Review of "Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat"

While I may not be living in Minnesota any longer, I still read the Star Tribune sports page daily online and was thrilled to learn one of the long-time writers there, Patrick Reusse has written a memoir.  Of course I had to get a copy and it was as good as I had hoped.  Here is my review of his memoir. 

Title/Author: “Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat: A Lifetime on Deadline” by Patrick Reusse with Chip Scroggins

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  Many cities have a sports broadcaster or sportswriter who over the years become very familiar to the fans of that city.  Often they are recognized when one states just either their first or last name.  In the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Patrick Reusse is one of those sports writers as one just needs to say “Reusse!” and fans will know not only who that is but will have both an opinion and a memory or two about him.  Reusse, who has been a sportswriter in Minnesota since 1965, teams up with Chip Scroggins to produce this excellent memoir.

No matter which sport or team is the favorite of a Minnesota sports fan (including this reviewer), Reusse will have seen them, written about them and includes them in this book.  He does share his preferences on which sports he prefers to write about (baseball and golf are his favorites), which sports he admits to covering but not knowing much about it (hockey and figure skating) and a sport that he initially knew nothing about but became a big fan (volleyball).  He writes about these in the same style in which he has written his column for many years – some are flattering, some are biting and some are humorous but all are clearly written from the heart.

As one would expect, he has plenty of stories with his interactions with not only some of the best athletes around but also with other sportswriters and other notable personalities.  Because some of the stories come from a different time, he does note that when some of them took place, certain comments and actions would not be likely to be taken well today.  While the stories with athletes are great and some brought back some nice memories of sports events, the best ones were about other journalists.  His tales of pranks played on another long time Minnesota sports writer, Sid Hartman, left me in stitches.

Reusse not only worked for the newspapers in both cities, but he was also a radio personality for many years.  He teamed up with another sportswriter, Joe Soucheray, for a Monday night sports talk show (originally on Sunday night) that took on a personality of its own, attracted many regular callers and was a can’t miss event that had the ears of many Twin Cities residents.  In this chapter, Reusse is at his most humble self, giving all the credit to Soucheray for the success of the show.  As one who was a regular listener before leaving the area, I can state that it took both to make that show as good as it was.  Something in the book that Reusse states that seems amazing is that neither of them came in with a specific topic in mind to discuss – they simply let the callers drive the program.  Whatever they did, it certainly worked.

Of course, there are sports stories in the book.  Whether it was the good times, such as the two World Series titles for the Twins in 1987 and 1991, the bad times such as the Vikings’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the 1999 NFC Championship (he came up with the name of the famous “Weeping Blondes” photo from that game) or the background stories of various teams, such as the football team for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the 1960’s, Reusse covers it all.  If there is something the reader remembers about Minnesota sports in the last 55 or so years, chances are Reusse has written about it or was there in some manner.  Minnesota sports fans, whether they are fans of Reusse or or think he’s just a curmudgeon, should pick up this book as it is sure to be one that will contain at least some material that will be pleasing to them.

I wish to thank Minnesota Historical Society Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Links:   Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat: A Lifetime on Deadline: Reusse, Patrick, Scoggins, Chip, Barreiro, Dan: 9781681342306: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "The Pride of Minnesota"

Admittedly, I am a sucker for any book on the Minnesota Twins.  When advance copies of this book became available, I immediately snapped it up and it was just as good as I had hoped.  Here is my review of "The Pride of Minnesota." 

Title/Author:

“The Pride of Minnesota: The Twins in the Turbulent 1960’s” by Thom Henninger

Tags:

Baseball, professional, history, Twins

Publish date:

May 1, 2021

Length:

344 pages

Rating:

4 ½ of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

During most of the decade of the 1960’s, the Minnesota Twins were one of the better teams in the American League.  They won the pennant in 1965 and while they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an epic seven game World Series.  Much success was predicted for the team, but they did not win another pennant in a five year stretch in which they not only won many games but built a loyal following in the Twin Cities.  This excellent book by Thom Henninger covers that six year stretch in which the team won that 1965 pennant, the first two American League West Division titles, and fell just short of winning one of the most epic pennant races in baseball history.

If there was a characteristic of the book in which it might fall short of a reader’s expectation, it is because the bulk of the book starts with the 1965 season.  The Twins actually started to be noted as a good team in 1962 when they finished second to the Yankees in the American League. This started a gradual rise for the Twins and a gradual decline for the Yankees.  The attention was now on players like Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat and Jim “Mudcat” Grant instead of the aging New York start.  Henninger writes in excellent detail about not only the games and progress of the Twins’ march to the pennant in 1965, he provides the reader with excellent stories about many of the players as well as the action on the field.  This detail goes down to the last pitch of game 7 in the World Series when Bob Allison struck out against Sandy Koufax ending the Twins’ championship dreams.

Henninger continues with this style of writing that will take the reader inside the team during the 1967 pennant chase in which the Twins were one of four teams that took the race down to the final weekend.  The Twins just needed to win one game of the final two against the Boston Red Sox.  While describing both wins by the Red Sox, the writing is good enough to bring pain back to Twins fans who might not want to remember that fateful weekend at Fenway Park.  This style of writing continues into the 1969 and 1970 seasons when the Twins won the first two American League West Division titles and also tells the stories of new players who were important to the Twins success such as Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven and Jim Perry. 

Like many other baseball books about a particular year or time frame, there are passages on the pop culture, social issues and politics of the time.  What makes this book a little different in this aspect is that instead of just concentrating on the national events of the time, there are references to these events in Minnesota and the Twin Cities.  For example, there is a good deal of material on the musical British Invasion of 1964 and 1965 and the arrival of the Beatles.  But instead of just concentrating on their success nationally, Henninger writes about the one time the Beatles played in Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium in 1965 when the Twins were on a road trip.  One of the best pictures in the picture section is here when George Harrison is featured donning a Twins cap. 

Other events covered in the book with a Minnesota theme were the floods and tornadoes in the 1965, the destruction of many businesses along Plymouth Avenue in north Minneapolis when other cities were experiencing riots in 1967 and the rash of bomb threats nationwide in 1970, which included a bomb threat called into Metropolitan Stadium during a Red Sox-Twins game.  Giving these parts of the book a local flavor was an excellent touch that readers from Minnesota will enjoy.

This is a book that any Twins fan or baseball fan from the Upper Midwest will want to add to their collection.  Full of both cultural references and excellent baseball from that era, it is a fine recollection of when the Minnesota Twins were one of the better teams in the American League.

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.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496225603/

https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Minnesota-Twins-Turbulent-1960s-ebook/dp/B08MQ43K4P/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr

Review of "One Tough Out"

As noted at the end of this review, I have been a fan of Rod Carew ever since I learned about baseball as a young boy.  So naturally I wanted to read his new memoir and it was as inspiring as I hoped it would be.  Here is my review of "One Tough Out"

Title/Author:

“One Tough Out: Fighting Off Life’s Curveballs” by Rod Carew and Jaime Aron

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, Twins, Angels, faith

Publish date:

May 12, 2020

Length:

336 pages

Rating:

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Rod Carew’s baseball career was one of excellence.  In 19 seasons with Minnesota Twins and California Angels, Carew won seven batting titles, one Most Valuable Player award (1977 with the Twins), was an All-Star in 18 of his 19 seasons and amassed 3053 hits.  He was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility in 1991.  But just five years later, he went through what no parent should experience – the loss of a child as his youngest daughter Michelle died of complications from leukemia at 18 years old.  His grief and subsequent healing from this tragedy and his own life-threatening heart condition, as well as his baseball career, are captured in this poignant memoir written with Jaime Aron.

The book starts with Carew beginning to play a round of golf in September 2015 when he suffers a heart attack in the first tee box and is rushed to the hospital.  He states that he saw a guardian angel – just what his daughter told him when she was brought back to life during her battle with leukemia.  That sets the tone for the second half of the book as Carew shares his pain at losing his youngest daughter to her death and his other two daughters afterward as they left with their mother when she and Carew divorced soon after Michelle’s passing.  Carew stated that “the demise and death of a teenage daughter either brings a husband and wife closer together or tears them apart.  Michelle’s death tore us apart.”

Enter Rhonda Fedden. After meeting after a game in which Carew gave Rhonda and a friend jackets from the dugout when he was the hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers he got her phone number – “Her last four digits were 3053.  That’s the number of hits I had in my career.” They married in 2001 and both of them place their faith as very important in their life and it is clear in the writing that this faith not only carried them through Carew’s heart attack and subsequent heart and kidney transplants, but also when meeting the family of the 29 year old donor and having them become part of the family.  Carew notes that the donor’s age matched his jersey number for both the Twins and Angels – another sign that God was watching over Carew.

Speaking of faith, Carew makes it known that while he did practice Judaism when he was married to his first wife (whose name is never mentioned, but was Marilyn) he never converted as was a popular myth made famous by Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song.”  When Carew met with Sandler and told him this, it made for one of the lighter moments in the second half of the book.

The first half is dedicated to Carew’s childhood and baseball career, which had plenty of interesting stories. Born in Panama and raised in an abusive environment in which he and his mother suffered at the hands of his father, they eventually found their way to New York City, where a Twins scout conducted a tryout for Carew and after seeing him hit, hid him in the clubhouse so that the Yankees wouldn’t also see Carew perform.  The Twins signed him and after some time in the minor leagues, he became the 1967 American League Rookie of the Year and his career took off from there.

Carew shares stories of both his bond with teammates and his moodiness (he called it his “fight or flight”, in which he wanted to use the flight) that nearly caused him to quit the game several times.  The teammates he remembered most fondly are Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew from the Twins and Don Baylor with the Angels.  Oliva and Carew are still close friends to this date and he remained in touch with “Charlie” (Killebrew) and “Groove” (Baylor) until their deaths in 2011 and 2017 respectively. 

There are three other people who are often mentioned in the baseball section as being important to his career – Billy Martin, Calvin Griffith and Gene Autry.  Carew credits Martin with not only helping him stay with the Twins (Martin was a coach with the Twins at the time) but also to help him become a better base stealer and bunter, two parts of the game in which he excelled.  While Carew left the Twins because of some actions and a racist rant by Griffith, they eventually mended their relationship to the point that Griffith was one of the first people Carew called after he learned he was elected to the Hall of Fame.  Of note, both Martin and Griffith were prominently mentioned in his induction speech.  Carew also heaped praise for Gene Autry, “Groove” and Reggie Jackson as important people during his time in Anaheim.

Reading about Carew’s career, his grief over losing his daughter, his faith and strength during his near-death experience and his love for his wife and her children (he adopted them soon after marrying Rhonda) as well as the family of his donor will leave the reader inspired and joyful.  The manner in which he fought off “curveballs”, whether in the batter’s box or for bigger issues in his life, is an inspiring story that any reader will enjoy, especially if the reader is a fan of Rod Carew the player as this reviewer has been since learning the game.

                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (Nook)                                                                                                                                 

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Rod-Carew-Tough-Fighting-Curveballs/dp/1629377643/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rod-carew-rod-carew/1133878849?ean=9781641254038  

Review of "Game Used"

As a lifetime Minnesota Twins fan, this book was one that I wanted to read as soon as I knew that Dick Bremer was going to write a memoir.  The stories are excellent, the baseball memories are great and the whole range of emotions will hit the reader while reading this.  Here is my review of "Game Used"

Title/Author:

“Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins” by Dick Bremer

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, broadcasting, Twins

Publish date:

March 17, 2020

Length:

304 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Dick Bremer has been the primary voice of Minnesota Twins telecasts since 1983. In those 37 seasons, he has been able to collect a lot of memorable stories about the team, broadcast partners, adventures on the road and even some about his personal life.  He shares 108 of them in this memoir – 108 to match the number of stitches on a baseball.

The book is a walk through Bremer's life, from his childhood when he was raised in rural western Minnesota by adoptive parents, to their move to Missouri and back to the Midwest.  The reader will also learn about Bremer's early adventures into broadcasting when he was getting his early experience in college and smaller games.  Through them all, he shares his stories with equal parts of humor and fondness at the memories.

Anybody who is a fan of not only the Twins, but of Minnesota sports will recognize Bremer's deep baritone voice as he has done not only the Twins games, but has also broadcast games for the Minnesota North Stars (hockey) and University of Minnesota (football and basketball) as well as provide coverage for many other sports as well.  But it is clear to the reader that Bremer's first love is baseball, especially with his stories about watching Twins games before he became their broadcaster.

The humor Bremer is noted for in the broadcast booth is clearly evident in his broadcasting and baseball stories as well.  One of the funniest stories in the book is when he feared that when trying to pull a prank on his long-time booth partner Bert Blyleven, he lost Blyleven's wedding ring.  Another great story involves Blyleven as Bremer tried to explain that the cheeks of a walleye are the best tasting part of the fish.  He invited former Twins player Kent Hrbek, who had retired for several years when this took place, to join them.  When Bremer had the food that he had earlier prepared brought to the booth, Hrbek thought they were all for him and he gobbled them up leaving none for Bremer to share with Blyleven.  While this may not sound so funny, to read it in the book (especially to imagine Bremer's voice while reading) is hilarious.

The baseball memories Bremer shares are excellent as well.  Twins fans will love to read about the championship seasons of 1987 and 1991 with a special fondness for the unexpected rally for the 1987 team when they returned to Minnesota after winning the American League pennant in Detroit.  The struggles of the team in the early '80s and mid '90s are also shared, in sharp contrast to the good memories of the teams in the 2000's that won several divisions but just couldn't go farther in the postseason.  Issues affecting the team off the field, such as two different threats to move the team, contraction talk in 2001 by the Commissioner and finally the opening of Target Field and some of the better memories of games there complete Bremer's thoughts on the team and his career.

If the reader is a Twins fan, as this reviewer has been his entire life, then this book is one that must be added to the bookshelves  It is an excellent reflection of not only Twins baseball, but the man who has been the voice of the team for almost four decades.

                                                                  

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Dick-Bremer-Stitches-Minnesota-Twins-ebook/dp/B07X61W292/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Minnesota's 50 Greatest Baseball Players"

Being a Minnesota Twins fan, I was very interested in this book to see who the author considered to be the greatest player on the team in their 59 year history.  However, this short book was more than just a listing of the best Twins - any player who spent time in the Gopher State was eligible and it made for a good read.  Here is my review of this book

Title/Author:

“Minnesota's 50 Greatest Baseball Player” by Jonathan Sweet

Tags:

Baseball, professional, minor leagues, Twins

Publish date:

May 2, 2019

Length:

186 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

One might be surprised to realize how many great baseball players have plied their trade in Minnesota. In this quick-to-read book by Jonathan Sweet, readers will learn a little bit about 50 players, many of whom are enshrined in the baseball Hall of Fame, who spent some time in Minnesota. This can be with the major league Minnesota Twins or one of the minor league teams that called a Minnesota city its home. These include the Minneapolis Millers, the St. Paul Saints, and the St. Cloud Rox.

It should be noted that Sweet wisely did not rank these players from 1-50. Instead he listed them in alphabetical order. And what a list this turned out to be! It didn’t matter how long a player played in Minnesota or how well he performed while in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  All that mattered was that the player put on the uniform of a Minnesota team.

Some of those players spent their entire careers in Minnesota with the Twins - Kirby Puckett and Joe Mauer, for example. A few were in a Twins jersey for only a short time - Steve Carlton is a good example. Carlton was also one example of a player who made Sweet’s list by not performing well in Minnesota but excelling elsewhere.

As for outstanding players who spent time with minor league teams in Minnesota, Sweet included not only the well known stories about players with the Millers or Saints like Ted Williams and Willie Mays, but also other Hall of Fame players whose time in Minnesota was not as well known. Just for starters, before reading this book, I did not realize that Lou Brock, Roy Campanella, Ray Dandridge, Hoyt Wilhelm and Orlando Cepeda all played in Minnesota. Just to learn about these Hall of Fame players’ time in the state made the book a worthwhile read.

While readers will get only snippets about these men in each chapter, they are filled with information about their time on a Minnesota diamond as well as their career accomplishments. Any reader who has an interest in Minnesota baseball will want to read this book.

I wish to thank Brick Pickle Media 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/Minnesotas-50-Greatest-Baseball-Players/dp/1095694359/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Son of Havana"

I remembered watching Luis Tiant as a child when he pitched one season for my favorite team, the Minnesota Twins.  He had a good year, but was hurt and later went to the Boston Red Sox where achieved his best seasons.  His life in and out of baseball is captured in his memoir.  Here is my review of "Son of Havana". 

Title/Author:

“Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back” by Luis Tiant with Saul Wisnia

Tags:
Baseball, memoir, professional, Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees

Publish date:

May 14, 2019

Length:

300 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

One of the most charismatic players to ever don a big league uniform, Luis Tiant was best known for his unusual pitching motion while compiling very good statistics for four teams in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  His story, from the rock-strewn fields in his native Cuba to his glory days in Major League Baseball are captured in his memoir written with Saul Wisnia.

As sports memoirs go, there isn’t anything different in the format of the book as Tiant talks about his childhood, his family, his career in both the minor and major leagues and how he has enjoyed his life after baseball.  He tells many stories about teammates, the camaraderie on the teams, and the most exciting games in which he participated.  The biggest of these games, the two games he started for the Boston Red Sox in 1975, were the best parts of his baseball memoires as it is clear that he enjoyed performing on the big stage.  While he shares mostly positive memoires of his time with the Cleveland Indians (he was always grateful to their general manager, Gabe Paul, for giving him a chance), Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees, it is clear that he relishes his time with the Red Sox best.

This was also evident in his stories about non-baseball events in Boston during that time. Being a dark-skinned Cuban, he was always subject to the prejudice and racism that was prevalent during his playing days, but he never let that make him angry or seek revenge. Instead, he always wanted to prove the racists wrong by being the best pitcher he could be. Tiant was also a beloved figure to people of all races in Boston – this was especially noticed during the unrest the city experienced when desegregation of schools by busing was done in the mid 1970’s. He was a voice of calm during this time that people of all races heard.

What I liked best about the book is how Tiant wrote with his heart on his sleeve about every topic.  The passages about his family, whether about his wife Maria and their four children or his parents, were clearly written with genuine love and affection.  When two United States Senators worked on his behalf to have Fidel Castro allow his parents to visit Luis in the United States, it was a huge relief for Tiant to be able to see his parents again.  When he left Cuba in 1961, he feared he would never see them again.  Reading about the joy he felt when he was able to share his biggest moment in his career, winning a World Series game with his parents present, will make any reader feel the joy.

Baseball fans and readers who followed the game during the period in which Tiant played will enjoy this book as he shares much of his life with readers, including why he had that famous delivery.  No spoilers here – read the book to find out.   

I wish to thank Diversion 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/Son-Havana-Baseball-Journey-Leagues-ebook/dp/B07NQMVW2J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=   

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/son-of-havana-luis-tiant/1128962538?ean=9781635765427#/

Review of "The 1967 American League Pennant Race"

With the championship run by the Boston Red Sox this fall, a baseball book club to which I belong wished to choose books on that team to read for the next discussion. While this book was not exclusively about the Red Sox, I immediately thought of the 1967 season when discussing the Red Sox.  This book talks about that thrilling race in great detail and is a very good read.  Here is my review of "The 1967 American League Pennant Race"

Title/Author:

“The 1967 American League Pennant Race: Four Teams, Six Weeks, One Winner” by Cameron Bright

Tags:

Baseball, history, championship, Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, White Sox

Publish date:

May 12, 2018

Length:

327 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

One of the closest and craziest pennant races in baseball history occurred in 1967. Four teams in the American League – the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox – were tied for the lead with six weeks left to play. Each of these four teams, as well as the California Angels, who nearly made this a five team race, are dissected in this excellent book by Cameron Bright. Also, it should be noted that this is a book that covers these teams for the entire 1967 campaign, not just the exciting last month of that season

While the Red Sox chase to their “Impossible Dream” pennant has been the subject of numerous books and writings, they are merely one of four teams that Bright portrays in equal doses throughout the book. Unlike other volumes about the team led by Carl Yazstremski and Jim Lonborg, this book not only talks about the Triple Crown and leadership of Yazstremski (not a lot is written about his last month when he practically carried his team) and Lonborg’s courage in pitching so often, but it also exposes some of the flaws of the team such as their lack of speed and inconsistent play that kept the other three teams in the race. This is refreshing because if one looks at only the standings, the Red Sox had most of the same strengths and flaws of the other three teams.

Those other three teams are not only given equal space, but their strengths and flaws are covered in excellent detail as well.  The White Sox lived off their outstanding pitching staff, with Gary Peters leading the way. The hijinks of the grounds crew at White Sox park to keep the grass tall in the infield to help the pitching staff is well known.  But of course, the biggest story for the White Sox was their manager, Eddie Stanky, who was very outspoken about not only his team, but opposing teams as well.  His frankness as well as how he handled his team makes for great reading.

Coverage of the Tigers in the book is not quite so centric around one person or one aspect of the team, but nonetheless the reader will learn a lot about manager Mayo Smith and his team that was more balanced than the other three contenders, but fell short on the last day when they lost to the Angels.  As for the fourth team in the group, the Twins had chemistry issues and were the only team of the four that had a managerial change in the middle of the year. This was illustrated quite well in the book when the players were voting on their World Series shares and the players decided to NOT allow their fired manager Sam Mele to collect a share - that was later reversed, but the damage to their team chemistry was done. The other major weakness of the Twins, their infield defense, was also discussed in detail and overshadowed the excellent production from their batters and starting pitchers. 

Many of the games played between the four contenders are recapped as well, making the reader feel like he or she went to those games even though they took place over fifty years ago. Readers who were following the sport at that time will enjoy reading about a thrilling pennant race in which they probably recall where they were when the Red Sox defeated the Twins on the last day to win the pennant. For those readers too young to have witnessed any of these teams, this book will help them understand why that season is fondly remembered by Red Sox fans. 

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/1967-American-League-Pennant-Race-ebook/dp/B07D1S8LFV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-1967-american-league-pennant-race-cameron-bright/1127901814?ean=9781476632971

Review of "Carew"

While my recent trip to Minnesota was for a sad occurrence with the passing of my mother, I did want to pick up a book for the trip home on a topic related to the Minnesota Twins because she and I would often watch Twins games during my younger childhood days.  When I saw that Rod Carew's memoir was available in an updated edition, that was my choice as Carew was and will always be my favorite player of all time.  Here is my review of the book.

Title/Author:

“Carew” by Rod Carew with Ira Berkow

Tags:

Baseball, memoir, Twins, Angels

Publish date:

March 29, 2010 (paperback – original publication May 22, 1979)

Length:

268 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Rod Carew is considered one of the best pure hitters in baseball history. With seven batting titles, more than 3,000 hits and 18 All-Star selections, he was a first-ballot Hall of Fame player elected in 1991. When he was still a player, he penned a memoir of his life and baseball career to that point with sportswriter Ira Berkow. Additional information, especially on his life after baseball, and a foreword by Torii Hunter was published in 2010. This review covers the latter publication.

What struck me most about the entire book, whether it was discussing his childhood, his time in the minor leagues or his stellar Major League career, was his candidness.  If something bothered him or he felt it was wrong, he didn’t mince words in this book. Whether he was talking about his father, the frugality of the owner of the Minnesota Twins at that time, Calvin Griffith, or the perceived mistreatment he received from others, the reader will certainly know how Carew felt. The reader may not always agree and may even close the book with the perception that he was a moody or even arrogant person.  I believe that is a positive for reading the book as the reader will learn who the real Rod Carew is.

His discussions about hitting are just as good as when he would step into the batter’s box as much can be learned about his methods and theories on hitting.  Something that was well known during his career is that he employed many different batting stances depending on the pitcher or situation.  He explains why he would use certain stances as well as describe the unique construction of his bats and the way he held the bat which appeared to be very loose. These were fascinating revelations, even if Carew fans like me know this information already.

He was raised in Panama in a family that didn’t have much money and his father was not always present (something that the reader is reminded of throughout the book even during Rod’s adulthood) but his love for baseball is reflected on what he did to ensure he had a ball and glove to play the game.  When he and his family were brought to the United States, he was quickly discovered by baseball scouts.  His story about how the Twins wanted to make sure he was signed before anyone else knew about his talent was entertaining.

Carew spent the first 12 years of his career with the Twins where he won all seven of his batting titles. In 1979, just before writing this book, he was traded to the California Angels as the cash-poor Twins couldn’t afford to sign him to a new contract and traded him for four players rather than lose him to free agency.  His time with the Angels and his life after baseball is covered in the new material.  He experienced tragedy during this time, with the death of his daughter Michelle and subsequent divorce, as well as good times. He fondly writes about meeting and marrying his second wife Rhonda and his time spent back with the Twins as a roving coach.

Overall, this is a very good memoir first written at the peak of his career. Some readers might be turned off by the tone of his words on events and people that he did not like but as stated earlier, he comes across as honest in these passages.  Readers who are Twins or Carew fans will enjoy this book.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

 

Buying Links:

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