5 comments about Sleeper Cars and Flannel Uniforms: A Lifetime of Memories from Striking Out the Babe to Teeing It Up with the President.

1. Ive read many a baseball themed book and this is one of the better ones! Elden Auker, a pitcher with the Tigers/Red Sox/and Browns circa 1935-42 shares his memories of baseball back in the old days before the days of high salaries and player agents. The book is full of interesting short stories about players and other people that Mr. Auker knew during the course of his life (he died last August at the age of 96).
   Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys reading about old time baseball.



2. An excellent look into the personal and professional life of someone who experienced the "glory days" of professional baseball. Elden Auker is the "Forrest Gump" of MLB. It was like listening in on his private conversations with a close friend, recounting the many and improbable encounters of the greatest player you never heard of.



3. This is a great baseball book. Elden Auker is honest to a fault in his opinions and his rememberances are a treasure. You just don't expect a retired athlete to have such skill as an author. Auker is a gem. I wish he wrote more books. Elden Auker was not a hall of famer on the field but he was a hall of famer in life.



4. Inside baseball through the intelligent and unassuming eyes of a little-known, but great, athlete of the 1930's and 40's, and a successful businessman thereafter.



5. Elden Auker, with the aid of celebrated New York sportswriter Tom Keegan crafts an autobiographical piece spanning his 90+ years. Auker was born in rural Kansas and graduated as a three sports star from Kansas State university. Deciding that his quickest road to success was through baseball, he signed a professional contract to pitch for the Detroit Tigers.

   Auker developed an unorthodox submarine delivery which allowed him to enjoy a creditable 10 year major league career. Along the way he befriended some of the greats of the game such as Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and countless others. Auker was wise enough to create a life for himself outside the game. He evolved into a highly thought of executive in the abrasives industry. As such he rubbed elbows and played golf with some of the paragons of both politics and industry.

   The book is essentially an array of amusing stories which formulate the backbone of Mr. Auker's long and fruitful life. This was one of the better sports type books I've read in that Auker feels no compulsion to be politically correct on many issues.

No comments about Baseball's Bonus Babies: Conversations With 24 High-priced Ballplayers Signed from 1953 to 1957.

1 comments about Bat Boy: Coming of Age with the New York Yankees.

1. Once I started reading this book it was hard to put down. The author (Matthew McGough) takes you behind the scene of one of the most prestige franchise of any sports teams. You'll experience what it was like to be on the inside of Yankee Stadium. The star struck kid interacting with the "Stars in Pinstripes". It's a must read book for anyone who has ever dreamed of being a bat boy for a professional baseball team. Anyone who has ever wanted to know what takes place before, doing, and after a baseball game this is also a must read book. You'll also read about the "good guys" and the not so friendly guys who played for the Yankees. Find out it's not always glamorous being a "bat boy". Finally a "kudos" to his parents who made sure school work was always his priority over working Yankees games. Enjoy the adventure!
   
   Andre' Fontenot (former bat boy San Francisco Giants 1974)

5 comments about This Copyrighted Broadcast.

1. I had been a Cincinnati fan for years when I moved to the bay area. So it was natural to gravitate towards the Giants. As I recall they had a terrible team when I started listening (including the hilarious Crazy Crab ) during 1984.
   
   I haven't started the book yet but I can't wait. Hank was simply one of the cleverest announcers I've ever heard. I think anyone who spent any time listening to him and his excellent sense of humor will always know they aren't getting all they could out of a broadcast by any other announcer. (Even those supposedly brilliant "Hall of Famers" who may have announced for the Reds).
   
   Just reading some of the excerpts from the book brought his brilliantly cagey style back to mind.



2. I am a lifelong Giants fan and remember listening to Hank as a kid. His wonderful voice, and passion for the game motivated me to buy his book and I was not disappointed. The stories he told brought back so many memories of my childhood, and some wonderful insight as well. I actually knew the disclaimer word for word and could do it in his voice.

   Readers will be particularly touched with the chapter on his daughter who was born with Down Syndrome.

   Way to go Hank, and thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories. (Even freezing at Candlestick)




3. Those that remember Hank Greenwald from his days as a Warriors and Giants broadcaster will enjoy his book tremendously. You can quickly tell that he deals with the written word as well as he did with the spoken word. The first night I read the book, I stayed up until 4 a.m. reading. There are a multitude of subjects he covers, all with wit, charm and personality. He not only has in-depth writing of his early years at Syracuse University and the East, but also his family, life in Australia, study of General MacArthur, the later years in the Bay Area with both the Warriors and Giants, and some general feelings about baseball. His dry wit, so common on his broadcasts, is quite evident throughout the book and may only be matched by his son Doug, now doing baseball in California. Greenwald retired from baseball broadcasting in 1996, to the chagrin of many, and now enjoys retirement life after a long and illustrious career. For anyone who listened to Hank on KNBR radio over the years, or for those who enjoy reading about sports broadcasters in general, this book is truly outstanding reading.



4. If you like sports and are a Bay Area native, you have to read this book. Hank does a comical, complete review of early days with the Warriors and of course, the Men in Black (not the Raiders). He is really funny and a down to earth serious person as well.

   Having discovered that the book had been banned, I naturally wanted to read it more, wondering what he could have said to anger the team's management that he faithfully and honestly served for all those years. Turns out it wasn't THAT much of a big deal. Just a few lines here and there. But it sure makes the Giants ownership group, at least half of it, sound like sourpusses, as well as a few others.

   But Hank is not the type to dwell on negatives. He is far too funny, plus he and his wife have raised 2 children, which make you able to separate the important things from the nonsense real quick.

   I am happy that I got to listen to Hank all those years of my youth, but even more happy for Hank that he seems to be living life on his terms. It is the gift that Bay Area sports fans would want for somebody like him after all that he has given us.

   Buy it, read it, pass it to a friend. Hank, if you're reading this, we miss you.




5. As somebody who grew up in the Bay Area listening to Hank, this book was a nice re-acquaintance with one of the friendliest, most genuine voices in baseball. This book has plenty of chuckles and it makes you feel like you know a little bit more about somebody who most Giant fans regard as a friend.

5 comments about Elston and Me: The Story of the First Black Yankee (Sports and American Culture Series).

1. A Fantastic and Inspiring Book. Elston Howard was a great man who had guts and charisma. This is a must read for ALL baseball fans and even non baseball fans! Enjoy!



2. MRS HOWARD AND MR WIMBISH DO A SUPERB JOB IN TELLING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF FORMER YANKEE GREAT ELSTON HOWARD. ELSTON DESERVED A MUCH LONGER LIFE. THIS IS WRITTEN WITH MUCH HONESTY AND SENSITIVTY. . FROM THE JIM CROWE LAWS TO ARROGANCE AND PREJUDICE, ELSTON HOWARD FACED MANY BARRIERS ALONG THE WAY TO STARDOM. HE WAS QUITE A PLAYER AND DESERVED MUCH MORE RECOGNITION. THIS BOOK BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBES THE TRADGEDY, TURMOIL, AND TRIUMPHS THAT CAME TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY. A MUST READ FOR ALL YANKEE FANS AND HISTORIANS OF BASBALL. A GREAT READ.



3. I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's not just a well written story, but it seems to give true insight to life inside the Yankees during one the franchise's most notable eras. Mickey, Yogi, Elston and company made history together. Arlene stood tall in her role as the first black Yankee wife and Elston prevailed with honor and sportsmanship during these difficult transitional years. Mrs. Howard and Mr. Wimbish's collaboration deserves kudos and more readers. Even long suffering Red Sox fans (just like me!) won't be disappointed.



4. The story of Elston Howard's climb through the baseball ranks during the height of the Jim Crowe laws is not to be missed by anyone who likes baseball or history. His widow Arlene sees his great rise and tragic end to a debilitating disease with the eyes of an old-fashioned story-teller: passionate and dispassionate, an actor on the stage and an observer from the audience. A must read for baseball fans, black history buffs, and those who want to know what it was like to live inside a separate America during one of its greatest and worst eras.



5. For those of us who grew up in the 50's with the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants all in New York, it is a great story evocative of those days told from with a fine eye and keen perspective. A must read for young and old alike - a story that should never be forgotten. Elston Howard's widow is direct and unsparing in this straight forward narrative of their life together with Baseball.

5 comments about Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia.

1. With all the trouble baseball is in today, this book provides an outlet for the fan who loved the game before agents, Selig, Don Fehr, astroturf, overpaid performers, etc. You can browse through it again and again, and still enjoy the stories of these players. It is a great supplement to the statistics that we have for all the players of the past.



2. I received this book as a gift and have enjoyed it very much. The number of players covered is extensive, and the biographies are generally fair, well-researched, and well-written. As a younger baseball fan who has long had an interest in the entire history of the game, I have particularly gotten a kick out of the analyses of the 19th and early 20th century ballplayers, as well as the pictures attached to each biography. I am a little disappointed, however, that the authors only use the classic, rather banal (generally) statistics in their biographical sketches, especially as the book was compiled by the editors of the bible of baseball, "Total Baseball". It's fine to read about how many wins Grover Cleveland Alexander racked up in his great career, but how good was he really in comparison to the other greats of his day, as well as in comparison to the greats of today? Stats like ERA+, PRO+, etc., would have really put each of these players in the proper historical perspective. I realize that this book is aimed at general audience, and that many baseball fans still deride advanced statistical analysis, but such analysis truly enriches evaluation of the long history of America's past-time. Don't get me wrong, the book is a lot of fun. I look forward, however, to when some accomplished sabermetricians expand the project. Reading about Babe Ruth's antics off the field accompanied by a searching analysis that truly reveals how mammoth a presence he was on the field, will be icing on the cake.



3. I bought this book and when I started reading it discovered that I had read the bios on the ballplayers previously. Wondering where I had, I started to do a search in my huge collection of baseball books and cds. Sure enough, I discovered that the biographical information had previously been released on the Microsoft: Complete Baseball Cd that was available in 1995. There is some new stuff in the book that was not on the cd.



4. Compiling essays on the 2,000 most influential people inbaseball history is a massive undertaking. Somehow, David Pietrusza,Matthew Silverman, Michael Gershman and the editors at Total Sports managed to pull it off -- and set a new standard for quality in the process. Previous biographical compendiums pale by comparison. Some limited their scope, concentrating on only the top players (for whom there already is ample biographical information elsewhere). Others attempted to cover more players but, for many players, provided little more than a summary of the player's statistical accomplishments. The Biographical Encyclopedia doesn't skimp on either count. It covers not only the top players, but also the most notable sportswriters, broadcasters, front office executives and statisticians. More often than not, an individual's essay includes unique biographical info that can't be found in other reference works. The worst one can say is that the book has its share of typos and that the writing is at times uneven. It goes without saying that editing a book of this length must have been a monumental task; the errors, however, rarely obscure pertinent information and are more annoying than damaging. The essays were penned by a number of different authors, so it is perhaps inevitable that some entries are better than others. The least impressive, however, are no worse than those from similar books in the past. Overall, the book marks a substantial improvement over previous efforts, and is priced quite reasonably. It would be a valuable additon to a serious fan's library, and would give a more casual fan hours of enjoyment.




5. Another excellent offering from Total Sports. Between this book and Total Baseball, you will have at your fingertips far more about baseball history than any one person could possibly remember. With over 2,000 biographies, this book covers over 10% of players, managers and important figures in baseball history. There are pictures for each player along with a cursory stat line and then a biography for the player ranging from a half column for some to two or three pages for important figures like Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. The material is fresh and interesting and I learned new things about players I thought I knew well.

   I have one relatively minor complaint. If they ever produce another edition, I would like to see a somewhat expanded stat line including things like major achievements (MVP's, Cy Young's), teams played for and ranking in important career categories.

   Still this is a marvelous resource for finding out something beyond what you can get in just a player's stat line.

3 comments about Off Base: Confessions of a Thief.

1. RICKEY HENDERSON IS PROBABLY THE BEST LEADOFF HITTER EVER IN BASEBALL. IN THIS BOOK HE LET'S US KNOW THIS AND MANY OTHER THINGS HE IS GREAT AT. AS A PLAYER RICKEY REALLY WAS A THREAT ON BASE AND AT BAT. IN THIS BOOK WE FIND OUT ALOT MORE ABOUT RICKEY AND HIS OPINIONS ON MANY THINGS. I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE BOTH INTERESTING AND ENTERTAINING. RICKEY HAS A VERY LARGE EGO BUT HE CAN BACK IT UP. I REALLY DON'T THINK ALOT OF HIS TEAMATES CARED FOR HIS ARROGANCE AND SELF CENTEREDNESS BUT RICKEY HELPED MAKE HIS TEAMS A WINNER. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL RICKEY HENDERSON AND BASEBALL FANS WHO APPRECIATE HIS UNIQUE TALENT OF SPEED AND POWER.



2. This book is a must for all Rickey fans. Henderson holds little back in his autobiography. He's a touch arrogant, but he's earned that right; with the single season set (and likely not to be broken in today's baseball) and the career mark out of reach. If you like Rickey, then you'll like this book.



3. This book simply shows how good Rickey Henderson is, both on the field and off. He takes you behind the scenes of his 20 year career in the major leagues and what it took for him to get there. From the early little league games in Oakland to his 939th Stolen Base...Rickey Henderson is truly a living legend in what he does....BEING THE GREATEST LEADOFF HITTER OF ALL TIME!!

2 comments about A League of My Own: Memoir of a Pitcher for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

1. Pat Brown's A League of My Own is a great addition to anybody's baseball library. While there are have been several great books written on the league's history, Brown's has the distinction of being written by an actual former player. For AAGPBL enthusiasts, A League of My Own offers great insight into the events, attitudes, and experiences of the 1949-1950 player development teams which is mentioned in most accounts, but so far hasn't been detailed this well. Also interesting to read of this woman's personal story and how professional baseball was just one chapter in a long sports career. Great Book!



2. My sincere thanks to this author. I was facinated by the movie, A League of Their Own. I welcomed the detail and reality of the era of womens baseball that this author shared. It was warm, humorous and long overdue. She was a remarkable woman, with the courage to follow her dreams.

5 comments about Baseball Forever: Reflections on Sixty Years in the Game.

1. I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK BY RALPH KINER FORMER MLB PLAYER. HE GIVES US MANY DIFFERENT STORIES COVERING HIS PLAYING CAREER AND ALSO HIS BROADCASTING CAREER. FROM HANK GREENBERG, BING CROSBY, ELIZABETH TAYLOR TO ESTHER WILLIAMS RALPH HAS KNOWN QUITE A FEW HOLLYWOOD AND BASEBALL STARS. HIS STORIES ARE VERY INTERESTING AND HIGHLY ENTERTAINING. THE ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT I HAD WAS THAT HE DID NOT DISCUSS HIS EARLY LIFE AND BASEBALL CAREER IN GREATER DETAIL. NONE THE LESS THIS IS A GOOD READ FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS.



2. Concerning "Baseball Forever", expectations are key. Most buyers will be familiar with Ralph Kiner's career. This reviewer was expecting vastly more reminiscing about the "good old days" with the New York Mets of the 1960s. Following that, he had hope for tales of RKs days as a slugger with the Pirates and Cubs from the late 40s to mid 50s. Indeed, BF contains some of those recollections, but far too few. What this reader received instead was a rambling, verbose and stridently opinionated treatise on virtually every aspect of the game of baseball. It may not be fair but RK is typecast in many minds and trivia and tales from the good old days are what the guy has to offer. In fairness to RK, he has a voluminous knowledge of the Game, but parts of BF are simply too serious! For the record, RK was mistaken when he wrote that Casey Stengel was no longer with the Mets in 1964-he was very much there and RK was in the broadcast booth above! He also left out the punch line in that infamous "Kiners Korner" interview with Clarence "Choo Choo" Coleman. Those looking for fun reading will be disappointed here! BF is definitely not for longtime Mets fans. BF may appeal to SERIOUS students of the game, but certainly not at hardcover prices. Take the paperback! (The interview ended with RK explaining "Choo Choo is not the talkative type, folks"). That tidbit was more of what this reviewer was expecting but failed to receive. (Come on, old Mets fans! You must remember Homer)



3. Few tell a better baseball tale than Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. For those that remember his playing days this book is sure to bring back great memories. Others, like myself, may only know Ralph as the great color man for 40+ years with the New York Mets. Trust me, it won't disappoint. Great tales of yesteryear combined with a wise outlook on the modernizing of the game and players. Kiner is honest and frank.
   
   An easy read and a must read for those who love baseball.



4. Ralph Kiner's _Baseball Forever_, written with Dany Peary, offers readers a chance to enjoy the gentlemanly voice of Ralph Kiner, a Hall of Fame outfielder and mainstay of Mets television broadcasts since 1962. Filled with amusing anecdotes and shrewd observations, Kiner reflects on his life in baseball from the post-World War II era to the present. His story is told with candor, humor, and reassuring modesty, particularly when he discusses the highlights of his impressive Hall of Fame career in the 1940s and 1950s. He presents a reasonable, fair perspective on all aspects of the game from the post-World War II period to the present.
   
   For those unfamiliar with his career, Ralph Kiner was a renowned home run hitter for the Pittsburg Pirates from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s. Despite the surge in home runs in the mid-1990s, Kiner remains the only player in history to win six consecutive home run titles-a true testament to his greatness as a player. Two reasons why Ralph Kiner is not better known are that he played most of his career with the cellar dweller Pittsburg Pirates and his career was shortened (to ten years) due to a back injury.
   
   One of the strengths of the book is its structure. _Baseball Forever_ is both a chronological biography and a thematic study of baseball. This balance is handled elegantly. Chapters deal with such issues as players' colorful lives on the road; integration in the late 1940s and the internationalization of baseball in the present day; the labor movement and the rise of the player's association; the value of baseball records; baseball celebrity; and the life of a broadcaster.
   
   Two of the strongest chapters address labor and race. In 1951, Kiner and Allie Reynolds, a pitcher for the Yankees, negotiated on behalf of players for a higher minimum salary, a more generous pension, and a percentage of television profits for the World Series and the All-Star game. This was during a time when baseball owners were all powerful due to the reserve clause, which gave owner's contractual rights to a player for the duration of his career.
   
   Kiner's descriptions of Jackie Robinson's historic 1947 season and the slow process of integration in the late 1940s and 1950s are thought provoking. He provides a snapshot history of many great African American players who came to prominence in this era, including Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe, whom Kiner notes is not yet in the Hall of Fame but deserves to be. Kiner discusses the even slower process of integration at the management and ownership-levels in baseball.
   
   Kiner notes in the Introduction, "it occurs to me that if you combine the years I was a young fan with the more than 60 years I have been employed in baseball, that total represents more than half the lifetime of America's pastime as a professional sport." Reading his book is an opportunity to deepen one's knowledge of baseball and life in America in general. He tells so many memorable stories about the game.
   
   This is an excellent book for baseball enthusiasts of all ages.



5. I purchased the book for my teenager in order to give him a historical perspective on baseball in the US, however, I ended up reading the entire book first and enjoyed the many anecdotal stories and historical references from the humble beginnings of the players union to minor and Negro league ball to expansion, etc. Although Mr. Kiner generously offers his personal opinions on various important, defining changes in the baseball world, he objectively and interestingly includes other points of view.
   
   The first half of the book is excellent baseabll history, but eventually detours towards Hollywood personalities and life styles.

5 comments about Honus Wagner: A Biography.

1. It's sad that this book has gotten such poor reviews. I tore through the entire thing cover-to-cover and was riveted the entire time. What others see as weakness I see as a strength of the book: you come away knowing not only Johannes Peter Wagner but also Fred Clarke, Deacon Philippe, Tommy Leach, Barney Dreyfuss, and many others. The book takes you on the journey of Honus The Ballplayer, from the early days through each year he played, chronicling not only his ups & downs but also the fortunes of the Pirates teams of those early years along with the city itself. If people were expecting some tabloid revelations about illicit dealings or some scandalous dirt it reveals their own failings, not the book's. Remember, this is the guy who insisted his tobacco card be pulled (the famous T206) because he had moral objections about peddling cigarettes to kids. So enjoy the book as a great period-piece about the people, places, and times of that early 20th-century baseball era. It really is a treat.



2. I see some tough criticism on this page, but I cannot accept that the book has too much baseball detail. When I think of other, more recent biographies of Whitey Ford, Gabby Hartnett, and others that read like a series of several hundred box scores in prose, I think of this book as just the opposite. It paints a good picture of Wagner the man and his family, and how he spent his non-baseball hours and seasons. It retells good anecdotes in proper context, and as my fellow reviewer, Eddie Waddell notes, it doesn't try to gloss over any weaknesses the man may have had - a fault of so many baseball biographers whose goal is to get their man into the Hall of Fame by their book's building up his stats.
   
   The de Valerias obviously love their man, and you will too before you are done with the volume. Just the right amount of baseball detail, I'd say. And not just about Honus. You learn a great deal about his lesser known teammates. And the stats are almost always on target. The de Valerias may not have included a Wagner stats sheet, but at least they seem to have researched all stats they use in the book well. Yes, I wish the footnotes were more specific to the quotes, but that shouldn't deter the majority of readers.



3. Wow, reading the reviews, this is a tough crowd! Too much detail, not enough detail. For me, the detail was just about right. I have been listening to the unabridged audio edition while commuting. The book covers Wagner's career starting in his teen-age years. It provides a good illustration of American life at the turn of the century particularly as it related to baseball. I was especially interested to learn how many of the western PA towns I grew up around had had their own minor league ball teams back in the day - Sharon, New Castle, Warren (PA), etc. I think the authors did a good job of marching the reader through Wagner's career including the highs and the lows while also teaching about the early days of professional baseball and how the sport quickly became America's pastime.



4. One lapse in the DeValerias' work is the preparation of their bibliography, which is incomplete, failing to list many works cited later under chapter sources. An examination of the bibliography, therefore, provides future researchers with a very incomplete picture of the extent of their work. Moreover, they eschew footnotes in favor of a general listing of sources for each chapter. Trying to pinpoint the source of the authors' conclusions or a particular quotation, consequently, is virtually impossible, and weighing the number of sources they used to establish a point even more frustrating. The result is often the impression that a thin foundation of a single quotation or story supports many of the DeValerias' conclusions.



5. This work is useful for the baseball fan interested in the game's history. An enjoyable read but it falls prey to a critical error in any baseball biography -- it fails to include Wagner's career statistics. Not that you can't find them elsewhere, but most folks reading baseball history (such as myself) will want to leaf through and check out the stats as they read the narrative.