5 comments about I Was Right On Time.

1. What a great book. How I would have loved to just sit with Buck and just talk and listen to him and his stories. I also learned some new things about Sarasota, FL and all the great players in the Negro Leagues and people in general. Now more than ever I believe he is a Hall of Famer and he should be in there. He might not have been the greatest player... but he was a GREAT man. If you want to read a great book that will make you laugh.. smile.. maybe tear up... this book is for you.



2. Just what I needed to learn more about Buck. Horribly over-looked by the Hall of Fame. Very informative book, just in time for baseball season.



3. Back in the early 90's, before Ken Burns, I ran into Buck in the lobby of the Otesaga hotel in Cooperstown. It was the year that Willie McCovey was going in and we "snuck" our way into the building. Buck entertained me for over an hour with stories of guys I never had heard about. When I asked about his career, he really downplayed his greatness. I was mostly struck by the fact that this man did not have a single ounce of remorse or spite. Quite the opposite, he felt he was blessed to have played.
   
   The book is written in a conversational style that goes quickly. I felt I could hear Buck's voice in my head has the pages turned. It was a fantastic book and Buck will be sorely missed.



4. This is not simply an autobiography, but an oral-history on where we have been and where we are going. It was written from the heart, and - if you read closely - it will open yours to live life in a different, better way.
   
   I read the book when it was initially published and recently purchased the soft-cover edition. Rarely do I re-read a book, but I felt the need after hearing Buck O'Neil's moving and uplifting speech this summer at the Baseball Hall of Fame and listening to a rebroadcast of an interview conducted several years ago by radio sports-talker Jim Rome.
   
   The road to racial equality remains long and steep, but by gazing upward you may view what appears to be a finish-line tape rippling in the breeze at the top of the mountain. But look ahead and you see the harsh reality that the road remains unfortunately rugged, with many twists & turns.
   
   Buck O'Neil is an American hero and if your eyes are dry after reading the last page of I Was Right On Time (no matter how many times you read the book), then your heart may not have opened up wide enough to tackle the journey ahead.



5. This easy-going autobiography combines sunny optimism, seriousness, and rich baseball history. John J. "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman in the Negro Leagues during the 1930-1940's, and he then spent another half decade in baseball, both in the Negro Leagues and in the majors. Here he recounts his upbringing in Florida during segregation (where he was denied entry to high school) and his long career in baseball. O'Neil details life in the Negro leagues, including barnstorming and low pay, playing for the famed Kansas City Monarchs and his friendship with stars like Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith. He also describes managing in the Negro Leagues, coaching for the Chicago Cubs (the first black coach in the majors) and spending decades as a baseball scout. O'Neil is an intelligent man gifted with great charm, and he's often described as the "ambassador to baseball." That charm shines in the prose of co-writers Steve Wolf and David Conrads, and lets O'Neil attack injustice without losing effectiveness via stridency.
   
   Buck O'Neil gained fame from the "Baseball" documentary by Ken Burns, and at this writing remains a board member for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City well into his 90's. This is a readable look at the Negro leagues by one of its most charming members.

5 comments about Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life.

1. Anyone who has the tiniest bit of curiosity about our hometown hero DiMag has got to read this most awesome book. Blunt, honest, fantastic info. Quick and easy to read too. The Clipper is the best ball player ever, period.



2. As a baseball fan and especially a Yankees fan I was anxious to read this book and I am glad I did. I am not sure how Cramer obtained as much detail about this god with clay feet as he did. But it is truly amazing the first person stories he was able to get of those who knew Dimaggio. This book is so relevatory, so much better than some of the sports biographies that are out there. You learn much about Joe's family life, or the lack of family life, both as a boy and as an adult. It is a sad story of one who failed at all human relationships, while being admired from a distance by so many. But at times Cramer gives us just a little too much as when he relates how one beauty compared Joe's male organ to Milton Berle and Joe came out champ again.



3. Joe DiMaggio was one of the most amazing athletes ever to wear the Yankee pinstripes. He was chosen as the greatest living baseball player in a poll conducted in 1969.
   
   The son of an Italian immigrant fisherman, DiMaggio followed the lead of his older brother, Vince, and abandoned the fishing boat to pursue a career as professional baseball player. Eventually, three of the DiMaggio sons would play in the major leagues: a younger brother, Dominic, played for the Boston Red Sox as a regular; Vince was a journeyman who moved from team to team; Joe played thirteen seasons in New York.
   
   He was not an easy man to get along with and not especially likeable. At an early age, DiMaggio, who had a limited education, felt that he had been cheated out of money in a contract dispute and he seemed to be determined never to be shortchanged again. He was sullen and withdrawn, but how he could play! Rookies were put on notice that DiMaggio had no use for team members who would jeopardize his opportunity to win bonus money by playing in the World Series. He was constantly looking for moneymaking opportunities and commercial endorsements. On television, he became best known for his "Mr. Coffee" ads. He owned an interest in a seafood restaurant in San Francisco for years.
   
   Off the field, DiMaggio had marital problems with his two movie actress wives. His first wife, Dorothy Arnold, was the mother of his only child, Joe, Jr., and his most celebrated union was with Marilyn Monroe. Both marriages ended in divorce, but DiMaggio remained devoted to Monroe and her memory. DiMaggio was a tough customer and he went through periods of not speaking to many of his own relatives if he was displeased with them.
   
   Throughout his playing career, which was shortened by military service and injuries, it was a rarity for an October to pass without Joe DiMaggio appearing in the World Series. During this period, the New York Yankees were a dynasty and DiMaggio appeared in the Series against six of the eight National League teams. New York only lost once in the postseason while DiMaggio was in the line up (the St. Louis Cardinals upset New York in 1942).
   
   DiMaggio could do it all, but he was best known for his hitting and his celebrated fifty-six game hitting streak record in 1941. Interestingly, after the Cleveland Indians halted the streak, DiMaggio pounded out hits in his next seventeen games. DiMaggio retired from baseball at the age of thirty-six. His career was shortened by stomach ulcers and primitive sports orthopaedic medicine that had been unable to repair his damaged knee and foot.
   
   I enjoyed this book. The author did a good job with a difficult biographical subject.
   
   An interesting aside: DiMaggio had been scouted by the Chicago Cubs while he was playing for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, but the team lost interest in him as a prospect after he suffered a knee injury. Within a few short years, DiMaggio and the Yankees swept Chicago in the World Series.



4. There are some negative reviews on here, and I'm not sure why. Granted this is probably the least sympathetic biography I have ever read. But I thought it was well reported. It was certainly a smooth read and provided a remarkable amount of insight into an iconic figure in American history. DiMaggio was obviously a moody and selfish superstar who was very concerned about his image and legacy in the big picture, but not nearly focused enough on being any kind of a humanitarian. My respect for DiMaggio the ballplayer was only increased by this book, but DiMaggio the individual left a lot to be desired.
   
   It's not Cramer's fault that DiMaggio's behavior often ranged from uncooperative to downright nasty. I loved the book.



5. My expectations for the book were low to begin with, but if I'd known DiMaggio had anything to do with Marilyn Monroe I wouldn't have bothered. She's a hack writer/pop culture magnet of the worst sort--and well, this biography is a prime example of the resulting genre.
   
   Half the book manages to discuss DiMaggio's baseball career, in a sort of slap-dash, free-spinning verbal assault way. I suppose if you have the attention span of a gnat this is appreciated, but this approach just makes me unhappy; skip every other sentence and it still reads the same.
   
   The second half of the book is Marilyn Monroe (the less said about that the better), and then DiMaggio's exploitive adventures in the ultimate sucker's paradise, the filthy world of baseball memorabilia.
   
   Given his sources I doubt any of this is told either fairly or accurately... and you know you've got a real weiner of a book when "cease and desist/no comment" letters are included as a way to show "well, I tried to portray both sides but they wouldn't let me!"
   
   I'm sure much of it is true, and I suspect DiMaggio was used, abused, folded, stamped, sealed, delivered. (Hey, at least he wasn't cryofrozen.) I just... gotta wonder why we really need to be told every intimate personal detail about someone, 'cause much of this stuff isn't our business.

3 comments about Memories of a Ballplayer: Bill Werber and Baseball in the 1930s (Society for American Baseball Research).

1. Werber played with and against some of the biggest names in baseball, and some of his anecdotes are quite interesting and enlightening (for instance, the fact that Jimmie Foxx was probably the fastest runner in baseball but was somewhat bashful about it). If you are up on your history, you will enjoy reading about Ruth, Gehrig and the rest. However, Werber's "preachy, I'm a damn fine fellow and I'll tell you why" attitude wore thin on me.



2. Bill Werber shares his experiences and remembrances of playing the National pastime in the 1930's. It was an era that is difficult for modern fans to imagine. Thanks to the memories of Werber and the skill of co-author Paul Rogers at detailing them, the life of a ballpayer pre-intercontinental travel, airplanes, multi year contracts and night games comes alive for the reader.

   Werber was somewhat of an anomaly for the time; College educated, well read and intellectually curious, he made a stark contrast to the typical little educated, hard living, hard drinking, brawling ballplayer of that generation. Yet, he possessed a toughness of his own. A toughness that enabled him as a rookie to withstand and even return the barbs of veteren Yankee ballplayers. A toughness that would serve him well in disputes with teammates, opponents and management throughout his career.

   Werber details recollections of those he fought with and against, came to admire and befriend, and gives an excellent oral history of what is was like to be a ballplayer during the depression era. His memories of the greats of the period, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson and the others, sheds light on the pecking order that has always existed between the greats and their less talented contemporaries. It makes for interesting and informative reading. As an Oral History, the book is not designed to take political positions or rail against social injustice. The purpose of good Oral History is to tell the story of what it was like, not what it should have been like. This book is a valuable contribution to the search for historical truth about the game of baseball. As such it belongs in your library!




3. Bill Werber led an interesting life on and off the field in baseball, but this collection of anecdotes from the 1930s and 40s misses the opportunity for Werber to explain how he felt about one of baseball's biggest problem in the first half of the 20th Century: segregation. Werber was a vocal opponent of integration in the 1940s and openly opposed the selection of Frank Robinson as the first African-American manager back in 1974. If Werber could have explained his positions on these matters, this book would have made a lasting impression. Instead, it just sort of floats by without making any impact.

5 comments about Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train.

1. I have read most of the "greatest" baseball books and this is one of the best. This is obviously the writer's lifetime work, and he weaves Walter Johnson's life with his very personal belongings to create a masterpiece.
   
   If you want to get a feel for what baseball was like at the turn of the century, then this will answer your questions. This is one of the only hardbacks that I will keep forever.



2. The fact that Walter Johnson was the grandfather of the author does not disqualify this book as a legitimate biography. Since he didn't grow up around the "Big Train" Henry Thomas had to rely on meticulous research and perhaps his family connection gave him easier access to first-person accounts.
   
   Walter Johnson had a freakish right arm. With an easy-going sidearm delivery he threw fastballs with such great velocity that Ty Cobb reported he flinched the first time he stepped into the batter's box and Johnson's pitched "hissed with danger" as it blew by. The book is peppered with other anecdotes of players reporting that Johnson was so fast other players could hardly see, much less hit the ball. He probably wasn't faster than Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson in their prime, but he was so much faster than his contemporaries his pitches seemed like bullets.
   
   Yet he was perhaps even more of a gentleman. He was modest,kind,loyal and honest. When Johnson's Washington team finally got into a pennant race in Walter's eighteenth season, there was so much support for him from OPPOSING crowds the cheers for him were repeatedly louder than for the home team, even at stadiums such as Boston's Fenway Park and Babe Ruth's Yankee Stadium.
   
   Johnson's lifetime statistics are amazing. Only Cy Young has more wins than his 417, and if not for his record number of one-run losses, including a record number of 1-0 losses (he also owns the record for 1-0 wins), he would have more wins.
   
   He was among the first five players inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame, won two MVP awards, and set the all-time record for batting average by a pitcher with .433 in 1925. He won 20 games 12 times, including a record ten in a row, and over 30 games twice. He had 110 career shutouts - no other pitcher has 100. In 1913 he won 36 games, lost 7, and gave up only 44 runs in 48 games. You need a microscope to see his career ERA of 2.13.
   
   He was also a devoted family man, married to a congressman's daughter until death did part them, with four children. He was so popular that in public appearances with his younger, more handsome available teammates, single young women swooned, even though it was well-known that he was married.
   
   Few American sports heroes have embodied the combination of ability, accomplishment and virtue that were all seen in Walter Johnson. This books stands up well next to the most well-known in the genre. I'd much rather see a film version of this than to have seen "Babe" or "Cobb." This is on the short list of "best baseball books."



3. I will just one particular reason why I like this book. It will seem trivial to some readers, and I will not be surprised if this review gets negative recommendations because of it. After all, the author did not deliberately intend for this "selling point" to occur, but it did. What is it? Well, Henry Thomas is a stickler for names. He insists on calling teams and places what they were called at the time instead of what we refer to them today. The Washington ballpark is not referred to as Griffith Stadium until the early 20's. References are made to the Cleveland Naps and the New York Highlanders. where am I going with this? In the third chapter, Thomas explains how the owners of the Washington American League team decide to officially change the name of team from "Senators" to "Nationals" for good luck. The name did not catch on with fans, who still preferred to call them "Senators", although "Nats" (short for both seNATorS and NATionalS) was a common nickname. Still, Thomas consistently refers to Johnson's team as the "Nationals" since that was the franchise's official name until 1956.
   
   This book was written in 1995. Although there were fans who dreamed major league baseball would eventually return to Washington, D.C., it still seemed like impossible for many people. But eventually, the Montr?al Expos WERE moved to Washington, and Thomas' choice of words proved prophetic. Commissioner Bud Selig wanted to rename the team the "Washington Senators" after the team he remembered in his youth. D.C. Mayor Tony Williams was adamantally opposed to "Senators" since D.C. had no voting representation in Congress---he wanted the team named "Washington Grays" after the champion Negro League team that used to play at Griffith Stadium. "Washington Nationals" was chosen as a compromise.
   
   The result is that if you are sitting in the stands at RFK Stadium watching a Nats game (perhaps the home opener, as I was doing today) and you turn to read Thomas' biography of Walter Johnson and his "Nationals", you realize that the current team is part of a long tradition of Washington baseball, and it is a proud tradition. The proudest part of the history of Washington baseball was the career of Walter Johnson. This book reminds finds why.



4. This is one of the all-time best reads! A fascinating real-life story about one of baseball's greatest pitchers, the author does a wonderful job of bringing history to life. The times and career of Walter Johnson are meticulously researched and presented, but not at the expense of the story. The drama builds to the 1924 World Series and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. It's great to read a biography that brings an era into focus as well as this one.



5. This book was written by Walter Johnson's grandson, for the sole purpose of refuting Bill James' stated opinion--absolutely standard among baseball history experts--that Lefty Grove is the greatest pitcher of all time. While James has since reluctantly changed his mind, very few of the rest of us have. Johnson "pitched" when a pitcher only had to bear down on about 15 or 20 pitches per game; Grove pitched when any pitch could be hit out of the park, and lobbing in all of your pitches was suicidal. Grove won 9 ERA titles, all of them while pitching in hitters' parks, including 4 as a southpaw in Fenway Park after his 35th birthday; Johnson won 5 in a pitcher's paradise.
   
   So the book's biased premise is not only flawed, but untenable. Poor writing, presented in support of a nepotistic agenda, makes for a poor read. Sorry, Grandsonny, but Grove was better, and both Pedro and Roger Clemens may prove to have been better yet, when they are done.
   
   Jim Fahey

5 comments about Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life In and Out of Major League Baseball.

1. Great story by a guy that wasted a lot of years not being himself to balance his high profile job. he went through lots of the same tribulation I did.



2. This is a heartfelt story that has not been told before -- a glimpse inside the world of major league baseball from the perspective of a perceptive and sensitive gay man. Billy writes with real passion about the sport he loves, the incredible pressure to excel, and the high personal price a gay man pays for remaining in the closet. He has a lot to say about the culture of professional sports, how players relate to each other both on and off the field, and what it takes to excel in a very demanding job. And for those who are not baseball fans, a useful glossary of baseball terms and slang is included at the back of the book.



3. GREAT story. I am not a sports fan, but couldn't put the book down once I started to read it.
   
   I think Billy helps to prove that the stereotype that gay men are vain is wrong. Here is a man that could have any gay guy he wants and is more interested in love.
   
   Having to miss his partner's funeral almost brought tears to my eyes. This story right there provides yet another reason as to why we need gya marriage in the US>



4. Billy Bean played for 3 major league baseball teams (the Dodgers, Tigers and Padres). He was never a star in the majors, but he had a decent career. Would Bean have a story to tell if he was not gay? Maybe, because it seems everyone writes an autobiography these days. This isn't just the story of a gay man. This is the story of a man struggling to discover who he really is.
   Bean discusses his childhood, his high school playing days and his years in the minor leagues. While he progressed through life, he always seemed to feel as if something was missing or not quite right. Still he got married and thought he was living the 'right' life.
   Eventually and painfully, Bean realized what he was and decided to act upon it, even though he was not ready to go public with everything. Tragically and much too quickly, his first meaningful gay relationship ended with his partner's death due to AIDS.
   Bean's story of coping with this loss, while coming to terms with his sexuality is an engrossing story. You can feel Bean's pain. Gay or not, we all go through our own identity struggles. I guess that is one thing that makes Bean's book good. We can all relate to his struggles. Yet, on the other hand, I have no idea what he must have endured, but Bean paints a vivid and often painful picture of his journey. This makes the book a good read for all people.
   I won't totally kill the ending, but I will say that it is uplifting and positive.



5. I am not a baseball fan. I read a review of this book and there was just something that intrigued me about the story. I was prepared to be disappointed but, once I started, I couldn't stop turning the pages to see how all this was going to work out. Of course it was interesting to read Billy's take on the gay part of the story but, I think even with that removed from the picture, this is a moving story of a boy's dream and his struggles to achieve it. It certainly was a most pleasant sojourn into the baseball business and the life of a ballplayer.

5 comments about A Great Teammate: The Legend of Mickey Mantle.

1. I've got several Mickey Mantle books, but I really think this one is the best. Very detailed and accurate. Well done!



2. My kids grew up wanting to BE LIKE MIKE. Like many of my generation, I always wanted to be like Mick. THE MICK.
   
   Mickey Mantle was, for us, the consummate baseball player. He hit the ball hard and ran the bases fast. His arm was strong and his glove golden.
   
   But that's only part of why he was our hero. Randall Swearingen's book, A Great Teammate, covers the rest. Mickey was one of the greatest team players the game has ever known. He found a way to win. One day he'd hit a home run. The next he'd bunt and steal--or literally outrun a fly ball. It added up. Between 1951 and 1964, Mickey's Yankees made twelve trips to the World Series. Twelve!
   
   When his teammates batted, Mickey cheered. When they slumped, he took them to dinner. When Roger wilted in the Babe's mighty shadow, Mickey took him under his wing and into his home--even as The Mick took his own shot at THE RECORD.
   
   Mickey played hurt nearly every game of his major league career because, as a rookie, he deferred to a teammate named Joe DiMaggio. Mickey never complained or made excuses. He just came to the park early, took his treatments, hid the pain, and played hard. As good as he was, he could have been even better with two legs rather than one.
   
   When asked why he didn't take himself out of the lineup to rest the legs, Mickey replied that some child might come to the ball park to watch him play, and he didn't want to let that child down. Mickey didn't know it, but I was that child. My family drove from North Carolina to New York City in 1961. It was the only chance I ever had, as a kid, to watch a major league game. Mickey didn't disappoint: he hit a line drive into the right field bleachers for a home run. From then on, Mickey was my hero. And, like so many southerners in those days, I became, of all things, a Yankee.
   
   Then came the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Sportswriters forgot who Mickey Mantle was and why he had been our hero. They publicized his alcoholism. His business failures. His divorce. If only he had fallen in his prime, they implied, like Gehrig with ALS or Ruth with cancer. But somehow he dodged the Hodgkin's curse. And even though alcoholism is every bit as much a disease as ALS, or cancer, or Hodgkin's, America stopped loving Mickey the way he had loved us. We forgot. And, I must admit, as I almost forgot.
   
   Then I read A Great Teammate, and the memories came pouring back. Mickey winning games for his team. Mickey bringing out the best in his teammates. Mickey loving and respecting the game. Playing hard. Playing hurt. Always humble. Ever helpful. Never making excuses. And, in bottom of the 9th, whipping his toughest foe, alcoholism, and helping others do the same.
   
   No doubt, Old Timers told these stories time and again at ball games, fantasy camps, reunions, and funerals. But, no one ever bothered to write them down for us, the fans. Until now. Mickey, Randall: thank you.



3. Very impressed with book - my son is big fan and loves it.



4. It was very important to our dad that he be remembered as a great teammate and this book does an excellent job of explaining why he was admired, not only by the fans but his teammates and opponents as well. Randall went to great lengths to research the relevant details of key events in dad's career in order to show the magnitude of dad's courage, competitiveness, loyalty, determination, athleticism and perseverance both on and off the field. Randall spent time with dad and his teammates at the Mickey Mantle fantasy camps and his knowledge and love of dad really shows in this book. Reading the book brought back many great memories and magically transported us back in time to our childhood. The Mantle family gives this book a big "thumbs up" and wishes to extend our heartfelt thanks to Randall for writing this inspiring and enjoyable book that beautifully echoes our deep love and respect for our dad. "A true teammate". - Merlyn, David and Danny Mantle



5. Excellent chronology of many highlights of Mickey's career ... especially the descriptions of those monsterous home runs ... no one before or since has had "power for distance" that Mickey had ... lists his lifetime stats, offense and defense, in the back of the book ...
   
   the numerous descriptions of Mickey by his beloved teamates gives the reader clear insight into what kind of person Mickey was ...
   
   the quintessential teammate who gave everything he had on and off the field to win and help his teammates ... e.g., playing in tremendous amounts of pain (so as not to disappoint, in case the father of a poor family took his boy once a year to see him play); at restaurants, picking up "the check" most of the time; insisting that old teammates come to autograph sessions (or he wouldn't attend) so they could make money too; and the lovable prankster (the "TP" prank)...
   
   truly a one of a kind, the last of the 4 great Yankees (Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle), one of those who really was head and shoulders above the rest, and he was the last player to connect us to the baseball of a by-gone era ...
   
   and to prove it all, he's got his own 4,500 lb. monument in Center Field! I could go on and on ... but ... the book is well worth the money ... buy it!

5 comments about Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story.

1. Our heroes wear uniforms, not only of the home team, but seemingly a vest for the body blows life can deliver.
   
   And their demons are from the delights of stardom, not mental illness. Right?
   
   In this chronicle of the 1952 season with the Boston Red Sox, then a 22-year-old emerging star, Jim Piersall, and co-author Al Hirshberg tackle what remains a taboo issue in clubhouses and sports talk; mental illness - bipolar disorder - and the athlete.
   
   Originally published in 1955, it is a hard-hitting account of Piersall and his struggle while under the bright lights of Major League Baseball to confront his personal demons, many which had been building since childhood.
   
   But Piersall - once he fully understood that he needed help - did not face the struggle alone. Those close to him in his personal and professional endeavors demonstrated that the timeless tools of patience and understanding are crucial to a person's recovery.
   
   There is no stepping out of the batter's box in life, though it seems as if every pitch is coming in wild, high and tight. For Piersall to hit the demons out of that ballpark is an inspiring tale of victory in the biggest box score of all.



2. After my parents both were committed to a state hospital on two different occasions, I lived with the secret -- in shame. While in grade school, I was looking for a sports book to read and ran across Piersall's book. By publicly telling his story and frankly admitting he was mentally ill, Piersall helped me change my attitude and lose my shame. I realized mental illness is quite common and can be treated successfully.
   
   The book was a godsend to a child living with psychological trauma.



3. "Fear Strikes Out" tells the tale of Jimmy Piersall, who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early to late 1950s. He and Willy Mays of the Giants were the best defensive center fielders in pro baseball then and perhaps ever. "FSO" is more concerned with Jimmy's nervous breakdown in 1952 and his subsequent recovery. The real story should be his patient wife, without whom Piersall would have been at sea. The Catholic Church has canonized people for less! "FSO" skims along the edges of Jimmy's problems but to its' credit does not sweep them under a rug. The problems may be sanitized but not trivialized. In my opinion, the true meat of the book is its' 1950s American League backdrop, which I'm just barely old enough to remember. Red Sox fans should enjoy reading about Ted Lepcio, Lou Boudreau, Ellis Kinder, Joe Cronin and Billy Goodman. "FSO" has a limited scope and appeal. The 1950s sportsworld was lilly white and not given to tell all, dirt digging locker room scoops and the book reflects that era. Jimmy gets a free pass on some (not all) of his antics. Readers who accept those constraints should find "FSO" enjoyable and worthwhile. Anyone with a dad or uncle, etc who is a hardcore Red Sox fan has a great Christmas present to click unto.



4. "Fear Strikes Out" tells the tale of Jimmy Piersall, who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early to late 1950s. He and Willy Mays of the Giants were the best defensive center fielders in pro baseball then and perhaps ever. "FSO" is more concerned with Jimmy's nervous breakdown in 1952 and his subsequent recovery. The real story should be his patient wife, without whom Piersall would have been at sea. The Catholic Church has canonized people for less! "FSO" skims along the edges of Jimmy's problems but to its' credit does not sweep them under a rug. The problems may be sanitized but not trivialized. In my opinion, the true meat of the book is its' 1950s American League backdrop, which I'm just barely old enough to remember. Red Sox fans should enjoy reading about Ted Lepcio, Lou Boudreau, Ellis Kinder, Joe Cronin and Billy Goodman. "FSO" has a limited scope and appeal. The 1950s sportsworld was lilly white and not given to tell all, dirt digging locker room scoops and the book reflects that era. Jimmy gets a free pass on some (not all) of his antics. Readers who accept those constraints should find "FSO" enjoyable and worthwhile. Anyone with a dad or uncle, etc who is a hardcore Red Sox fan has a great Christmas present to click unto.



5. This short biography of talented centerfielder Jim Piersall of the Red Sox has long been well-received for it's frank portrayal of mental illness and the difficult road to recovery. Unfortunately, the book is ultimately disappointing because it goes only to the brink of discovery; we never fully understand the real cause of the illness or have explained to us what the treatment was like.

   The book begins with Piersall's fascinating life story including his difficult family life and we see the strains of his illness develop from his earliest memories. Piersall proves to be a very real person and his humanity is quite believable as he accomplishes many things under the heavy burden of his illness. However, about the time Piersall suffers his blackout, the book blacks out as well and we only learn about his descent into madness as he thumbs through photo albums with his longsuffering wife. He only mentions in passing that he received shock therapy, but we never learn why or for how long or whether there were other treatments involved. The book has a gloriously happy ending with Piersall fully recovered and on his way to Spring Training for next season. I think the reason for this is that the book may have been written as a sort of apology or explanation to the general public about Piersall and his antics on and off the field; it also may have been considered poor taste in the 1950s to have been more descriptive than that.

   Overall, this book is great for biographical information on Piersall and as an inspirational story of triumph over adversity, but may leave you hungry for more detail.

5 comments about Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By.

1. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball since the nineteenth century. He had to deal with much criticism and harsh environments because some of the United Sates was still segregated. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919, the youngest of five children of Jerry and Mallie Robinson. He grew up in Pasadena, California and lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track at UCLA. He was widely regarded as the finest all-around athlete in the United States at that time. After three years in the Army, he played with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Negro Leagues in 1945. Later that year, in a historic move that ended decades of discrimination against blacks in baseball, he signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. After a successful season in 1946 with its farm club, the Montreal Royals, he became the first black player in the Major Leagues since the nineteenth century. I would really recommend this book because it is very interesting and has many morals in it.
   I like this book because of the character traits shown. There are nine chapters in this book and each has one character trait. There are nine character traits: courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence, which are explained thoroughly. In each of the chapters there are three sections. Most of the time there is one written by the author, Sharon Robinson, one written by Jackie Robinson himself, and one written by another famous leader that elaborates on the character trait. They all give an example of them showing this trait and say how it is good.
   I also like the stories told in this book. There are many stories told about the character trait written by different people. There is one written by Christopher Reeves, Martin Luther King Jr., and Roberto Clemente. All of them include elaboration about why it is good to show that trait and a story of when they showed that trait. Sharon Robinson, the author of the book, had many stories being that she is Jackie Robinson's daughter. She had hard times sometimes because of the segregation so she writes about them and how she still showed the character traits to get through it.
   Finally I like the characters in this novel. The most important one is Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was such a great leader to all African Americans pursuing a goal because even through all of the hard times he had and all of the nonsense he had to go through he still showed great integrity to not let it get to him. He fought through many obstacles to get to where he is now and that says a lot about him and to any other minority pursuing a goal.
   This book has lots of good knowledge that the reader can achieve about being a better person. It shows that through all of the good and bad you can still come out on top. It shows how being determined can get you anywhere you want to go and how striving for excellence can take you to far places beyond your dreams. I would highly recommend this book to anybody because of the character traits shown and how it teaches you to become a better person.
   
   - Byron N.



2. "A Hero for Everyone"
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   Reviewed by Joseph Rosenberg
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   Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By
   
   written by Sharon Robinson
   Scholastic, 2001
   
   On August 25, 1945 a scant three weeks after the atomic bomb destroyed the city of Hiroshima, Jackie Robinson sat down in an office at 215 Montague Street in Brooklyn, NY and signed a contract to play baseball with the Montreal Royals, liberating a nation divided by pigmentation from its own horrific past.
   
   This book, written by Robinson's daughter, is a simple primer of the values this man lived by in his too-short life: courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment and excellence.
   
   Every chapter explains how each of these values was a part of the author's and her father's life, using as examples events or writings from other people Ms. Robinson considers heroic. Although aimed at young adults, the book's 181 pages have a message for anyone who seeks meaning from a less-than-ideal world.
   
   At first Jackie Robinson's courageous efforts as a baseball player were like a paper-cut on the segregated, bigoted American psyche. As his career progressed and the African-American athlete became accepted by his peers, the press and the public, the paper-cut became deeper and deeper, until at last Martin and Malcolm and their followers shamed the white establishment into making the lovely words of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution into a reality.
   
   Jack Roosevelt Robinson started a process that still evolves and resonates in our lives.
   
   I grew up in Brooklyn, and my first memories as a Dodger fan are of rooting for them in 1950, when they lost out on the last day of the season to the Philadelphia Phillies. The next year, when I was 9, I started going to the public library and began taking out books on baseball and my hero, Jackie Robinson.
   
   I recall the day when I went to check out about a half-dozen books on Robinson, and the lady stamping my books looked at the name on my library card and said, "Figures, all of youse is just nigger lovers." This was not Mississippi, but nice Jewish and Italian Bensonhurst. Somehow, I felt like I was not fitting in.
   
   Later, as an adult, I read in Roger Kahn's books how in the very conservative Dodger clubhouse, Jackie Robinson warmly greeted Edward R. Murrow, another hero, while owner Walter O'Malley openly wondered why such a "pinko" was in his house.
   
   Now revisionists say that Branch Rickey just signed Robinson so he could line his pockets with revenue from African-American fans and that Robinson himself was a chronic malcontent. The truth is that Rickey sowed the seeds of his own demise in a power struggle with Walter O'Malley, who forced him out of the Dodgers in 1950 because O'Malley implied Rickey destroyed the status quo of baseball and angered its establishment.
   
   After two years of silence, the same man who battled the US Army about a seat on a bus, who was an All-American football player, basketball and track star, showed that he could fight back and hold his own with anyone.
   
   I recall seeing him recently on an old episode of "Happy Felton's Knothole Gang," a show that aired before Dodger home games. There, some kids catch and throw, and the best get to play catch with a favorite Dodger. In this episode, a young Italian kid won the right to chat up Jackie Robinson and asked him a complicated question about the infield fly rule. With a slight smile on his face and in a "man to man manner," Robinson answers the question, looking the kid and the camera right in the eye.
   
   In the same forthright manner, I remember Robinson explaining in 1960 why he backed Nixon, and later how he was interested in Black enterprise, and finally, in his last appearance at the 1972 World Series, saying he'd be really satisfied if he saw a Black face in the third base coaching box.
   
   I believe it was Rickey Henderson, in many ways a poster child for the immature, unaware athlete, who, when asked about Jackie Robinson, answered that he was nothing special, that he was doing what a Jackie Robinson was supposed to do.
   
   No, Rickey. You are wrong.
   
   I remember Jackie Robinson following Bobby Thompson around the bases in the Polo Grounds in 1951, making sure he touched every one. I remember him stealing home in the 1955 World Series, the only World Series the Brooklyn Dodgers won against the lily-white Yankees. His autobiography, exerpted in this book was titled I Never Had it Made.
   
   And I remember reading about an old bearded man in Ebbets Field one day shouting, when Robinson delivered a game-winning hit, "Yankel, Yankel, atta boychick, mein hero!"
   
   Kids like me worshipped the Dodgers, the Willie Mays/Monte Irvin Giants, the Larry Doby/Satchel Paige/Luke Easter Cleveland Indians.
   
   It is a shame the institution of the Negro Leagues was destroyed by baseball's integration. But many good institutions like black-only academies were harmed by the growth of integration.
   
   Some Englishmen said the leaders of WWI were forged on the playing fields of Eton. The values of a progressive post-war America were formed on the hard chairs of Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and other places where we were exposed to people like Jack Roosevelt Robinson, and the values he has come to represent.
   
   They called Jackie Robinson "Ty Cobb in Technicolor," but to me Cobb was just a monochromatic, self-absorbed egoist compared to the self-sacrificing, most important athlete of our times, Mein hero.
   
   
   
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3. It is Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon who first came up with "Jackie's Nine" as part of an educational program called "Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life," an in school program supported by Major League Baseball, which used baseball-themed activities as teaching tools. These nine values are the ones that Sharon Robinson sees as being instrumental in her father's life, a subject which she has written about previously in her family biography "Stealing Home: An Intimate Portrait of Jackie Robinson." She picked nine because a baseball team has nine players and a game is nine innings long.
   
   As far as I am concerned Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth are the two most important sports figures of the 20th century from the perspective of their impact on society. My argument would be that the popularity of other athletes like Muhammed Ali and Michael Jordan are separate issues from their social significance. You can claim such stars are, in a way, the Babe Ruths of their day, and while Ali and Jordan may well be more popular around the world than the Babe ever was, Jackie Robinson has a legacy that can not even be approached, let alone be equaled (I remember that Larry Doby was the first African American to play in the American League, but I could not tell you who broke the color barrier in the NBA or NFL.). We can argue about who is "best," but who is "first" is a much easier argument to make.
   
   "Jackie's Nine" is essentially an anthology, which includes autobiographical passages from both Jackie Robinson and his daughter as well as profiles of people she sees as carrying on her father's legacy in terms of each of the nine values: (1) Courage: Elizabeth Eckford; (2) Determination: Christopher Reeve; (3) Teamwork: Pee Wee Reese and David Robinson (her brother, not the basketball player); (4) Persistence: Roberto Clemente; (5) Integrity: Muhammed Ali; (6) Citizenship: Marian Wright Edelman; (7) Justice: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; (8) Commitment: Rachel Robinson; and (9) Excellence: Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey. This book also includes the eulogy for Jackie Robinson delivered by the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
   
   "Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By" is what I think of as a nightstand book, where you read a section each night before going to sleep because it is beneficial to mull over each of the values and how they manifested themselves in the public careers of Jackie Robinson and these others. Of course, then it becomes impossible not to consider how your own live exhibits these values (or fails to). This is not a book that preaches, but rather one that tries to makes it point by example. Do not be surprised if after reading "Jackie's Nine" you are not interested in reading all of "I Never Had It Made" by Jackie Robinson, "Stealing Home" by Sharon Robinson, "Still Me" by Christopher Reeve, " or any of the dozen books from which excerpts are drawn for this volume.



4. Jackie's Nine is broken down into values rather than chapters. Each is a true value that Jackie Robinson lived by. His daughter, Sharon, also lived by them after his death. Jackie was a great baseball player of all time who fought for his rights to play. Sharon shares his stories and many other people's stories of courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence. Sharon uses flashbacks of when Jackie first started playing ball and of her childhood days to explain some of the values. I feel this would be a good book for baseball lovers and young adults. It is a good book that helps people understand what Jackie's family went through when he started to play Major League baseball. This book is unique because it not only tells about Jackie's values, but it demonstrates other famous people who share similar values. I enjoyed this book because I learned a lot more about Jackie Robinson and other celebrities such as Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. Athletes of all kinds can come to enjoy Jackie's Nine.



5. Jackie's Nine is broken down into values rather than chapters. Each is a true value that Jackie Robinson lived by. His daughter, Sharon, also lived by them after his death. Jackie was a great baseball player of his time who fought for his rights to play ball. Sharon shares his stories and other people's stories of courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence. Sharon uses flashbacks of when Jackie first started playing Major League baseball and of her childhood days to explain some of the values. I feel this would be a good book for baseball lovers and young adults. It is a good book that helps people understand what Jackie's family went through when he started to play Major League baseball. This book is unique because it not only tells Jackie's values of life, but it demonstrates other famous people who share similar values. I enjoyed this book because I learned a lot more about Jackie Robinson and other celebrities such as Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. Athletes of all kinds can come to enjoy Jackie's Nine.

5 comments about Power, Money & Sex.

1. I was wandering around a Gold Beach, Oregon book store last week and just happened to pick up Deion Sanders' book. I vaguely knew who he was. For some strange reason, I purchased it. Although, riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, I found his message very compelling. I am just new to the world of Jesus and have had many folks in my life talk to me about living a Christian life, but I have to say that Deion's book really TALKED to me about this issue. More than anyone else. He just broke it down in plain terms and related his story in a way that spoke to me loud and clear. Thanks Deion.



2. I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE QUITE INTERESTING AND WRITTEN WITH HONESTY. DEION HAS ALWAYS BEEN FLASHY AND FLAMBOYANT. HE PRESENTED HIMSELF AS BEING THIS WAY ALL THE TIME. HIS "PRIME TIME" PERSONALITY IS NOT WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE A MODEL CITIZEN ON HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF. HE SAYS UNDERNEATH HE IS A CHRISTIAN AND HUMBLE, I HOPE HE IS. I HAD HOPED HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN MORE DETAIL TO HIS CAREER. THIS IS WORTH READING AND ENJOYABLE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DEION AND PLEASE WRITE ANOTHER BOOK WITH MORE DETAIL AND INSIGHT INTO HOW TO LIVE LIFE.



3. Let me start off by saying I like Deion Sanders, otherwise I never would have purchased his book. And I admire the fact that the man has come a LONG way and overcome many obstacles to accept Christ into his life.
   However, I do have a major complaint - well, two to be totally honest.
   One, Deion seems to blame all his past problems on others. Even though Deion admits he was hell on wheels and self destructive for a time, he still doesn't take responsibility for many of his actions in this book. The time in Cincinnati, when he played for the Reds, when he got into an altercation with a security guard while he was riding around in a golf cart. Everyone knows Deion made that situation worse than it ever could have been, but in Deion's retelling of the story, the security guard provoked him. There are several more stories like this one, where Deion was involved in something that escalated because the other party in the dispute was out to "get him". I'm not going to say that everything that has happened to Deion is his fault, but let's be real - a lot of it is. I'm surprised, as a christian, that Deion hasn't stepped up to the plate and taken a little more responsibility for his past actions. I'm not judging Deion, but I must admit my disappointment.
   The other problem I had with the book, and this is most likely not Deion's fault but rather the authors, is that his "escapades" are glamourized, instead of downplayed. I've read several biographies written by famous people - athletes, politicians, actors, etc - and they all are guilty of this. I understand the risk you take as a writer, explaining the past deed and attempting to unfold what happened, but doing so in a manor that is interesting to the reader. When this happens, it's every easy to glamourize the story, instead of exposing it for the bad thing that it was.
   Overall, an entertaining read, albeit somewhat short to my surprise.



4. Overall, I really enjoy Deion and I was looking forward to reading his autobiography, but I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. It wasn't as 'thorough' as I thought - and his cockiness and self-centeredness really showed. I still enjoy him, and I wish him the best on his journey with Jesus.. I just pray that he's sincere.



5. I've always dug Deion Sanders.To Me he has been the Most Complete Athlete of His Time.cuz He is a Good Baseball Player&A Great Football Player.but More Importantly The Brother is Very Honest with Himself&His Surroundings.he has come full circle&has Inner Peace.this is a Great Book.

3 comments about The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues.

1. Exactly What It's title advertises - an alphabetical listings of players and personalities associated with the Negro Leagues of Baseball. Ranks with "Only the Ball Was White" and The works of John B.Holway as essntial to a study of the subject. Definitely recommended.



2. Editor James A. Riley is a renowned expert on the rich history of Negro League Baseball. His crowning achievement is honoring more than 4,000 players and those involved in management between the years of 1872-1950 in this comprehensive biographical encyclopedia.
   
   Included are biographies and statistics on each individual and team, a bibliography that lists the materials used in the research, along with a register of the interviews that Riley conducted.
   
   The Negro Leagues had a major economic and social impact in the black community, featured some of the greatest players & teams that the sport has ever had and was an integrated business on the diamond, inside the front offices and in the stands.
   
   I have always compared the play in the Negro Leagues v. the white MLB to that of the AFL v. NFL and ABA v. NBA; that it was on par or superior to the other major league. The encyclopedia is a celebration of the legacy left by those who not only challenged the institutionalized racial hatred of the times, but triumphed in ways that we can learn from and must never forget.



3. ...I question that love if you do not have this book. This is the most concise collection of biographies, stats, and information about every human involved with the development, management, and participation in every Negro League that ever existed. Even players whose first name was not known is listed with at least a few words about when they played and for whom. And the players with extensive history is detailed along with stats and other great side stories about them. There is even information on the teams in the Negro Leagues, which I found most interesting. I don't know of any other book that has as much information on the lesser-known players and behind-the-scenes people in the Negro Leagues than this one. If you are a Negro League fan, you probably already have this book. But if you are a baseball fan in general, you MUST have this book.