5 comments about Ain't No Sense Worryin: The Wisdom of Mick "the Quick" Rivers.

1. This book by Mickey Rivers is truly unique. It reads more like a loosely connected bunch of stories somewhat covering his life and career. Mickey breaks the rules of proper grammar in favor of telling a story in his own words.
   The book is interesting, but lacking in any real depth. You can probably read it quickly in one setting, but I would rather have a meatier book from one of the true characters of the game, a man who spent time on one of the craziest and greatest baseball teams ever.



2. In a sense, this book IS Mickey Rivers - humorous, irreverent, oddly distracted, and in a sense somewhat disassociated from the reality that the rest of us live in. On the surface, the book is little more than a collection of mildly to moderately humorous stories: other than (arguably) Billy Martin, Rivers does little to expose facets of the people he discusses that we aren't already well aware of.

   Yet in the telling of the stories Mickey does expose much of his inner self to the reader, and in so doing he more or less validates the title of the book. Apparently, Mickey truly didn't believe in worryin' about anything: his marriage, taking care of himself physically, what others thought of his various and sundry antics. Having said all of that, though, Rivers does come off as quite likable - he may have more or less unconsciously made his way through his career, but at least he did so with a smile on his face and a desire to do the best he could with those talents that he could readily muster.

   In the end, I gave this book three stars because one doesn't get the feeling that Rivers put much thought into it, but what the heck... if the book was full of deep self-contemplation, it wouldn't be Mickey, would it?




3. A great book for Yanks fans as well as other baseball fans, and a great trip down memory lane for those of us who remember and treasure the late 70s Yanks and Sox.

   I bought this because Mick's odd yet wise quotes were legendary during his playing career, kind of a next-generation Yogi Berra. (A nice touch in the book is that it includes many of these quotes in his own handwriting.) Mick recalls his baseball life with humor and a deep sensitivity, especially for those teammates who are gone -- Thurman Munson, Billy Martin, Catfish Hunter, Jim SPencer, etc. For example, he recounts his post-game activities playing ball with kids around the stadium and racing them down the street, and talks about the importance that today's players - Jeter, Williams, etc. - be role models for children.

   A quick read that will bring you back to the Bronx Zoo. (Particularly enjoyed the story about how Mick's wife played bumper cars w/ his Benz and Cadillac in the Yankee Stadium parking lot - bet The Boss loved cleaning up...)




4. I had hoped this book would be a lot more of a biography. Instead it was written as if the reader was a 10 year old. Not informative and a waste of money.



5. I purchased this book at the Yogi Berra museum in Montclair, NJ during a book signing by Mickey Rivers himself. I always liked him, and knew about his witty quotes, however, I never realized what a genuinely nice person he was. At the book signing, he talked to me for more than 5 minutes. The fact he's a nice person comes across loud and clear in the book as well. He tells tales of his childhood, the minor leagues, the Angels, Yankees, Rangers, and other experiences. The book is written in a conversational style, as if Mickey is talking right to you. You get a feel for the man, and you get to hear good stories as well. As you read, you'll laugh and come to like Mickey more and more. For me, I started to long for the days of my youth when the Yankees Bronx Zoo team battled with the Boston Red Sox, the KC Royals and the LA Dodgers. All in all, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you enjoy humorous baseball stories in an easy-to-read format, I highly recommend Ain't No Sense Worryin'.

2 comments about Owning a Piece of the Minors (Writing Baseball).

1. As mentioned in the previous review, this work is a collection of separate essays. Because of that there is a lot of overlap in terms of the stories told. Each essay recaps what the previous essay already recapped, and so on. And on and on. When the author expresses fresh material, the reading is a true pleasure. Therefore, I think these essays would be better digested read separately, ie between readings from another work. I read them straight through and kept getting the feeling that I had heard this story a thousand time before. Also, half of the book is the author critisizing his own work. Is it just me, or does critisizing ones own work, or rather praising one's own work, seem amazingly egocentric?????



2. ...of what it's like to be involved with a small-town minor league baseball team. The author uses humor and sensitivity to capture how his love for baseball as a child - lost for a number of years - was rekindled by his association with the Waterloo, Iowa team. It's a relatively quick and easy read. My only negative, is that because it's a series of independent essays combined in this book, there are a number of redundancies throughout. That is a minor downside however. I plan on reading more by the author.

1 comments about RYAN HOWARD: KING OF SWING.

1. A great way for readers of all ages to get to know the Philadelphia Phillies' rising superstar Ryan Howard. Filled with numberous interviews, historical research and witty anectdotes, it's an enjoyable read which gets the reader up close and personal with the Phillies' engaging slugger.

5 comments about Zim: A Baseball Life.

1. One of the greatest characters of the game! Don Zimmer brings six decades of baseball to life in these pages. It's funny, serious, interesting, and unselfish. We all know that he's pretty much done it all in baseball, but this book will show you how. You'll meet lots of baseball people, and go behind the scenes to see what fans usually don't. One of the best autobiographies I've ever read. I can't wait to read The Zen of Zim now!



2. Remember how in "Forrest Gump" any major event in history Forrest was always there in the back ground? Don Zimmer is the "forrest Gump" of baseball.Any major happening in the game and Zim was there.He spins a tale here that will keep you interested from page one to the very end. He has probably forgotten more about the game than most will ever know.This book has some great stories and some very funny ones. I promise you will enjoy this.



3. You just have to love this guy. Too bad he left the Yankees and the game. He had a good career in baseball being in the company of the great ones in the game. This book is full of great anecdotes. Great cover. He can say just as much with his face as with his words so you still have to read the book. It is toughly enjoyable.



4. With baseball season on the way, I recently went through a period where I read a bunch of baseball biographies that a friend gave me. This was one of the best of the bunch. Don Zimmer gives an honest portrayal of his career in the game, leaving out nothing, even if it reflects less than shiningly on himself. His stories are well told, to the point, and honest. What else is there? I'd recommend this one as a summer read.



5. Geez, what a great, great book. What a great story and what a great life. Don Zimmer is the last of the best generation of ball players, the ones who played because they loved the game and focused on it all the time. It is a major loss that he's still not on a bench somewhere imparting his wisdom. This is by far my favorite baseball book and made me feel young again. I mean, who doesn't love the Zim? One thing though, while reading it. Major League Baseball should give the wives a pension too for all the support they give their husbands over the years. Just buy the book, I promise you, you won't be sorry.

No comments about I Never Had It Made.

2 comments about Nice Guys Finish First - The Autobiography of Monte Irvin.

1. This book tell a great recollect of Monte Irvin's hard and good times with baseball and life. It reached my heart and told me what it would have been like to live in America as an African American.



2. Monte Irvin provides us with his experiences of playing in the Negro Leagues prior to joining the New York Giants. The part I enjoyed best was his relating his experience of playing with the Giants since I was a kid at that time. He seems to feel that Rickey's choice of Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier was the wrong choice that worked out well. Irvin feels he could have been the chosen player and handled it better due to his more noncombative nature. He also provides us with his opinions on present day baseball related matters. He liked Bowie Kuhn as a commissioner, but feels he erred in not being present at Aaron's record breaking home run. Irvin, as Kuhn's aid, substituted for him. He doesn't feel Pete Rose should be elected to the Hall of Fame due to his gambling. Irvin blows his own horn a few times in the book, but I found it to be enjoyable, but certainly not a classic.

1 comments about Voices from the Pastime: Oral Histories of Surviving Major Leaguers, Negro Leaguers, Cuban Leaguers and Writers, 1920-1934.

1. Mr. Wilson has done a wonderful job of researching and writing this book. The stories are written very well, using colorful and illustrative language. This book makes a tremendous gift for the baseball fan.

1 comments about Baseball's First Mexican-American Star: The Amazing Story of Leo Najo.

1. I'm glad to see a book on this forgotten player.
   Here's some information about the author from a newsletter I get:
   "I am happy to announce the release of the second of a series of books I'm writing based on local history and culture. My latest book is a biography of Mission's own Leonardo 'Najo' Alaniz, who was one of the very first Hispanics to play professional baseball (in the early 1920s) in the U.S. Titled Baseball's First Mexican-American Star: The Amazing Story of Leo Najo, this book was an incredibly exciting adventure for me, as it reconnected me with my own past, and also brought me into contact with Leo's wonderful family, most of whom still reside in the Mission area.
   The Washington Post once called Leo 'one of the greatest baseball players of all time.' He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1925, and although a serious leg injury kept him from sticking with the majors, he achieved great success and fame in the minors, mostly in San Antonio. My dad, who was a devoted baseball fan, knew Leo personally, saw him play many times, and spoke of him often. This book, which is the first biography ever written about Leo, was inspired by the stories of Leo that I heard from my dad.
   In writing this book, I spent many a long evening on the third floor of the UTPA Library, reading newspaper articles from the 1920s and 1930s regarding Leo's amazing baseball career. I am so thankful for the outstanding work that the university has done over the years to assemble such an outstanding collection of historical periodicals, without which I could not have written this book."

2 comments about Nolan Ryan: The Road to Cooperstown.

1. The incredible thing about Nolan Ryan is not his longevity in pitching for 27 seasons. What is truly astounding is the fact that he never resorted to being a junk pitcher in the later years. Even at the age of 44, he was throwing fastballs in the high nineties. I also remember when he first came up with the Mets and once owned a copy of the Mets rookie stars baseball card where he appeared with Jerry Koosman.
   This book chronicles the baseball life of one of the best athletes to ever throw a baseball, in my opinion, the only two pitchers who could possibly be compared to him in terms of durability and quality are Cy Young and Leroy Paige. The opposing batters were still muttering about the quality of his fastball when he was over forty, and you read many of their quotes in this book. He is an amazing man, and I vividly remember watching him pitch in televised games. One in particular was a near no-hitter that was broken up in the late innings by Reggie Jackson. Even through the blurring effect of the television camera, you could see the defeatist body language of the batters as they stood at the plate.
   This is one of those baseball books that you buy and then take off the shelf and reread every few years just to admire his greatness.



2. 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.

2 comments about Great Time Coming: The Life Of Jackie Robinson From Baseball to Birmingham.

1. I enjoyed this book greatly and learned a lot about this complex man.

   Growing up in Brooklyn, I heard many stories about Jackie Robinson. All of them praised his courage and admired what he went through. But nobody ever thought of him as a saint, he was a complex character with many rough edges.

   Most of what has been written about him has deified him incorrectly. The author makes it very clear early in the book that he wanted to show Robinson as "warts and all". And he succeeds, Robinson comes across as a complex human being.

   Two things to note regarding the research done on this book. The author refers often to other biographies, especially when they disagree on various points. He then gives his account of the given point, a very good procedure.

   The author also notes that he was not given any access to the "official" Jackie Robinson archives and that Jackie's widow and her minions refused to cooperate in any way shape or form with this book as well as trying to discourage others. All I can say about that is how petty those actions are.

   I especially liked the depth in which the author discussed Robinson's post-baseball life, especially in the political arena. Robinson supported several prominent Republican politicians, such as Rockefeller and Nixon and took a lot of heat for his views. The author did a wonderful job in this area.

   Great job by the author is separating man and myth.




2. I'm a big Jackie Robinson fan and this book taught me things I never understood or knew! Great reading. Great insights into the life of a true pioneer! BUY IT!