Baseball Book Review - From Ghetto to Glory by Bob Gibson

I set a goal this year to read 52 books, one per week.  I have done this in past years with some success and some failure.  I noticed the last couple years I hadn't read too many books despite enjoying reading a lot.  To me it is a great way to take my mind off everything else that is going on in my life and around me and just immerse myself in a story.

I read all kinds of books.  I believe this is my 15th book review on the blog so obviously sports books are in the rotation.  I actually have a pretty nice sports book collection, maybe I will share it some day with a video or some photos.  I also like non-fiction books, with my favorites being biographies/autobiographies and historical fiction.  I have read quite a few presidential bios.  I also read quite a bit of fiction with Stephen King, John Grisham, Tom Clancy and Jonathan Kellerman being among my favorites.

This week I finished up my 14th book of the year - From Ghetto to Glory, The Story of Bob Gibson by Bob Gibson and Phil Pepe.  Since we are 21 weeks into the year my goal is probably not going to happen.  You would think the pandemic would have helped out but it actually cut into my reading quite a bit.  All work travel was cancelled and I typically read at airports, on airplanes and in hotel rooms.  My TV rarely gets turned on in a hotel, it is either a book or Netflix on the iPad.

I picked up From Ghetto to Glory at a garage sale last year.  While Royals fans are definitely the majority here in the KC area, the Cards have quite a few fans just playing across the state of Missouri from KC.  I didn't own a book on Gibson nor had a read one so when I saw it for $1 it was a pretty easy decision to pick it up.  I am glad I did, it was a really good read.

This book was written right after the Cardinals won the 1967 World Series which was also right before Bob Gibson's dominant 1968 season - some argue the best season ever.  A quick Amazon search shows he also wrote an autobiography in 1994 which obviously would cover all of his career and more of his life but I am very happy to have read this book.

Gibson shares some first hand accounts of what it was like to grow up in the era that he did as an African-American, sharing stories of hardships in his life.  I have heard accounts talking about his level of bitterness and some reviews show that may have come through in his more recent biography. I found his stories in From Ghetto to Glory informative, lacking anger and sharing some interesting context about how society existed in this time prior to my birth.  I learned and better understand what our country and baseball was like in the 1960s.

There is great baseball content in here as well.  He talks in detail about how he approached pitching and went through a pretty long list of NL hitters and shared how he approached them. It is cool to think that he had some much talent and confidence that he didn't care to outline his game plan in writing in the middle of his career.

The writing style is easy to read and at 200 pages it isn't a long one but it was very enjoyable.  Something else I really liked about this book were the photographs that were inserted throughout the book.  They are all in black and white and just really cool pictures.  I will share a few - my pictures aren't the best from my phone but you should still be able to see how nice they are.

Showing off how he grips different pitches

Celebrating a World Series Title

Facing Off Against Future Teammate Roger Maris in the World Series

I would strongly recommend this book if you can get your hands on a copy.  It is a pretty quick read, very entertaining and educational and the pictures are the icing on the cake. 

Baseball Book Review - Munson - The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain by Marty Appel

I just finished a baseball book that I thought I would share, Munson - The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain.  It was written by Marty Appel who once worked for the Yankees, was in the TV business and has authored more than 20 books.  Most of his book are baseball related.  He wrote this biography about Thurman Munson in 2009 with quite a bit of the material coming from interviews he did with Munson when co-authoring Munson's autobiography.

This book was solid but not spectacular in my view.  The first part of the book chronicling Munson's youth and even into his first few years with the Yankees was pretty standard fare for a baseball biography.  Appel clearly was close to Munson and was even part of the story for a while as he was working for the Yankees front office then collaborating on the autobiography.  If I am being honest, this book has been sitting on my nightstand for almost a year as I slowly read through the book before going to sleep at night. 

The book really picked up right before Munson's death, probably the last 150 pages or so of the 355 page book.   I found the most powerful and interesting part of the book was a transcription of an interview with one of the two men who were on the plane with Munson and survived when it crashed.  Amazing to hear a first hand account of what happened.

While I knew a decent amount about his playing career and knew he had died in a crash when he was piloting a plane, I did learn a ton of details surrounding his captaincy with the Yankees, the impact his death had on the team and baseball along with way more information about his death than I even knew before.  One thing that I find interesting is how his teammates and those he played against figured he was a lock for the Hall of Fame and some even suggested waiving the 5 year waiting period as was done for Roberto Clemente.  Now, 40+ years later he still isn't in the HOF.

If you don't know many details about Thurman Munson and have a level of curiosity, I would recommend the book. I do think the second half's content makes up for what I found as a somewhat boring first half.  As a baseball fan I am happy I persevered and made it though this book.

Baseball Card Book Review - Game Faces Early Baseball Card From the Library of Congress by Peter Devereaux

I have been reading quite a bit of non-fiction lately which is somewhat of a change for me.  I would typically intersperse a non-fiction book into every 5-6 books I read but lately it has turned around and I am probably at about 2:1 in favor of non-fiction.  A lot of the fiction I read is mystery/action/suspense like James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Jonathan Kellerman, John Grisham and perhaps my interests are changing as they aren't keeping my interest.  My favorite author is Stephen King and while I enjoy his books, the last few I have to read are super long and tackling an 800-1000 page book just seems a little overwhelming.

Luckily there are tons of great history and sports themed books out there to keep me occupied and I finished a pretty good one last weekend that I thought I would share, it features baseball cards - what could be better!

I really enjoyed this read, it is a history of baseball and tobacco cards from about 1887-1914.  This is a book that was published by Smithsonian Books in partnership with the Library of Congress and features photos of tobacco cards from the collection of Benjamin K. Edwards.  Edwards collected a wide variety of tobacco cards and had a collection of over 12,000 cards when he passed away in 1943.  They were gifted to a family friend, poet Carl Sandburg, upon his death.  In 1954 Sandburg donated the collection to the Library of Congress so that it could be preserved and future generations could appreciate it.

The baseball cards from this collection are featured in this book and shared along with a good US History lesson around the late 19th and early 20th century with a focus on the tobacco industry.  I learned quite a bit but the best part of the book is definitely the pictures of a bunch of cards from the famous T206, set to some famous sets that have been recently reprinted like Gypsy Queen and Allen & Ginter to rare sets that I had never heard of or seen like Fatima Team Cards and Buchner Gold Coin.

This book was published in 2018 and I picked up this copy on loan from my local library.  It is about 150 pages and a pretty quick and fun read.  I would definitely recommend it.

Football Book Review - Letters to 87 - Fans Remember the Legacy of Dwight Clark

One of my favorite football players growing up was Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers.  Clark of course is most famous for The Catch, a catch in the back of the end zone against the Dallas Cowboys on 1-10-82 to propel the 49ers to their first Super Bowl, Super Bowl XVI.  I was 10 years old at the time and had become a Niner fan a couple years earlier as an act of rebellion against my dad (he was a Raiders fan).  In the early 70s, the 49ers could not get past the Cowboys several times in the playoffs so this victory was a big milestone for the franchise and was the start of a dynasty that resulted in 5 Super Bowls.

Many Niners fans credit Clark and his amazing Catch as the catalyst for the dynasty and remember exactly where they were when they watched the play.  You can count me among those fans, I was at my parents' friend's house in Auburn, CA.  I have shared the story with friends and kids about how we ran around the house celebrating then nervously watched the extra point and last defensive series to finish off the game.

I am not the only one who has stories to tell about The Catch and this book captures the stories of dozens of 49er fans as a tribute to Dwight Clark.  One of Clark's wishes prior to succumbing to ALS last year was to have a book like this put together.  The author, Matt Maiocco sent out a message to fans to submit letters about their feeling about Clark and The Catch and he compiled them into a documentary.  I have yet to see the documentary but my dad, a converted Niners fan, says it is great.  After the success of the documentary, it was decided to put this book together and honor DC's wishes, here is a quote from him just a few months before his passing:

"I've often thought that if I could get the word out somehow to get the stories, I should put a book together of the stories that these 49er fans lived through at that moment.  Hopefully, long after I am gone, 49er fans will still enjoy that play and that year - the team that started it all"

 Here is the cover of the book:

The book consists primarily of fan letters that were submitted featuring stories of watching The Catch, meeting Clark and the way the 49ers brought families together.  It is very touching.  Additionally there are several contributors - Eddie DeBartolo Jr. - former owner of the 49ers, Matt Maiocco - the person who put it together, Ronnie Lott - HOF CB and S, Joe Montana - HOF QB, Brian Murphy - a reporter who covered the Niners, and Kelly Clark - Dwight's wife.

The letters were powerful and some were emotional, it is such a strong legacy for a former football player and executive made such an impact on so many lives and families.  It is a very quick read and super enjoyable for this 49er fan and I think any sports fan would be touched.  The portions written by the contributors are heartfelt and demonstrate how great of a man Clark was and what a legacy he left behind.

Another great aspect of the book is the photography.  In the Afterward it is shared that most of the photos were acquired by three photographers and have never been shared before.  They are all in black and white and of amazing quality.  I decided to take a pic of the back to share one of the photos:

 

The back of the book also features the logo of The Golden Heart Fund, this is a charity that was set up to help former 49er football players after their retirement.  All the proceeds of this book are being donated to this charity.

I saw an announcement that this book was coming and found it on pre-order for a discounted price and it was quickly delivered right after it was released.  I usually read a bit in bed before going to sleep and decided the structure of this book would lend to perfect bedtime reading.  It worked like a charm, although it was tough to put down a couple nights, and I quickly made my way through it.  One of my favorite sports reads in quite a while and I would recommend it if you are a football fan and need some reminders on how fanatical and emotional fans can be.

Basketball Book Review - Tall Tales and Short Shorts

I believe this is my first book review of a basketball book.  Most of my sports reading focuses on baseball books but I saw Tall Tales and Short Shorts - Dr. J, Pistol Pete & The Birth of the Modern NBA by Adam J. Criblez on the new release shelf at my local library and decided to pick it up.  I am very glad I did.

This book tells the story of the NBA during the decade of the 1970s.  This is an era, outside of what I learned in Bill Simmons, The Book of Basketball that I knew very little about.  I was born in the early 70s and never paid attention to the NBA until the Kansas City Kings relocated to Sacramento in 1985.  In addition to Simmons' book, my other basketball reading has consisted of a book about Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, a couple books about Charles Barkley and that's about it.  These were all in my 1980s-1990s basketball wheelhouse.

This book has a chapter about each season starting with the 1969-1970 season.  Each chapter talks through the regular season of each team in the NBA.  Some only a paragraph, others maybe 2-3 but each team got a little love and the author shared who some of their top players were, news about the team, how they fared during the regular season and at times intertwined a few social items that were going on outside of basketball that either paralleled the NBA or gave some insight into how America operated at the time.

Each chapter would then go into some detail about all the playoff series match-ups.  Almost every game got at least a brief mention with some of the more memorable games having quite a bit of depth to the story.  Rightfully so, the NBA finals got the most coverage with quite a few details about the star players, how the series unfolded and who the eventual champ was.  These chapters ended with a full listing of the year's standings, a list of each playoff series with results, the All NBA first and second teams, the league leaders in key statistical categories and finally the NBA MVP and Rookie of the year winners.

There were also 3 other chapters interspersed that shared some details on key figures and turning points in the league.  The first talked about Pete Maravich and the second Julius Erving.  Each player was covered in some depth from their childhood upbringing through their college careers.  These chapters really gave some good insight into how they were shaped as players and what they brought to the league.  The final chapter was about the ABA and NBA merger.  The ABA was referenced a little during some of the season chapters but this chapter went into the formation of the league and the journey that the ABA went through that ultimately led to the merger.   There is a final chapter that talks about some of the key players and teams in the 1980s and 90s.

I really enjoyed this book and learned a ton.  There were star players in the 1970s that I had never heard of.  We all have heard of Wilt and Dr. J and Pistol Pete and Kareem.  There are tons of other well know players as well.  However, the All NBA teams were littered with players I had never really heard about.  I felt like the amount of information in the book was just the right amount. There are several story lines that could support an entire book on their own but I got just enough out of the book to understand how the NBA was in the 1970s and gain a greater appreciation.

If you are a sports fan and someone who likes basketball I think this would be an enjoyable read.  I am not the passionate fan I was in the late 80s and 90s but I still follow the sport on the periphery.  Even at that level of fandom, I found myself really appreciating this book.

Baseball Book Review - Teammate by David Ross

I haven't done a Baseball Book Review in quite a while.  I know I have read a few baseball books but never took the plunge and posted a review.

Today I thought I would share some thoughts about Teammate - My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages by David Ross.  I heard about this book on a podcast and decided to check the local library and was lucky enough to find it.  

I have to admit that I didn't know much about Ross until his final season with the Cubs and actually became a fan watching his journey on Dancing with the Stars (I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have watched a couple seasons of the show)

Image taken from online retailer as I returned the book to the library

This was a solid baseball book.  He follows the 2016 Cubs season and sprinkles in anecdotes from earlier in his life and career.  He talks about how he wasn't always a good teammate but got some direct and somewhat harsh feedback that made him rethink who he was and adjust his approach to life and baseball.  I am a fan of that message.  In my job I have gotten some pretty direct feedback a couple of times and dished it out several times more.  I look at feedback as a gift and it is all about how you take it and what you do with it.  I have been fortunate enough to do well with getting this kind of feedback as did Ross.  Can't say everyone I have dished it out to has reacted the same.

There is some sharing of lessons learned and giving advice but not to the point it was preachy.  I am glad about that as that would have turned me off.  The best aspect of this book is hearing some of the baseball stories Ross has to share and learning a little bit about the inter workings of a baseball team. I have gotten that from other books as well but always appreciate a new perspective.

I also enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to be a Cubs fan to appreciate the book, while he is a fan of the organization and appreciative of how he was treated (especially during his final year), it isn't an over the top Cubs love fest.

If you want a pretty quick read with some good stories and insight into the baseball world, I would definitely give this a read.

Baseball Book Review - Talking Baseball Amongst Friends

It has been a while since I have finished a baseball themed book.  Most of my reading these days has been of the James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, John Grisham, Stephen King and Harlen Coben variety.  As a matter of fact the set completionist in me can report that short of the King Dark Tower series and a few of Patterson's kid related books that I have finished the run of all 5 authors.  This past weekend I did finally finish a baseball book and thought I would share my thoughts about it.

Talking Baseball Amongst Friends by Steve Sullivan was a pleasant read.  This book is a collection of short stories and recollections of a variety of people, most connected to the game of baseball, as told to the author.  Each person was asked about a favorite baseball memory and the topics range from the first time stepping into a MLB stadium to a first game in the big leagues to heroic moments.  To me this type of book is the perfect bathroom read and that is how I finished the 2nd half of the book.  A bathroom read is not intended to be disparaging.  The stories are all pretty short most from half a page to 2 pages in length so you can enjoy a couple of stories during each session and pick up where you left off without worry of having to recall the plot or what just happened prior.

It was fun hearing what the people, most who are recognizable to baseball fans, have to say.  Several of the moments they remember, I remember as a fan as well.  What kept crossing my mind as a read this book was how fun it must have been to gather these stories and write the book.  I have never considered myself to have the writing of a book in me (that shouldn't surprise anyone who reads this blog with any regularity) but this is the kind of book that maybe I could pull off and boy it would be fun to do so.  Traveling around the country interviewing people and talking baseball with them sounds amazing.

At the end of the book Sullivan talks about a trip to The Field of Dreams in Iowa and reveals that he asked the people who he interviewed who they would want to have a catch with, living or dead, if they had the opportunity.  He collected their answers with a little bit of the why in the back of the book.  The answers ranged from deceased family members and ball players to mentors and people still around today.

In the spirit of the book I thought I would share my answers to the same question.  I say answer"s" because I have decided to share one family member and one ball players.

The family member would be my paternal grandfather, I called him Maka.  My dad's grandparents were like second parents to me growing up. We would spend holidays at their house, visit for a week or two during summer and take trips with them all over the country.  They were special people and I wouldn't be who I am or where I am today without them.  A few years back my grandmother passed away after a battle with Parkinson's disease.  That is a nasty disease and while I miss her dearly I am happy her battle ended and she is resting in peace.

One of my big worries when she passes was what would happen with Maka.  He was very sad for a while but ended up bouncing back pretty well.  I got a chance to visit with him and for the first time in his life he started opening up more and share his experiences in life, his time in Europe during WWII, going to Tigers ball games as a child, time with my dad and uncle when they were kids, etc.  Unfortunately heart disease hit him hard.  He had quadruple bypass surgery in his 50s and his heart started to give out again.  At his age there wasn't much they could do, it was just worn out.  The day I went to see him in the hospital to say goodbye for the final time is one of the hardest days of my life.

To have an opportunity to have a catch with him, hear some more of his stories and tell him once again how much I love him and appreciate him would mean the world to me.

While Maka was a pretty easy pick, trying to figure out a ballplayer proved a little more challenging.  Thoughts of Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, and Bill Veeck came to mind as people who transformed the game.  Giants greats like Willie Mays, Mel Ott, Chrisy Mathewson and of course Willie McCovey spoke to the Giants fan in me.  Greats of their time like Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle Joe Dimaggio and Cy Young would be great.  However I finally settled on this guy:

I can't think of any other player that would be more satisfying to have a catch with than Babe Ruth.  I think of the stories he could tell, the context he could provide about what life was like in the early part of the 20th century and an understanding of how the early days of baseball were played make him too attractive of a target to pass up.  Hopefully there would be some after catch to sit down with some hotdogs and beer to continue the conversation.

So if you could have a catch with 1 or 2 people at the Field of Dreams, who would you choose?

Baseball Book Review - Fear Strikes Out by Jimmy Piersall

Very recently a fellow blogger (who I can't remember) had a post mentioning a desire to learn more about the Jimmy Piersall story and an interest in picking up his Fear Strikes Out book.  I too had heard a little of the legend but hadn't read the book or seen the movie and the post peaked my interest as well.  That night was wife was placing an Amazon order for some gifts for a baby shower and I asked her to tack on Fear Strikes Out by Jimmy Piersall, the paperback version was only $6.

It arrived 2 days later, gotta love Amazon Prime, and I jumped right into it.  It was a pleasant read, very simple language typical of the books I have read from the 50s and 60s by ball players.  If you aren't familiar with the story, during his rookie baseball season with the Boston Red Sox, Piersall had a mental breakdown.  He ended up getting committed but made a full recovery from his illness and went on to have a productive 15 year career.

The book was written in 1955, just a couple seasons after his comeback and is mostly a first person account of his early years, his time leading up to his mental breakdown and then the two seasons after he returned.  There is also an afterword that was written in 1999 that shares some of his post book activities as a player and after retirement.  The section of the book that describes what went on during his breakdown (he had a complete blackout of what happened from the time he reported to spring training until he woke up after the treatment he received) was created with the help of his loving and supportive wife Mary who went through a scrapbook put together by Piersall's dad and filled in the gaps.

The book is a quick read at only 224 pages and I really enjoyed it.  In addition to some baseball stories, it is an inspiring book for a few reasons.  One, his ability to come back and be basically cured from a complete mental breakdown is remarkable.  Second, despite treating his teammate, coaches and the umpires horribly during his breakdown, they welcomed him back with open arms and were extremely supportive.  Finally, his wife, Mary, stood by him throughout everything he went through. A quick check of Wikipedia shows that Jimmy and Mary divorced in 1968 and had 9 kids and Jimmy is now on his third marriage.  I have to wonder what went wrong that was worse that his mental breakdown that led to the divorce.

I would recommend this. As mentioned it is a cheap and quick read and provides Piersall's personal insights into his early life, illness and recovery.  I don't have many cards of Piersall but did run across this Swell card from 1990:

Like many players whose biographies I read, I will probably try and pick up a couple of his cards.   A quick look at eBay shows he has a few certified autos and I wouldn't mind adding one to my collection.

Baseball Book Review - Matty An American Hero

Posting has been pretty scarce around here.  I am still getting some cards here and there and have actually completed a couple of trades but time up in my card room has been rare over the last couple of weeks.  I took a trip to Washington DC for work and a couple extra days of site seeing (had a great time and got to knock another stadium off the bucket list when I saw a Nationals game) that took up a week. Also, my wife has been staying up later and we have been hanging out more at night which is great for the relationship but not so much for the blog.  I suspect posting will pick up again soon.

With all my travels and short spots of free time I have been reading quite a few books but most have been of the fiction variety.  I did recently finish up a pretty good book about Christy Mathewson called Matty An American Hero by Ray Robinson.  The book was written back in 1993 and is a solid biography about the Hall of Fame pitcher.

This book covers Mathewson's entire life, which was tragically cut short at age 45 due to tuberculosis that he most likely contracted while serving in the military after his baseball career was over.  Christy was respected by all - his teammates, his opponents, the fans, the umpires - not just for his playing prowess but for the man he was.  He was college educated which was rare for players of that day and was a true hero to his generation.  He was much more than a ballplayer during his era.

As a ballplayer he was dominating and the book recounts many of the big games and pennant runs of the New York Giants.  He was good friends (and roommates for quite some time) with his manager John McGraw.  While the two men were quite different, they had a mutual respect and admiration for each other.

This wasn't the greatest book I have ever read but it exceeded my expectations.  It was well researched and had some solid details I didn't expect from an era so far in the past.  It was a great learning experience to better understand how baseball was played in the early 1900s.  If you are interested in some great insights into baseball in the early 1900s and to gain knowledge of one of the greatest pitchers and inaugural member of the Hall of Fame, it might be worth picking up this book.

Baseball (Fantasy Sports) Book Review - Fantasy Life by Matthew Berry

I am on a roll with regards to sports book reading. This is my second post of the year, although I did read most of the Stan Musial book in 2013 and I am almost finished with a 3rd.

A couple weeks back I was visiting my local library to get some quiet time to read a book I needed to get through for work and I decided to peruse the New Books section to see if something caught my eye.  I saw Fantasy Life by Matthew Berry and decided to pick it up and take a quick look.  I read the inside flap and thumbed through a couple pages and decided it was worth a read.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't an epic novel or the best sports book I have ever read but it was extremely enjoyable.  It was a quick read and tons of fun.  Berry is a fantasy guru and is also know as the Talented Mr. Roto and has been relied upon by countless fantasy players to set their lineups or consider trades.  This book is part autobiographical but mostly shares stories submitted by fantasy sports fanatics.

I dabble in fantasy sports leagues. My first league ever was in college playing fantasy basketball.  My #1 draft choice was Magic Johnson then he suddenly retired when he announced he was HIV positive.  Not a great start.  Fortunately for me, the guy who drafted John Stockton quit the league during the first week and the league voted for me to get the first pick off his roster as we dispersed his team.  I think I ended up winning or coming in second (we played 2 years and I had one victory and 1 runner up).

For more than a decade I have been in a Baseball 12 team keeper league (we keep all our players year to year) with deep roster (40 players each with at least 3 minor leaguers).  I have won a couple times in the past but have been rebuilding for the last couple years.  I used to take it more seriously but still have some fun with it.  I also entered a Football league at work this year and finished 3rd.  I usually play Fantasy Football every couple of years but suspect this league will continue.

I am definitely not a fanatic but I have fun with it.  The stories told in this book go far beyond anything I have ever done in the name of Fantasy and are highly entertaining.  There are some crazy people out there from the league whose loser has to get a tattoo of the winners choice to those that have ruin relationships over their obsession.  There are spouses who play together and bribes attempted (and accepted) for off the wall trades.

If you have every played in a fantasy sports league, I would recommend this read. It is entertaining, good for a few laughs and will probably make you feel better about whatever obsession you may have. I even read some passages to my wife with the lead in of "if you think my card collecting in crazy..."

If you decide to give it a read, let me know what you think.

Baseball Book Review - Stan Musial: An American Life

Stan Musial has always been a player that I felt I needed and wanted to know more about.  I knew his numbers of course, in baseball we always remember the numbers, but I didn't know that much about "The Man".  A couple years back my local Borders book stores was having a going out of business sale and I went in and picked up a few discount baseball books including Stan Musial: An American Life by George Vecsey with a goal of bridging that knowledge gap.  It took a little while to get around to reading it but I am glad that I did.

This book was published prior to Stan The Man's passing in May of 2011 but it does cover a majority of his life.  It is a fairly long book, a little over 400 pages, it wasn't the quickest sports book read.  It wasn't boring but there wasn't a lot of action or drama that kept the pages turning.  I typically am reading 3 books at one time, 1 fiction, 1 non-fiction and one work related book and I believe I finished 3 or 4 other books in the time it took me to read this biography.  Not to say the book was a bad read, it just wasn't a page turner.

The central theme of the book is the author's feeling that Musial didn't get the respect he earned.  There we comparisons to Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio and while his numbers stack up fairly well, the author feels Musial doesn't get the respect those two legends have earned.  It is obvious Vecsey is a fan of Musial's, and he doesn't hide it, but that fandom makes you wonder if you are getting the entire story.

I do feel I know more about The Man now which is good, the book seems well researched with lots of details about his life.  Surprisingly when I think back to the book, I am left wanting more details about the games he played in - more baseball focus - despite the fact baseball was interlaced throughout the book.

Some interesting items that stick with me after reading the book:

• Stan grew up during the time of the Depression and his family was poor with his dad passing fairly early in his life in a Smog accident that claimed quite a few lives in Donora, Pennsylvania which also happens to be the birthplace of Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr.
• Stan was a support of racial integration but was a quiet supporter. He didn't speak out in favor of integration but did some behind the scenes supporting of black players.
• Musial had a lot of connections to famous people throughout his life and he definitely seems to be looked upon as a star, not just in baseball but in society, throughout and after his playing days.  He seemed to be likable, if not somewhat quiet, and made the social rounds with some of the stars of the day.

This book was an okay read and if you really want to know more about Musial, this is probably worth the read - I am glad a read it. I wouldn't move it to the top of your baseball biography stack, however.  The author's argument that Musial is not remembered as fondly historically compared to his contemporaries is somewhat proved by this somewhat boring book.

Baseball Book Review - Bill Veeck Baseball's Greatest Maverick

I recently picked up Bill Veeck Baseball's Greatest Maverick at my local library and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are a fan of baseball history, particularly through the middle part of the 20th Century, this is a must read.

I will start with a personal disclaimer. Prior to reading this book my knowledge of Veeck's contributions to the game and his life in general were limited to him sending a little man to the plate to pinch hit and disco demolition night.  I also knew he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  That was about it. After reading about his life and his contributions to civil rights and baseball I am disappointed in myself for not knowing more prior to reading this book.

I don't want to ruin the book for all those who plan on reading it so I won't go into all the details I learned but here are a few of the highlights:

• Veeck was a volunteer war hero and injured his leg in the war. Eventually after numerous surgeries he has his leg amputated, first below the knee then above it.  He used a prosthetic leg but was still very active and considered an inspiration for physically disabled people.  
• He was a 4 time owner of MLB teams, the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox twice. He made several bids to buy other teams as well.
• He played a huge part in integrating baseball. He was the owner of Cleveland in 1947 when he brought Larry Doby onto the Indians as the 2nd black player after Jackie Robinson.  He did so much more than that including signing Satchell Paige for several different teams, getting hotels to change their policies so entire teams could stay together and setting up exhibition games pre-integration between Negro League teams and teams with white players.  There is an appendix in the book that lays out a strong case that Veeck tried to purchase the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 1940s and field an all black team that would be part of MLB and play against white teams.  His thought based on the exhibition games were that whites did not object to playing against black players, just having them as teammates.  Veeck's dedication to equal rights went far beyond baseball, he was a true believe in equal rights for everyone and I admire him immensely for that.

As I mentioned above, this was a very enjoyable read and I would strongly recommend it to any baseball fan.  It provides great insight into how the game used to be, how it has changed and highlights a man who had a major part in many of the transformations.  I plan on seeking out his 1962 autobiography as well now, I am sure it will be an interesting read. If you have a chance to pick this one up, let me know what you think.

Baseball Book Review - Calico Joe by John Grisham

My reading pace has slowed down quite a bit, things have been pretty busy around here and something has had to give.  Also, I read more than baseball books and got caught up in the Stephen King novel 11/22/63 - a time traveling books surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  It was a great book, I highly recommend it but at over 850 pages long it took a while to read.

My latest baseball read was John Grisham's Calico Joe.  I am a huge Grishman fan and have read all of his books. He is well know for his legal thrillers but has actually written a couple sports related books. Bleachers and Playing for Pizza are both centered around Football, Calico Joe is his first baseball themed book and it didn't disappoint.

Calico Joe is a story about a fictional ballplayer named Joe Castle who is brought up to the Chicago Cubs during the 1973 season.  The story is told by a baseball fan named Paul Tracey who is the son of a Mets pitcher and also a Joe Castle fan.  I really liked the way Grisham intertwined actual players and details from the 1973 season with the fictional players and accounts of the story.  There are a couple of mentions of the SF Giants including my favorite player of all time Willie McCovey. 

Castle takes the league by storm and starts out with an amazing run after he is brought up, better than any rookie has ever started his career.  He becomes a national sensation and even the son of a Mets player becomes a fan.  The Mets and Cubs are in a pennant race and the inevitable face off between Paul's dad and Joe Castle ends dramatically.

In addition to the baseball, this is a story of a troubled relationship between a father and son along with a story of tragedy and redemption.  The story goes back and forth between the present and the past and weaves a nice story that moves at a nice pace.

I highly recommend this book for any baseball fan and really any fan of a nicely spun story.

Baseball Book Review - The Quality of Courage by Mickey Mantle

I was at my local library a couple weeks ago and saw this book on the shelf - The Quality of Courage.  I am really not the biggest Mickey Mantle fan but this book caught my attention for a couple of reasons.  1) It is pretty short, only 185 pages.  I almost always finish a book when I start it so this wasn't a huge investment, 2) This book was originally written in 1964, during Mantle's career.  I was intrigued by the notion of him writing this book in the middle of his playing days, 3) I have been trying to get into a much longer book - The Last Boy - for a while and thought this might get me going with Mantle and generate some excitement. 

This book ended up being a decent read.  I would rate it a 3 out of 5.  At first I was a little turned off by the language that was used, it is very elementary.  Later in the book it became clear that a younger audience was the target audience which lead me to believe the simple language was more by design than due to Mantle's inability to use words longer than 6 letters.  Mantle was approached to write this book following up JFKs Profiles in Courage that was written a few years before.

The book gives Mantle a platform to share his views and opinions on different ballplayers and people outside of baseball and how they demonstrate courage.  Among the players he discusses include the famous (Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris, and Roy Campanella) and the not quite as famous (Ralph Houk, Don Zimmer, Lou Brissie, Jimmy Piersall, Fred Fitzsimmons and Fred Hutchinson).  As a want to be amateur baseball historian this was a good read. I got some insight into some of the players of the 50s and 60s (and earlier) for a more simple time along with some new perspective on Mickey Mantle.  I may never own an autographed card of his for my HOF collection but I do think I will pick up The Last Boy again soon and finish the story.

Baseball Book Review - Out of My League

In addition to my obsession with sports cards, I really enjoy reading.  Reading helps clear my mind after a long day's work and helps fill the gaps in during the day.  My wife jokes that I have ADD (there may actually be some truth to that) because at every free moment I am picking up a book and knocking off a few pages.

I enjoy many different types of books - popular fiction (Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson, Lee Child, Harlen Coben, etc.), history (presidential biographies, WWII) and of course sports books.  I have amassed a pretty decent collection of baseball related books and check out others at my local library. I thought I would share some thoughts about the sports books I read as a part of this blog.

I recently completed Out of My League by Dirk Hayhurst.  This is Mr. Hayhurst's second book chronicling his life in baseball.  His first book, The Bullpen Gospels, was a NY Times best seller and chronicles his life as a minor league ball player.  It was a good read and I would highly recommend either book to gain some humorous insight into the inner workings of baseball.

Out of My League begins during the off season leading into the 2008 baseball season.  Dirk is coming off a solid season in AA ball and hoping to make the AAA team and eventually get a taste of the big leagues. During the off season, he meets Bonnie and falls in love.  In addition to taking us through the ups and downs of the baseball season, we also gain insight into the challenges of a long distance relationship when he is on the road as a ball player.  As a player Dirk makes the AAA squad out of spring training and we gain some understanding about the craziness that is minor league baseball.  Late in the season Dirk gets his first taste of the big leagues and it isn't completely what he expects.  Yes, there are the plush accommodations, the awesome food spreads and the amazing locker room.  However he struggles with the bigger crowds, the new culture and probably most with his inflated expectations of himself.

I really enjoyed this book, I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5.  It is funny, honest and provides great insight into the real inter-workings of the game and the honest emotions of a player.  I would strongly recommend this book to any baseball fan.

Let me know if you have any recommendations for my next baseball book.  I am thinking of going with a Thurman Munson biography but am not fully committed yet.