5 comments about Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man (Missouri Biography Series) (Missouri Biography Series).

1. The St. Louis Cardinals are a storied Major League Baseball franchise, second only to the New York Yankees in the number of World Series championships they have taken. Like the Yankees, the Cardinals have employed some of the most exceptional ballplayers ever, and the penultimate Cardinal has to be Stan Musial. Although Rogers Hornsby, Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, and a host of other Hall of Famers were Cardinals for the bulk of their careers, it is Stan "The Man" Musial who defines the team and its place in baseball lore. This fine biography by historian James N. Giglio explains why this is the case.
   
   A sore-armed left-handed pitcher whose retreading into an outfielder might have been the most fortunate transformation of any player since Babe Ruth moved from the pitcher's mound to leftfield for good in 1919, he proved to be the greatest Cardinal of them all. In a stunning 22-year career, The Man (and no other identification is necessary) wracked up a .331 career batting average and won the batting title seven times, hit 475 career home runs, hit safely 3,630 times, was named Most Valuable Player in the National League three times, enjoyed perennial all star game appearances, and upon retirement held 17 major league, 29 National League, and nine all-star game records. While Musial played with the Cardinals it won National League Pennants in 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1946, and took three World Series championships in 1942, 1944, and 1946.
   
   His career represented the pinnacle of all the great players produced by the Cardinals farm system. Musial's was also a career of great dignity and poetry both on and off the field, and he remains an icon in St. Louis more than forty years after his retirement.
   
   Equally important, Musial epitomized the American heartland with its virtues of rusticity, small towns, Protestant beliefs, and hard-working. Hailing from the backhills of Pennsylvania's mining country Musial strode across the National League as a giant for more than twenty years, but one who never forgot that hard work, good manners, and honorable actions brought him to greatness. His streak of 895 consecutive games played stood as a National League record until broken by Billy Williams of the Cubs in 1970 and was one record that Musial especially prized, for it demonstrated his commitment to working-class values in the everyday task of showing up and playing the game of baseball. This is a fundamental part of the story told by James Giglio in "Musial."
   
   But there is another side of Musial that Giglio finds less compelling. He was never a crusader and remained apart from the efforts to integrate MLB and to challenge the reserve clause that bound players to one team indefinitely. With his stature in the game and the society around him, with his secure place as one of the premier major leaguers of his era, he might have offered leadership in helping to end those injustices. He failed to do so. To his credit he did not oppose integration, but the Cardinals were one of the teams that put Jackie Robinson through hell in 1947 and Musial was essentially absent from the controversy. Personally detesting segregation, Musial might have mitigated the situation as the team leader. Likewise, Bob Feller asked for his support in forcing changes to the reserve clause to grant free agency for veterans with ten years experience, but Musial backed away in favor of the status quo.
   
   While he was very much a man with quirks and faults, and a real aversion to engaging in controversy, Giglio shows a Stan Musial who was genuinely a nice, upstanding gentleman. Far from the fatally flawed anti-hero so common to Major League Baseball, it is refreshing to read such a book about a great player when so much about the game seems sordid with doping and other new scandals announced almost daily in the media. Of course, I still wish "the Man," as well as hundreds of other MLB players and owners, had recognized the racism present in the game and pressed to end it.



2. This book is head and shoulders above the average baseball biography. Most sports biographies fall into one of two categories: either they're superficial, hero-worshiping treatments that present the subject as a faultless paragon and give little space to anything other than the subject's on-field exploits, or they're efforts to tear down the hero image and dig up as much dirt on the athlete as possible.
   
   Giglio's study of Musial avoids both these pitfalls. Since Giglio is a professional historian, rather than a sportswriter, he brings a historian's thoroughness and depth to his research on Musial. We learn a great deal about Musial's ethnic background, his family, and his personal attitudes and character. Although the author emphasizes what a genuinely good man Musial was and is, he presents a nuanced portrait that accepts and analyses his subject's faults and foibles as well as his many virtues.
   
   Unfortunately, there are always a few hard-core sports fans who flee in horror from this kind of book. All they want to read about is their hero's exploits on the playing field. There are others who live and breathe statistics and sneer in contempt when a book about a baseball star isn't full of Sabrmetrics. It's true that this book is statistically unsophisticated, but the author makes no claims that he's writing that kind of book. This is a book about a MAN who PLAYED baseball-- not a "baseball book."
   
   I give it a four-star rating only because the writing is at times a little dry and professorial--but only a little. This is a great read for anyone who dreams of getting to know a baseball immortal, and one of baseball's genuine gentlemen.



3. The book covers all phases of Musial's life, including his personal life and post-baseball life. Unlike many baseball bios, it covers some weaknesses in the personal characteristics of this great star, although there were very few in Musial. What I especially liked about the book is that the author contacted and obtained interesting information from numerous former major league players and others who knew Musial. The author had apparently written letters to more than 500 former major leaguers.

   I couldn't put the book down. I'd rate it even better than the recent book I read about Ted Willimas, which I rated as the best baseball bio I had ever read. Stan Musial was my favorite ball player wehn I was growing up in the 1950s, and I wasn't disappointed.

   If anything, I would have liked to hear even more about Musial's post baseball life, although there's a lot in the book. However, I understand Stan did not cooperate with the author.




4. Author James Giglio did not receive the blessings from Stan Musial to write this book, and Stan apparently discouraged others, at least according to the author, from aiding in this book as well. I found the book to be enjoyable and portrays Stan as both the baseball icon he so deservedly is along with frailities that make him human like the rest of us. I found it to be disappointing that he and Joe Garagiola, who are godfathers to each other's children, had a falling out that has apparently ended their friendship over problems involving their Redbird Lanes bowling alley partnership. According to Gigllio, Garagiola has tried to mend the friendship, but Stan wanted no part of it. Stan is not one to get involved in controversial matters such as race relations and the reserve clause which bound players to one team. Musial, while not against integration, did not use his superstar status to speak in support of it. In like manner when Bob Feller wanted him to support revisions to the reserve clause, Musial backpeddled when he (Musial) had suggested free agency after ten years of service and then stated he was satisfied with the status quo. He was in his element when he was in a relaxed atmosphere among people, but controversy made him back off. I did find a few errors in the book, primarily with first names of former players. Hall of Fame Cincinnati manager Bill McKechnie is referred to as "Joe". Former Chicago Cubs catcher Elvin Tappe is referred to as "Ted". Former Brooklyn Dodgers pitchers Chris Van Cuyk and Ben Wade are referred to as "Johnny" and "Jake" respectively. One additional error I found takes place during Stan's retirement party sponsored by the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Ernie Banks spoke and pretended to read a telegram from the NAACP which he said stood for "the National Association for Advancement of Colored Pitchers." Banks actually said, the "National Association for the Advancement of Cubs' Pitching." I have a copy of the highlights of the St. Louis BBWAA on a phonograph record and this portion of the speech is on it. These are errors I caught in the book that I felt should not be there. Four well known players of the time period should have their first names listed correctly, in addition to the error in the speech by Banks. There are probably others, but these are the ones I found. In any case I enjoyed the book, and it was worth my time.



5. Giglio, a professional historian, spent many years researching his subject and produced, in my view, the first serious examination of Musial's life.

   Given Musial's well-desrved reputation as a perfect gentleman and role model, many biographical accounts of his life slip into hagiography, but Giglio carefully avoids this trap. He cuts through much of the Musial mythology, and assesses the facts (laboriously compiled from archival research and interviews with many of Musial's contemporaries) in order to present Musial as a real human being.

   You wont find much dirt in this book--Musial really was a good guy for the most part. About the only blemish Giglio uncovered from Musial's personal life was that he impregnated his wife 6 months before they were married--a mere peccadillo by contemporary standards, especially considering that Stan and Lil Musial have remained happily married for over 60 years.

   Musial's only serious character flaw, according to Giglio, was an unwillingness to take provocative and controversial positions publicly on important issues of his time. For example, although Musial personally detested racism and bigotry, he never publicly condemned racist teammates like Enos Slaughter. According to at least one second-hand account, Musial and Slaughter once came to blows over the matter in private, but Giglio couldn't substantiate this, and publicly Musial has always denied that he and Slaughter, who died just a few weeks ago (12 August 2002), fought over the issue.

   The only criticism I have of Giglio's book is his embarrassingly amateurish statistical analysis. In comparing Musial to the other greats of his era (Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle), Giglio uses a simplistic ranking methodology incorporating some common statistics like batting average, home runs and RBIs among others, but he ignores walks and on-base percentage completely, and he doesn't even attempt to account for fielding statistics or ballpark affects. Anyone familiar with serious scientific analysis of baseball (e.g. the work of Pete Palmer, Bill James or the gang at Baseball Prospectus) will laugh out loud at obvious lack of sophistication in Giglio's analysis. Mercifully, Giglio's statistical analysis only takes up a few pages.

   Overall though, I give Giglio high marks for producing an excellent biography of Musial. I feel I know Musial much better than I did before, and ultimately that's the best test of any biography.

No comments about The Fastest Kid on the Block: The Marty Glickman Story (Sports and Entertainment).

5 comments about Turnaround: Bear Bryant's 1st Year at Alabama.

1. Stoddard is a proven commodity after this one. I found it very revealing. I almost liked it as much as "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football" by Dr. Chris Warner. I highly recommend it.



2. I have not yet read Mr. Stoddards book "Turnaround". However, I have just purchased this book for my dad because he played for Coach Bryant. As a son of a former player of Coach Bryant, I must say that any book about Coach Bryant will always be a special book to me and my family and especially to my Dad. My Dad has always and will always "look up" to Coach Bryant. Even though Coach Bryant was not successful in the beginning at the University of Alabama, I am quiet sure this book is great because it will illustrate his "NEVER QUIT" attitude, which is a philosophy that my Dad has lived with throughout his life.



3. I have most likely read almost every book that has been written about the legendery college football coach. With the possible exception of "Bear", (which was an autobiography written by John Underwood) this is the best book ever written on Paul "Bear" Bryant. It was meticulously researched and led the reader on a journey throughout the year of 1958 (Bryant's first year at Alabama) which laid the foundation for a football dynasty during the 1960s and 1970s. While books like "The Junction Boys" might be more entertaining (but not always factual), "Turnaround" does not suffer the numerous embellishment problems that "Junction" did. Tom Stoddard deserves a great deal of recognition for this work. It is a must for the serious student of Bryant.



4. This book is worthwhile for any hard-core fan of the Crimson Tide. But if you are not there would be little here to interest you.

   Another reviewer highly recommended "The Junction Boys", a story of the nightmarish ten days that Bear Bryant ran his first Texas A&M team through. I agree that book was more interesting and more focused. "Turnaround", regrettably, does not have the same appeal and sense of being there that "The Junction Boys" did. True, Bear Bryant was not the sweetest coach in the world in 1958, but after what he put his first Aggie team through I could not be awed with what his first Crimson Tide team went through. Bear's first Aggie team appeared to have had it tougher -- which is why he considered that to be his favorite team in spite of the fact that was his only losing team (1-9) in his entire career.

   There were a couple of interesting items about the book though. First, J. B. "Ears" Whitworth preceded the Bear to Tuscaloosa and won only four games in three years. I do not remember anything about "Ears" as I was too young and growing up in Alabama I never heard many references to those dark days in Crimson Tide history. About the only reference to those days was that a quarterback who was hurt much of the time while at Alabama later went on to a somewhat more successful career in the NFL -- some guy named Bart Starr. The book did devote the first chapter to the problems swirling around the Alabama football program during "Ears" less than successful three years.

   The second item of interest is the description of the practice sessions. Bear later mellowed considerably -- especially in the 1970s and when he was 15 - 20 years older and more experienced. But he ran the program in a very controlled manner, attention to detail, well organized, mission oriented, stressing a strong conditioning program, never a wasted moment on the practice field, well motivated, and stressing academics. I have read several descriptions of the current coach, Dennis Franchione, and although Coach Franchione was not a deciple of the Bear, he runs things in a very similar manner. There are differences of course in that there are different rules and water breaks are no longer considered a sign of weakness. But the basic ideas remain the same. I hope Coach Franchione has similar success.




5. This book is worthwhile for any hard-core fan of the Crimson Tide. But if you are not there would be little here to interest you.

   Another reviewer highly recommended "The Junction Boys", a story of the nightmarish ten days that Bear Bryant ran his first Texas A&M team through. I agree that book was more interesting and more focused. "Turnaround", regrettably, does not have the same appeal and sense of being there that "The Junction Boys" did. True, Bear Bryant was not the sweetest coach in the world in 1958, but after what he put his first Aggie team through I could not be awed with what his first Crimson Tide team went through. Bear's first Aggie team appeared to have had it tougher -- which is why he considered that to be his favorite team in spite of the fact that was his only losing team (1-9) in his entire career.

   There were a couple of interesting items about the book though. First, J. B. "Ears" Whitworth preceded the Bear to Tuscaloosa and won only four games in three years. I do not remember anything about "Ears" as I was too young and growing up in Alabama I never heard many references to those dark days in Crimson Tide history. About the only reference to those days was that a quarterback who was hurt much of the time while at Alabama later went on to a somewhat more successful career in the NFL -- some guy named Bart Starr. The book did devote the first chapter to the problems swirling around the Alabama football program during "Ears" less than successful three years.

   The second item of interest is the description of the practice sessions. Bear later mellowed considerably -- especially in the 1970s and when he was 15 - 20 years older and more experienced. But he ran the program in a very controlled manner, attention to detail, well organized, mission oriented, stressing a strong conditioning program, never a wasted moment on the practice field, well motivated, and stressing academics. I have read several descriptions of the current coach, Dennis Franchione, and although Coach Franchione was not a deciple of the Bear, he runs things in a very similar manner. There are differences of course in that there are different rules and water breaks are no longer considered a sign of weakness. But the basic ideas remain the same. I hope Coach Franchione has similar success.

1 comments about Terry: Terry Fox and His Marathon of Hope.

1. I was initially given this book as a gift, knew nothing about it, but loved it. It's a great, well put together coffee table book, about an inspiring Canadian role model. As a Canadian export living in the States, it made me nostalgic for Terry Fox Runs from the past :). Highly recommended.

No comments about One For The Gipper, George Gipp, Knute Rockne and Notre Dame,3rd Edition.

No comments about The Golf Course.

1 comments about Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run with DVD.

1. This was a christmas gift for our grandson, who is a steelers fan.
   He was real excited to receive this as a gift.

5 comments about Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage: The Lonely Challenge.

1. This book, written by Hermann Buhl, was largely re-written by his friend and editor Kurt Maix, at least according to Reinhold Messner, author of a climber's biography of Herman Buhl. This may be so, but I think this book conveys what Hermann Buhl wanted to say- after all he approved it.
   
   While text such as "[my recollections of Nanga Parbat] are ... shining, alluring visions which sear one's heart and wipe out all memory of distress, worry, and disappointment" does not sound like his words, I think they well describe the sensation. And that is one of the key differences between this book and Messner's book, "Hermann Buhl- Climbing Without Compromise". This book conveys, as a detached writer would, the thoughts and feelings more than the exact words or technical details of Buhl's life. For those who prefer, or want additionally, to "hear" Buhl's own voice, and many more\technical details of his accomplishments, I recommend Messner's book.
   
   FYI, the 1987 Movie "The Climb" only covers Buhl's climb of Nanga Parbat, but keeps fairly close to what is described here, and even "quotes" Buhl from this book.



2. Everyone interested in Alpine and Himalayan mountain climbing knows of Herman Buhl (Messner considers him the best climber of all time). His feat of survival alone in a bivouac above 8,000 meters on Nanga Parbat is among the most remarkable achievements in the history of Himalayan Mountaineering!

   And here is the most significant area where the book comes up short -- it devotes only a short section, at the very end of the book, to this remarkable expedition. Do not be mislead by the title -- this is not a book about this expedition -- it is an autobiography of Buhl, highlighting some of his remarkable achievements in climbing in the Alps.

   My second concern about the book is related to the author's style. Of course, it is a matter of personal preference, but I find Buhl's writing as uninspired and dry, as his climbing capacities are outstanding. One simple comparison of the description of the same episode (climbing the north face of the Eiger) by Buhl as compared to that by Gaston Rebuffat (I highly recommend his book "Starlight and Storm"; they found themselves climbing the Eiger at the same time) clearly shows the much more inspired writing of the French (not to mention that Buhl does not even mention Rebuffat, a well known climber in the Alps by then, by name).

   If you are really interested in Herman Buhl, I recommend "Climbing Without Compromise", or the "Kurt Diemberger Omnibus".




3. This is without a doubt one of the two best mountaineering books. Incredible stories of close shaves and lucky escapes make it clear that the final ending on Chogolisa was bound to happen sooner or later. Only Terray's "Conquistadors of the Useless" reaches the same heights. They don't write them like this anymore ....



4. You might not find the literary style of this book to be a knockout, but, like Jerzy Kukuzka's "My Vertical World", the content will probably blow you away. Hermann fought his way past numerous obstacles on his way to the summit of Nanga and did so with impeccable style. It's a guaranteed classic.



5. I have just reread this classic in English. Hermann Buhl was the best mountaineer the earth had ever given birth to. The conqueror of Nanga Parbat and Falchen Kangi, one of two people who devirginized 2 eight-thousanders, along with Kurt Diemberger. His all ascents stand in contrast with the siege methods of the time, but the ascent of Nanga Parbat set the limit of endurance and courage, to be met decades later. His style compares to the style Mount Everest was ascended in the same way as Jerzy Kukuczka's 14-summits compare to Reinhold Messner's, respectively.

No comments about Manchester United Ruined My Wife.

2 comments about Golfing on the Roof of the World: In Pursuit of Gross National Happiness.

1. This is far too trite.....I've lived in Bhutan (Paro and Thimphu) for 18 mos. i.e. 2x as long as Rick Lipsey, who has written not only a romanticized version of his time in the Kingdom, but indeed a largely FICTIONAL account. I would invite any reader to visit Bhutan before reading this book - and judge for yourself thereafter. On the other hand, Lipsey is shrewdly catering to our modern American hunger for "meaning" in our lives.......but countless other authors do a far better job of that. Save your $20 and buy a box of golf balls instead, or give it to a homeless person right here in America.



2. 
   This is just delightful. A fascinating look inside the Kingdom of Bhutan. If you have traveled to Bhutan or want to, this look at "gross national happiness" is balanced and a must. I was reminded of Calvin Trillan's writings -- charming and wry.