Review of “1960”

This book had been sitting in my Kindle Unlimited library for a while. When I won a brand new Kindle from my local library in their summer reading challenge, I decided to make this one the first book read on the new device and it was a good choice - excellent book on the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Title/Author: “1960: When the Pittsburgh Pirates Had Them All the Way” by Wayne Stewart

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: The only time a World Series has been won by a walk-off home run in game 7occurred in 1960 when Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates belted a home run to give the Pirates a thrilling 10-9 victory  over the New York Yankees. This book by Wayne Stewart is a very good account of that special season for the Pirates.

One of the best things about this book is how complete Stewart’s account is of the 1960 Pirates. Going well beyond game summaries and brief biographies, Stewart conducted hundreds of interviews with various players, managers and other people associated with the team. These also included others who observed the team - his interviews with Yankees who played in the 1960 World Series is a great example of this. 

Something that is good about the book is that he goes beyond the walls of 1960 in his accounts of various personnel. The best example of this is his write ups on Branch Rickey and Bobby Bragan. Both men worked in the Pirates organization as general manager and field manager respectively. Both were not with the team in 1960, but both men are credited with helping mold the team into what it became in 1960. Keep in mind these write ups are done mostly through interviews, which is how the bulk of the information in the book is obtained. 

Stewart also addresses many myths or outright falsehoods that may still be said today about that World Series or the team. The most notable one is that the Yankees were a much superior team to the Pirates. While it was true that the Yankees had more star players and were in the midst of a dynasty in which they won 14 American League championships and 9 World Series championships, in 1960 they had only two more wins in the regular season than the Pirates (97 for New York, 95 for Pittsburgh). It was also considered an upset because all three Yankee wins were blowouts (combined score was 39-3) while all four Pirates wins were close. Also, Stewart address other stories such as why Mazeroski wasn’t with the team after the clubhouse celebration and why Roberto Clemente was upset about being snubbed for being named Most Valuable Player as it went to teammate Dick Groat.

If a reader wants to know anything new about that championship Pirates team, this is a great source to find it. Practically no item is left out in capturing that wonderful year in Pirates history.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/1960-When-Pittsburgh-Pirates-Them/dp/B0DFCZ6HNG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2W9ZXCYR6VM0U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0OxccJZxxb9bYMzN-pAGE9eTNqvvlSfrcpIMEKVNSuHqU3QJbTRjG1lRn8FzJwgzDBdTkFSq3d5rIQwwnDIYZNrIoCGGYdFiYzRgUdlqbxpJavWT9ANbFD3fWb8awJHYSqMxjF92dKm4Z2ENhlxhzwSgVD7bGev-3Noyhs20EmNutQsN32SQ7dCVGfcUfsr2owIs8l0kV7_p_ywRlvWmvt7orrqkYDy_YOPigQEAEX8.X_06qGj49fhScstvMtazSlqMmLrg4NjdNtn2eeTUrI4&dib_tag=se&keywords=1960+pirates&qid=1755362804&sprefix=1960+pirates%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1 

Review of “The Chicken Runs at Midnight”

After seeing the 2023 finalists for the Casey Award for the best baseball book, I decided to read more of these award winning books and finalist for not only 2023 but past years as well. Looking at past years’ finalists, this tile of a 2019 finalist caught my eye. I then read the synopsis - and then immediately checked out a copy. Wow, what a book! Here is my review.  

Title/Author:

“The Chicken Runs at Midnight: A Daughter’s Message From Heaven That Changed a Father’s Heart and Won the World Series” by Tom Friend

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: It’s very hard to categorize this book because it touches so many areas. Is it a baseball book? Yes, there’s much about the sport and one man’s quest to reach the major leagues, but it is so much more than that.  Is it a spiritual book? Yes, but it doesn’t really have that characteristic until the last third or so.  Is it a book on family life and relationships? Yes, that’s important to the story but again, not a complete description. Yet, this wonderful book by Tom Friend will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading about these topics.  Field’s writing about the following topics is a joy to behold and will keep the reader glued to the book.

Let’s start with the baseball. Rich Donnelly grew up in the town of Steubenville, Pennsylvania as a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. While he dreamed of playing for his beloved Pirates, he wasn’t the best athlete in his family - that honor belonged to his brother Jerome Jr. or Romey. Romey was also Rich’s hero, 14 years his senior and continually monitored by their father Jerome. Wanting to ensure that Romey would become a major league pitcher, Jerome Sr. was basically a helicopter parent in that he set strict rules for Romey about practice, social time, eating, dating - you name it, it was monitored by the father. While Romey did end up in professional baseball, he failed to make the major leagues and tragically died not long after giving up the game. 

Enter Rich, who was already doing pretty well for himself as a catcher. Jerome Sr. then shifted his focus to Rich who also ended up playing college and professional baseball. Like Romey, Rich had struggles in the minors and also married a woman soon after finally having the freedom to do so. He and his wife Peggy had four children - Richard Jr. or Bubba, Tim, Mike and Amy. It is the daughter, Amy, who spoke the phrase making up the title of the book - and it was just a spontaneous remark when she asked her dad what he told players when cupping his mouth while being the third base coach. This was in the 1992 NLCS when Rich was the third base coach for the Pirates. He may not have made his boyhood team as a player, but he was just as thrilled to wear their uniform as a coach. 

But the road there was filled with many issues. Rich inherited his father’s type A personality and while that may work on a baseball diamond, it certainly caused issues with his family. He pushed the three boys hard when they showed promise in baseball and basketball. But Amy…we’ll, Amy was her own person and always tried to show her father how she was important too. Not to mention her talents were on display as well. She would gather kids in the family garage and hold classrooms lessons, complete with homework and forms for parents to sign. She also became an athlete, excelling in basketball. But Rich never saw this - thanks to falling for the vices that often plagued baseball players on the road - drinking and women - Rich and his wife Peggy eventually divorced and Amy was left despondent over not being able to please her father. 

Even more so, as Freind wonderfully describes, Rich is also,left with so many lingering doubts - about how good a father he was to his daughter, to his faith and his overall life. But news about Amy and a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer left Rich in shock and the story of how he got back into Amy’s life, how special she was and the time they together in the Pittsburgh playoff drive - capped off by “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” comment is one that is some heartwarming that one would think that wine Amy passed away the following spring, that would be the end of the story. 

But Rich, following manager Jim Leylamd to Miami and being the third base coach for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series, there was one more miracle from Amy thanks to Marlin Craig Counsell, who was nicknamed the Chicken and the time that the Marlins won game 7. Not wanting to give away any more of the story than already told, just know that if a reader got this far without tearing up or at least feeling some emotion, they are sure to do so when this occurs. 

This book was a finalist for a 2019 Casey Award and once one read it, they will understand why. Not a typical baseball story even though there are many typical baseball plays and personalities in the book, this is one that is sure to captivate a reader. Even this lengthy review cannot do justice to the complete story of Rich and Amy Donnelly. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Runs-Midnight-Daughters-Message/dp/0310352061/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of "Bring In the Right-Hander!"

While I usually do not make requests for review copies of older books, I did so for this one when I was reading some of the author's Facebook postings about baseball in the 1970s and 1980s and remembered him pitching for the Dodgers.  His stories are fun to read and the entire collection is put together well in the book.  Here is my review of Jerry Reuss's memoir. 

Title/Author: "Bring In the Right-Hander! My Twenty-Two Years in the Major Leagues” by Jerry Reuss

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  Only 29 baseball players have played in in the major leagues in four different decades. One member of that exclusive club is left-handed pitcher Jerry Reuss, who was a key member of the 1981 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.  After beginning his career with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals and then finding success with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Reuss enjoyed his best years with the Dodgers.  After the Dodgers released him in 1986, he bounced around with other clubs just trying to stay in the game.  After stints with the California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox (twice), he finished with the Pirates in 1990.  Along the way, Reuss accumulated many stories and memories that he shares with the readers in this fast paced and easy read.

This memoir concentrates on Reuss’s time in the major leagues.  There are some stories about his youth, his decision to sign with the Cardinals instead of accepting a baseball college scholarship and his time in the minor leagues, but the bulk of his stories are about his time in the majors.  He tells them with the perfect blend of seriousness and humor in order to both inform and entertain readers.  Reuss also shares his experiences in baseball, both good and bad, with excellent clarity as he did many interviews with those who were important to his career, be they teammates, coaches, managers or anyone else. 

If a reader is looking for a serious book with crisp writing and a lot of detail about the game, this is not that book.  But if a reader just wants to settle back with a light, entertaining book on baseball – especially during the off-season when a fan is anxiously awaiting the start of spring training – then this is a very good choice.  There isn’t one characteristic of this book that makes it stand out about above other baseball memoirs, so it didn’t receive this rating for being that type of book.  Instead, it merits consideration as a good memoir for being the type of book in which the reader can picture Reuss sitting in the same room with him or her and just relieving his good, long career in the game.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Links:  https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803248977/

https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Right-Hander-Twenty-Two-Years-Leagues/dp/1496229398/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1638147513&sr=8-1

Review of "The Case for Barry Bonds"

 Realizing that just the title may evoke strong reactions for this review, I will start with this disclaimer: I am in the camp that believes Barry Bonds should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame and like the book and this review states, the book did not change my mind nor is that an objective of the book.  I do believe this is worth reading whether or not one agrees with this author.  Here is my review of "The Case for Barry Bonds."  

Title/Author: "The Case for Barry Bonds in the Hall of Fame: The Untold and Forgotten Stories of Baseball's Home Run King" by K. P. Wee

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Barry Bonds is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of Major League Baseball for many reasons.  Of course, the main reason is the allegations of his use of performance enhancing drugs while setting the all time record for home runs – one of the most hallowed records in all of sports.  Add in his personality and his frequent disdain of the press and you have a few of the main reasons given why as of this review, he has yet to be elected by baseball writers to the Hall of Fame. This book by K. P. Wee tells many reasons why he should be enshrined.

To Wee's credit, he realizes that many people are already set in their minds about Bonds and his worthiness to be enshrined or to hold the records that he does. He also acknowledges at the beginning of the book that he very likely will not change the minds of those who have such strong beliefs about Bonds, either way.  Instead, he states that the book is written to tell about relationships with former teammates, stories and statistics that have not been widely reported.

To that extent, the book does do what it sets out to do, although there are several stories that are repeated many times during the book.  One example of this is that despite the coverage of the argument between Bonds and his manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time (1991), Jim Leyland, the two men have a strong friendship that endures to this day and the argument was something that was blown out of proportion.  This is one of many repetitive points, some of which come about because some of the players interviewed are quoted multiple times in different chapters.

Speaking of the chapters, each one is about either a reason that voters may cite in order to not vote for Bonds or reasons that the author believes are used in order to withhold a vote for Bonds.  Wee will either point to double standards with these reasons (why is so-and-so given a pass while Bonds is criticized for it?) or will provide evidence that disputes the claim.  This makes up the bulk of the book and even though Wee may have stated that he was simply trying to set the record straight, it comes across as either excuses to those against Bonds being inducted or items that Bonds supporters will gleefully use without careful thought.

In the end, it was a book that I thought tried to carry out its mission and was substantial but missed its mark on trying to be objective.  Not that there is anything wrong with that and even if more people disagree with Wee than agree, he at least accomplishes one goal of presenting a case for Bonds to be included in the Hall of Fame.

I wish to thank Riverdale Avenue Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Links: Amazon.com: The Case for Barry Bonds in the Hall of Fame: The Untold and Forgotten Stories of Baseball’s Home Run King: 9781626015821: Wee, K.P.: Books

Review of "Cobra"

As typically happens every April, I lag somewhat on my reading when baseball season starts as I watch many of the early games before settling into a routine.  So, when I did find time to read, it was only appropriate to make it a baseball book - the new memoir by Dave Parker.  Here is my review of "Cobra"

 

Title/Author:

"Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood" by Dave Parker with Dave Jordan

Tags:

Baseball, memoir, professional, Pirates, Reds

Publish date:

April 1, 2021

Length:

480 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Dave Parker was a hitter many pitchers feared in the 1970s when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  He and his teammates, most notably Willie Stargell, became known as the "We Are Family" team in 1979 when the Sister Sledge song would be playing while the Pirates were on their way to a World Series title. He has now written a memoir sharing his memories of that team and his baseball career with David Jordan.

Baseball wasn't the only sport Parker excelled in.  A Cincinnati native, he had dreams of attending Ohio State University on a football scholarship and he may have done so had he not suffered a knee injury in high school.  While that limited his effectiveness on the gridiron, he still excelled on the diamond and as a result, signed with the Pirates as a teenager.

His climb through the minor leagues, his eventual call-up to the Pirates and later his performance with Pittsburgh is filled with entertaining stories.  The reader will have a challenge on their hands keeping up with all the nicknames that Parker had for all his teammates – I often had to look back to see who was named what name.  The book does touch on racial issues, but not overtly so.  The most that he mentions this is when he was receiving death threats before the 1979 All-Star game – the game in which he produced what is most likely the moment every fan who saw it remembers.  It did not come at the plate, but in right field when he threw out Brian Downing at home plate, keeping the game tied at that time and giving his National League teammates a chance to win the game, which they did.

There are also sections about his cocaine use – subtle at first during the peak of his playing career.  He talks about that, the later trial of a Pittsburgh cocaine dealer that rocked the baseball world and also some of his time with other teams, most notably his hometown Cincinnati Reds, where he was still productive, even leading the league in runs batted in during the 1985 season.  However, just sections on his time with the Pirates is what makes the book a very good read and those who are Pirates fans or remember Parker from that era of baseball will want to pick this book up.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Cobra-Baseball-Brotherhood-Dave-Parker-ebook/dp/B08MQ5W6T9/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Two for the price of one - short reviews of "Why We Swim" and "Mendoza's Heroes"

 This post is a deviation from my usual complete post as I have recently read two books that were not submissions for reviews - one was for an online non-fiction book club and one that I just wanted to try for something different and light.  Both of them were okay - three star reads and since they were not submitted to me for review, I decided to post a short, one paragraph review for each one.  They are listed below:

"Why We Swim" by Bonnie Tsui

This was an okay book. While I didn’t mind the writing style and felt it was more of a memoir, I just had a hard time picturing the author as a swimmer first with these amazing stories - instead I found myself thinking this is a journalist who happens to swim. Even if that is the wrong impression, it was how I felt when reading the book and as a result the stories lost some luster.  Even some of the more interesting stories that did grab my attention such as the swimming story from a service member in Iraq, did not seem to have the same luster for me that it did for other readers.  Maybe that doesn’t make sense to some, but that’s just how I felt - not a book I could connect with.  But the work is commendable and many readers have written glowing praise for it - I give it three stars out of five.  "Mendoza's Heroes: Fifty Batters Below .200" by Al Pepper Overall, this is a decent book that provides a short biography or at least career highlights of 50 major league players whose career batting average was below .200, commonly referred to as the "Mendoza line", which was made popular by broadcasters and named for former infielder Mario Mendoza, who spent nine years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers hitting right around that magic figure. It should be noted that he finished his career above that threshold at .215.  As for the book, some of the stories are great, especially when Pepper writes about players who failed to get above .200 in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Finding that information took a good deal of research, but after those chapters, the book felt more like an encyclopedia instead of good reading.  That includes the sections on the status of the game during the time frame when again, the early chapters were good, but not as good as the book progresses.  It merits a three star rating out of five.

Review of "A Pirate for Life"

While I primarily will review new or upcoming books, this one was recommended to me by a local librarian.  Our library has a weekly Facebook chat on books and during a recent session, this book was recommended since I have read several by the co-author Erik Sherman.  I decided to take a look and I enjoyed it.  Here is my review of Steve Blass's memoir, "A Pirate for Life"

Title/Author:

"A Pirate For Life" by Steve Blass with Erik Sherman

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, Pirates

Publish date:

May 1, 2012

Length:

256 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

It isn't often a baseball player can have a "disease" named after him, but that is what happened to former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass.  In 1973, he inexplicably lost his ability to throw a pitch in the strike zone.  This occurred after his two most productive seasons with the Pirates and he was a rising star on one of the better teams in the National League.  His complete story – his rise, his fall and his life after the fall forced him to leave the game – is told in this very entertaining memoir written with Erik Sherman. 

It should be noted that while the book follows the traditional path a sports memoir takes, this isn't the most polished memoir written as Blass skips around without a tangential connection between the two topics. There is also a lot of colorful language and unless one is an avid Pirates fan, some of the nicknames may make it difficult to follow a story.  That is the worst of the book, which otherwise is very entertaining and is a true reflection of Blass's personality as his broadcasting style – he has done broadcasting work for the Pirates – is exactly like how this book reads.

Blass is honest about the "Steve Blass disease" – or also called "the yips" - that afflicted him and mentions other prominent baseball players that had similar issues such as Mackey Sasser, Chuck Knoblach and Rick Ankiel.  The latter one made for one of the better stories not on the diamond as Blass shared that he was watching the playoff game in which Ankiel threw many wild pitches and his "Steve Blass disease" was on full display.  He turned to his wife and said that he figured within five minutes, he was going to get a call from a reporter – it took only three. 

Readers will enjoy hearing Blass tell about his rise to the major leagues as he not only talks about his pitching, the games and his teammates but also some legendary stories about his nights out with friends and teammates – both during and after his baseball career – in which alcoholic beverages played an important part.  It is easy to tell that he enjoyed his adult beverages and some may wonder if he had issues about it but just from the reading, it didn't seem to be that way. 

The other wonderful part of the book for a reader is when Blass finally is able to address his trouble with throwing a baseball properly, even though it didn't happen until long after his career was over as he used psychology to overcome his issues.  He was so happy about it that he threw out the first pitch at a Pirates game many years after last pitching to show that he could do it.  The joy he had doing that is shown both in the text and on the cover as that was where that photo was taken.

Pirates fans will especially love to read this account of a pitcher who seemed to have everything going for him when his baseball world came crashing down but was able to still enjoy all that the game gave to him.   

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Life-Steve-Blass/dp/1600787061/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1611598839&sr=8-5

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-pirate-for-life-erik-sherman/1119832662?ean=9781617496462  

Review of "John Cangelosi"

Memoirs are written by people of all levels of fame, and this one was written by a baseball player who had a great start to his baseball career, but in the end wound up becoming a valuable utility player instead of a star. That didn't discourage him from writing his memoir.  Here is my review of "John Cangelosi"

Title/Author:

“John Cangelosi: The Improbably Journey of the Undersized Kid from Nowhere to World Series Champion” by John Cangelosi with K.P. Wee

Tags:

Baseball, memoir, professional, White Sox, Marlins, Astros, Pirates

Publish date:

July 9, 2019

Length:

296 pages

Rating: to

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

John Cangelosi had an up and down baseball career. After being bypassed by many teams and scouts because of his diminutive size, he was able to sign a contract with the Chicago White Sox.  After appearing in a few games for the White Sox late in the 1985 season, he made the team in 1986 and started his career by threatening to break several records. How his career and life faired from there is captured in this memoir written with K.P. Wee.

The best way to describe reading this book is that it was much like Cangelosi’s major league career.  Both started out like gangbusters – for baseball, Cangelosi’s start to the 1986 season was filled with promise as he was stealing bases at a good clip and was threatening to break the American League record for bases stolen by a rookie, which was 49 at that time.  The book started the same way, as it was fun to read about his early life and how he overcame the stigma that baseball scouts usually have for shorter players (he was “generously” listed as 5’ 8” in official records) and showed enough talent and heart that minor league coaches, John Boles in particular, often campaigned for Cangelosi to have a spot waiting for him on the major league roster.

Then, just when Cangelosi’s rookie season was about to fully bloom, the White Sox suddenly decided to go in a different direction with their outfielders and Cangelosi was relegated to duties such as pinch hitting, pinch running and entering the game as a defensive replacement.  That made his quest to break the AL rookie record for stolen bases tough, but he was able to accomplish that late in the 1986 season.  That year also marked the only time he was a starting outfielder, as he was in 1987 not only relegated back to a utility role, he spent time in the minor leagues as well. That became his career pattern as he spent time with the Pirates, Mets, Astros and Marlins organizations.  Each time Cangelosi credited a manager for giving him a chance with those organizations – Jim Leyland in Pittsburgh and Florida, Bobby Valentine with the Mets, and Terry Collins in Houston. While he was a member of the 1997 Marlins team that won the World Series, he played sparingly in the Fall Classic, with most of the text in the book about that series being about his strikeout in game 7.

If that sounds like his baseball career had a lot of ups and downs after his rookie year, then that is the best way to describe reading this book felt as well.  When reading about his baseball career up to the point where the White Sox decided to reduce his role, it felt exciting, like the reader is going to go on a wonderful adventure with Cangelosi. After that, however, reading the passages range from entertaining to being a chore.  The latter mainly comes about because of two characteristics. 

One, there is a lot of skipping around or missing chunks of information.  The best example of that is something already mentioned – when Cangelosi reminisces about the 1997 World Series. While the reader will get a feeling about how he and the team felt hosting the first World Series games held in the Sunshine State (and how the media wasn’t too kind about the lack of a “fall” feel) there is barely anything mentioned about the three games in Cleveland and even little about the last two games in Miami, save for his at bat. 

Two, there is a lot of repetition in the book about various topics, most notably about thankful he was to coaches and managers who gave him a chance in the minor or major leagues.  While that was certainly a nice gesture to thank these men, it seemed like nearly every chapter the reader would be reminded how much Boles, Leyland and others meant to Cangelosi.  I was actually talking to the book near the end, saying “Okay, I get it – those guys were very supportive.” 

As for the better aspects of the last 2/3 of the book, I found some of the passages quite humorous and one that even shows a side of umpire Angel Hernandez that current baseball fans would be surprised to learn.  Cangelosi has been friends with Hernandez for a long time as Hernandez’s father started the league where he played organized baseball as a youngster.  Later, when Cangelosi started his baseball school in Florida, Hernandez always comes to support the school and they socialize together.  As for the humor – whether it comes from Cangelosi himself or he got it from another source, it is sprinkled liberally throughout the book.  I will quote my favorite line, which came from Michael Farber in Sports Illustrated.  When the Marlins signed Cangelosi as one of the many free agents they acquired for a championship run, Farber noted that “they paid $4.07 million for two outfielders, Jim Eisenreich and John Cangelosi, who make a lovely pair of bench ornaments.”

While this book wasn’t quite what I expected, it was a good illustration of the ups and downs of Cangelosi’s career in his own words.  Readers who remember him, especially that rookie season in Chicago, would like this reflection on his baseball career.

I wish to thank Riverdale Avenue Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Cangelosi-Improbable-Baseball-Undersized-ebook/dp/B07V5FRPR5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-cangelosi-john-cangelosi/1132430689?ean=2940163178308

Review of “My Dad, Yogi”

While it is not uncommon to see books written by sons about their fathers, it isn’t often one will be written by a former major league player written about his father who is beloved by many, including non-baseball fans.  Here is my review of “My Dad, Yogi” by Dale Berra.

Title/Author:

“My Dad, Yogi: A Memoir of Family and Baseball” by Dale Berra

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, Yankees, Mets, Pirates, Astros

Publish:
May 7, 2019

Length:
256 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Whether or not one is a baseball fan, it is likely that person knows who Yogi Berra is. Many remember him as a Hall of Fame baseball player for the New York Yankees who also managed both the Yankees and New York Mets to the World Series.  Maybe the person knows Yogi from his famous quotes that are humorous and still repeated by many now, more than three years after his death. Whatever the reason, people still love the man. One of his three sons, Dale, also became a major league player and has written a memoir about the entire Berra family that will tug at heartstrings and also show a side of Yogi that many people may not know.

Dale writes about his father during his childhood years as a man who, while he didn’t say it often, would know that his children are loved by him. Dale and his brothers Tim and Larry were all fine athletes but only Dale made it to the big leagues.  If there is a downfall to this book, it is that Dale will write long passages about himself instead of Yogi, Carmen and his brothers, especially about his battle with drug addiction. That will be a disappointment to readers like myself who wanted to read only about the entire family.  

However, what he DOES write about his parents is excellent.  The story of how his father met Carmen, who would become Yogi’s wife (Yogi felt he married up by wedding Carmen) was beautiful as well as the exchange between Yogi and Dale that the latter said was what would get him through another day:

“You all right, Kid?”

“Yeah, Dad, I’m all right”

“That’s all I want to hear, Kid.”

While this was the best of the stories, there are plenty of other fine stories about Yogi and the family as well.  The day that Yogi decided to end his self-exile from Yankee Stadium 15 years after being fired as Yankee manager is one.  The intervention called by Carmen after Dale was arrested for drug possession and usage years after they thought he was over his addiction was eye-opening.  Even in Dale’s younger days when he would be excited to be in the same clubhouse as star players on the Mets that his dad was managing such as Tom Seaver and Willie Mays, the stories would be fun to read.

This book does give a reader insight into the Berra family that other books don’t and when that insight comes from a family member, it gives it even more credibility.  Despite the long passages about Dale himself, this book nonetheless is a worthwhile addition the library of anyone who is a fan of Yogi Berra.

I wish to thank Hachette Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book format read:
E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

My Dad, Yogi: A Memoir of Family and Baseball: Dale Berra, Mark Ribowsky: 9780316525459: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "The Pittsburgh Cocaine Seven"

Every now and then, it is good to pick up an older book to read about some part of sports history that may not be remembered so well.  The cocaine scandals in baseball of the 1980's are one such incident, and this book from 2010 is a excellent account of it.

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Title/Author:

“The Pittsburgh Cocaine Seven: How a Ragtag Group of Fans Took the Fall for Major League Baseball” by Aaron Skirboll

 

Tags:

Baseball, Pirates, history, drugs, legal

Publish date:

July 27, 2010

Length:

296 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

While baseball’s most notable controversy over drugs was about performance enhancement drugs, there was one in the 1980’s over the rampant use of cocaine by major league players.  Many star players from that era, such as Keith Hernandez, Lonnie Smith and Dave Parker, were called to testify at the trials of seven citizens on felony charges stemming from their interactions with many of these players.  This book on the “hero worship” by some of these men as well as a vivid description of the trial of Curtis Strong (where the players testified) is an excellent account of that period.

 

The author, Aaron Skirbol, does his homework and his legwork in capturing the stories of many of these men, such as Kevin Koch and Dale Shiffman.  Koch was able to get close to the players as the mascot of the Pittsburgh Pirates and as a result he was able to invite others to the inner world of drugs, parties, women and fantastic nightlife.  Something that Skirbol does well is illustrate that these men, who eventually were all given prison sentences, didn’t make much money off of these deals. The interviews with them and several others paint the players as cheap and not paying the men the agreed upon price time and time again. 

 

Something else Skirbol does with some skillful writing is to connect the cocaine scandal of the 1980’s to the use of “greenies” in the 1960’s and 1970’s as well as the steroid use of the 1990’s.  One overriding theme made during the book – the player’s union resistance to allowing drug testing made these scandals possible. 

 

The best part of the book, however, is the trial of Strong.  His attorney stated that he would show that he was going to put Major League baseball on trial and show that his client was not the one who should be ashamed.  While Strong was eventually found guilty, Skirbol’s account of the trial illustrated that it was exactly as the defense intended – baseball itself was the true loser of this trial as the shine on many of its stars became very tarnished.  Readers interested in this slice of baseball history should read this book.

 

Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle) 

Buying Links:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Pittsburgh-Cocaine-Seven-Ragtag-Baseball-ebook/dp/B005AK6MAC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pittsburgh-cocaine-seven-aaron-skirboll/1100260919?ean=9781569762882