is the journalistic integrity that is apparent with it, and the avoidance of sensationalism just for the sake of it. it is complete with dozens of anecdotes told by those that knew mantle - a feature that undoubtedly serves to make it more interesting than standard biographical non fiction. it is obvious that the author, seeking to be impartial, had a love for the player and the person. if you are looking for a mantle biography that is an honest portrayal of mantle as a ballplayer with the dynastic yankees, and as a man with weaknesses, look no further. if you are a american history buff, you will also enjoy how santos weaves events of the day and the flavor of the time into the flow of his book. all and all a great read. i highly recommend it, especially to those who, like myself, grew up "worshipping" the yankees of the 50's and 60's and, of course, their centerpiece center fielder from oklahoma.

Another HOMERUN for Mantle with one for Castro!!
I wanted to learn more about Mickey Mantle after seeing Billy Crystal's HBO movie 61*. Since Mantle's career had long ended before I was born, my only knowledge of Mantle was his name and that he was a famous baseball player. I didn't even know why he was a famous baseball player. If I ever thought about it, which I did not, I would've guessed he broke some kind of baseball record. Well, it's obvious to me now that before I read Tony Castro's book "Mickey Mantle:America's Prodigal Son," I had absolutely no idea of what I was missing. And, I wish I found out sooner, while Mantle was still alive!!!

This book opened my eyes to a lot about Mickey Mantle, the time in which he played ball, the legacy of the New York Yankees, and baseball, in general. In regards to Mantle, I never knew what a powerhouse he really was with the ability to hit a baseball over 500ft numerous times. Add to that the fact that he could hit from both sides of the plate and the kind of speed he had to get around the bases. His athletic ability alone was astonishing to me. I really wish I were born earlier so that I could have seen him play.

But, this book is not just a lengthy form of the back of a baseball card containing statistics about Mickey Mantle. It is much more. It allows you to live in the times that Mantle did by explaining the goings on in the country and baseball's role in the country at each stage of his life. I think it was great the way Castro did this because you could get a sense of the emotion surrounding Mantle and the incredible greatness of the Yankees at that time. Dare I say, I got caught up in the story almost as if I was watching it or living through it. (Although, I know I could never really know what it was like to live at that time and experience even seeing Mantle play ball on TV.) For example, while reading about Mantle, learning to play ball from his father and grandfather, as he was growing up, you get a real feel for how much Mickey and his father loved baseball. You also see how even at a very young age, Mantle gave his all for the game. You understand that for Mickey playing ball and playing hard was not only about living out a dream, but also about giving back to his father all he felt his father gave to him. It was a labor of love and you feel that reading this book, especially as Mickey begins to realize his potentials by breaking all kinds of records.

But despite all this glory, the story turns dark early with the death of Mickey's father very, very early in his major league career. It continues to stay dark as Mickey's drinking slowly destroys his body, even as he plays. Yet, even through the drinking and injuries, you are uplifted by knowing that Mickey gets out there everyday to play the game and play it better than great.

Finally, though, Mickey must retire and his life goes downward because his drinking gets so much worse. It is at this point that the clouds really darken for Mickey. It is sad, and lasts for the rest of his life. And yet, at the very end, Mickey steps up to the plate one last time to correct the mistakes he's made by drinking. He does this by sharing his darker story with the country as an example of how not to handle the difficult times and, in his mind, waste one's talents. He begins a "don't drink and don't do drugs" campaign to save others from his kind of problems.

"Mickey Mantle:America's Prodigal Son" is really a great book. There is so much more to this story that hasn't even been mentioned here. It is a small history lesson in the goings on in baseball and the country through the 1950s until the 1990s in addition to Mickey's story. It explains why the game is the way it is today with money at the center and no real grooming of players, for any team, as the Yankees did for so long, which led to their famously long winning streak. You don't have to be a baseball guru, or even a baseball lover to appreciate Mickey's heartwarming story with its greatness, disappointment, and true heroics.

Mickey Mantle: America's Prodigal Son
In Mickey Mantle: America's Prodigal Son, former Sports Illustrated writer Tony Castro examines Mantle's great promise - Casey Stengel hailed him as the next Ruth and the successor to DiMaggio - and what went wrong for him in the big city. What unfolds is a story of fathers and sons, rebels and heroes, and a youth's rite of passage. At the heart of the book is Mantle's complex relationship with his father, who controlled his son's life both on the field and off, and whose early death plagued Mantle with guilt for the rest of his life." "Mickey Mantle: America's Prodigal Son is based on six years of research during which the author interviewed over 250 of Mantle's friends, teammates, lovers, acquaintances, and drinking partners. It is both a biography of one of the world's most fascinating and enduring sports heroes and a look at the American society of his time.

How and Why Mickey Mantle Was Our Troubled Public Hero
No American athelete has ever been revered by a higher percentage of Americas youth than was Mickey Mantle. We needed for somebody to write a book about how and why America made Mickey Mantle an unprecedented and enduring national sports icon and to what degree Mickey was and was not prepared for the ramifications. As one of those life-long fans of Mantle, I think I've read every book about him, in addition to absorbing forty years of magazine articles. Tony Castro's research and writing produced the best sports biography I've ever read. "MICKEY MANTLE, America's Prodigal Son," is a beautiful composition of history and emotion and revelation. The depths that Castro explored took us to the troubled inside of Mickey the boy and Mantle the man. Castro clearly defined the public star who exposed his personal conflicts only toward the end of his famous life. Secondarily it it also teaches us about the interactions of the Yankees and explains why Mickey's teammates and opponents were always so loyal and supportive of him. (Joe DiMaggio excepted.) Actually, Castro's whole approach to the subject was masterful. The reader benefits from more than just new insights into what made Mickey what he was and wasn't; the reader learns about why Mickey became what he ultimately became and how he became so much a part of us. This book should be required reading for fathers and sons of all ages. It teaches us about ourselves and about the times we all shared with Mickey Mantle--from those days when he was what we all we wanted to be, to those days when he became what we all hoped he and we wouldn't become. In the end Castro explains to us the many reasons why we were fascinated with Mantle. The dark side of our flawed idol having been explained for the first time in detail, sets the stage for the bittersweet end where Castro describes the salvation that all of us desired for Mantle to attain. Castro paints the canvas with the events leading to Mantle's death. The end of the ride allowed the public to bury The Mick in the same glow it always wanted for him as a real American hero, strong, but at the same time, understandably and forgivably fragile. ... Read more