Review of "Gibby"

You didn't think I could let Opening Day of the baseball season pass without a baseball book review, did you?  Having obtained a copy of this upcoming memoir on former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons earlier, when I was trying to decide on what baseball book to start the 2023 season with, I chose this one.  Here is my review.

Title/Author:

“Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer” by John Gibbons with Greg Oliver

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

John Gibbons is exactly who he says he is in the subtitle of this memoir – a baseball lifer.  His book, co-written with Greg Oliver, is the perfect illustration of how a memoir of a baseball lifer, whose position was catcher, would read.  It fits all the stereotypes that one thinks of when they pick up a memoir by a baseball lifer.

Let’s list a few of those stereotypes that a reader may believe about this book before reading a page.  One – catchers usually make the better managers, especially marginal catchers.  This checks off nicely as Gibbons talks fondly of his playing career, which really did not have much success in the major league level, but he did show enough knowledge of the game that when he realized his time as a player was through, he was able to find scouting jobs, which led to coaching, which led to managing jobs.  Those were both in the minor leagues (Mets system) and in the majors, where he led the Toronto Blue Jays in two separate stints. 

Two – baseball men of a certain age dislike the changes in the game today.  For the most part, Gibbons shows how he is not a fan of some of the current strategies such as the early removal of starting pitchers. He will often wax nostalgic about how the game used to be.  This is something not uncommon in many baseball memoirs, but at times this felt to be a little too much.

Three – there will be certain players that the baseball lifer will go on and on with stories about that player.  There is plenty of that in this book, both for teammates while a player and also as a manager.  They can range in talent from a fellow back up catcher to a Hall of Fame pitcher such as Roy Halladay. That is not necessarily a bad thing as many of these stories make great reading.  It does show, however, that even though Gibbons had the reputation as a “player’s manager” as he refers to himself, he certainly had his favorites.

Four – self-deprecation as humor is almost always present in these types of books and that is certainly present here.  Like the stories about players, that helps the reader enjoy the book even if it seemed a bit predictable.

While this may come across as a critical review, it really isn’t – it is meant to convey that everything one may expect from a baseball memoir is present here, including fond memories for Blue Jays fans of their run in the 2015 postseason.  That is the section with the most detailed baseball talk for on-field action, but for baseball talk in general, this is a book that many fans, especially Blue Jays fans, will enjoy.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

Link: Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer: Gibbons, John, Oliver, Greg, Donaldson, Josh: 9781770417106: Amazon.com: Books

 

 

Review of "Up and Down"

An annual summer project is to wade through the pile of books that I never got around to reviewing before work or teaching obligations cut into reading and reviewing time.  This memoir by golfer Bubba Watson is one of those and it now can be taken off that pile. Here is my review of "Up and Down." 

Title/Author: “Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of Life” by Bubba Watson with Don Yaeger

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Bubba Watson burst into the golf spotlight by winning the 2012 Masters with an incredible hook shot out of trouble.  From there, he became just as notable for becoming an unlikable person and because of this he was suffering from mental health issues.  How he handled them and has found himself in a better place is the main focus of his memoir written with Don Yaeger.

Watson became known as “Bubba from Bagdad” as he grew up in this small town in the Florida panhandle.  He was supported by his parents to attempt to fulfill his dreams of making it in professional golf, although he did have some hiccups along the way. Unlike many other memoirs and biographies, I found this part of his story just as interesting as his victories in the Masters (he also won in 2014) or his adult personal life. 

Watson’s account of his unusual path to success in golf at the University of Georgia is a story with many twists that in the end will work out well for him.  Not only did he have success on the course despite not being a part of the team during his senior year, he also met his wife Angie.  She was also an athlete – a member of the Georgia women’s basketball team who had aspirations of a WNBA career that didn’t happen mainly due to injury.

Once Watson embarked on a professional golf career, his story and the book progresses well, despite some repetition and also some stories that feel like they were not complete.  One example of this is his relationship with his caddy Teddy Scott.  Watson gives him a lot of credit for everything – improving his golf game, giving him a stern talk when his behavior was putting off many of his fellow pro golfers and reminding him of his priorities for both his family (he and Angie adopted two children) and his faith.  But after setting Bubba straight, it is unknow what has become of Teddy.

His faith, and that of his wife, is an important part of this book and Watson’s story – it is never far from his thoughts.  It certainly helped him change the behavior that made him the person who would be the least likely to receive assistance from fellow golfers if he ran into trouble off the course.  That isn’t the exact wording of what this informal poll revealed, but it is a illustration of how Watson acted on and off the course – and his explanations of how and why he was that way was adequate, but did not feel completely genuine.

Because of this vagueness, I felt this memoir lacked true reflection but Watson does come across as sincere and truly wanting to be a better person.  For that, I given him credit for not only making his life better, but also for still playing well enough on the PGA tour to be a top-ranked player.  He does talk about his golf, but not as much as his personal life.  That is something that a reader should consider before deciding to pick up this book – it worked out fine, but it may not satisfy readers who want to read more about the game instead of the person.

I wish to thank Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Links:   Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of Life: Watson, Bubba, Yaeger, Don: 9780785292012: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Assisted"

Having a recent long car trip to a bowling tourney, I had the time to do something I have not done in quite awhile - listen to an audiobook.  I decided on John Stockton's memoir and it was a good choice.  Here is my review.

RATING: 4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

REVIEW: In most sports memoirs, the author/athlete spends much of the book talking about his or her sports career – whether it is about how their love of the sport came during their youth, their college or professional career and the camaraderie with teammates or competitors and their lives after their career ends – most follow this tried-and-true format.  "Assisted", the memoir of John Stockton who is the all-time leader for assists and steals, is a little different in that more of the book talks more about his family life in youth and adulthood than it does about his basketball career. 

That career, in which he played at Gonzaga followed by 20 years in the NBA, all for the Utah Jazz, was one of the most successful in the game's history. While he and the Jazz never won a championship, he and Karl Malone made up one of the more famous teammate duos and took the Jazz, who had only one winning season before Stockton joined them, to become one of the more successful franchises in the sport.  But despite all of this, Stockton doesn't write extensively about his basketball prowess or accomplishments with the Jazz. Instead, when talking basketball, he concentrates more on teammates, coaches, trainers and other important people involved in the game.  These make even better stories than his own, especially those of his first coach with the Jazz, Frank Layden, who is quoted liberally throughout the book.  He also speaks fondly of his participation on the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball teams, the first two Olympic teams composed primarily of NBA players

However, Stockton spends much time in the book talking about non-basketball items, mostly his family life.  This includes both his youth and his family consisting of his wife Nada and their six children.  Of course, he mentions how sports are important in those lives, especially in his youth and his competition with his brother.  He talks about his Catholic faith and some topics that could generate some debate as well, such as his pro-life beliefs.  This is not to say that he delves deeply into a political debate or into a controversial stance.  He does state, however, how he will speak his mind and will be honest about topics like this, no matter how popular or unpopular his beliefs may be.  Something else that ties into these types of topics is his discussion of life as a Catholic in a city that has a majority of its population as Mormon – and he spends time dispelling some myths about Salt Lake City.

Listening to the audio version, especially as it was narrated by Stockton, lent an air of authenticity to the book.  This was especially beneficial for this last paragraph as the voice inflections helped to show that he was firm in his beliefs.  Although the best parts of the narration, at least for entertainment, were when he would quote Coach Layden with a deep gravelly voice. This book is one that any fan of Stockton or the Jazz will enjoy.

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Assisted-Autobiography-John-Stockton-ebook/dp/B00F4FKSZI

Review of "Full Count"

With a 20 year career in the major leagues and a long tenure as a baseball broadcaster, something he is still doing, David Cone has many stories to share and he does so in this very good memoir.  Here is my review of "Full Count."

Title/Author:

“Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher” by David Cone and Jack Curry. Narrated by David Cone

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Royals, audiobook

Publish date:

May 14, 2019

Length:

320 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Most baseball fans who have seen David Cone pitch during his 20 year career in Major League Baseball will have a moment or two in which they reacted "Wow, is he good!"  Maybe it was his perfect game he threw in 1999 against the Montreal Expos (on only 88 pitches).  Maybe it was one of his gutsy performances in which he logged pitch counts that would be unfathomable today, such as his 166 pitch game.  Maybe it would be when he was part of the celebration for the 1992 Blue Jays winning the World Series.  Or, maybe one knows him now as part of the television broadcast team for the New York Yankees.  Regardless of what is most memorable, fans and readers of baseball books will enjoy this memoir that goes well beyond a recap of his career.

There is one word that kept coming back to me throughout the book – perfectionist.  That is the overall image I believe Cone was portraying himself to be.  With the book starting off with Cone's failure to complete the eighth inning of game 4 of the 1995 American League Division Series between the Yankees and Seattle Mariners and continuing throughout the book, Cone spends a lot of time discussing his failures or recklessness that resulted in lessons he learned and took to heart to become an even better pitcher.

As a native of Kansas City, he was elated to be drafted and making his major league debut with the Royals. Some of the recklessness mentioned above is discussed in this time in his life and it went up a level when he was traded to the New York Mets and was a part of the team when they had a famous wild reputation.  He wasn't around for their 1986 championship but he did pitch in that team's other postseason appearance, the 1988 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  His poor outing in game 2 of that series is another example where he beats himself up for his bad outing but still uses the experience to learn a valuable lesson. 

His time in New York with the Mets ended when he was traded during the 1992 season to help the Toronto Blue Jays win their first championship.  He left the Blue Jays after that season to rejoin the Royals, who then later sent him to the New York Yankees when Kansas City decided to use younger, cheaper players.

When Cone gets to the Yankees, the great stories that made up the book early on return, as Cone shares his impressions of his teammates such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite.  The stories about the latter tie in nicely with the other main topic of the book – terrific insights into the occupation of pitching.  That is the subject of many stories he shares about the lessons learned.  Whether Cone talks about how to throw off speed pitches, batters looking for any means of how to figure out what pitch is coming next or the art of sign stealing (something very interesting to read now with the revelation of the sign stealing scandal of the Houston Astros), Cone talks with an air of authority and experience.  These were my favorite parts of the book and he credits so many people for helping him along the way.  From his father to hitters telling him what he was doing to telegraph his pitchers to his encounter with Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven in a hotel bar that resulted in a lesson on throwing a curveball, these passages about the art of pitching made for some great reading. 

Any baseball fan who was a fan of Cone, one of his three main teams, or even just a fan of the game will want to pick up this book.  Whether one reads the book or listens to the audio version – I did both, and the audio by Cone lend an air of authenticity to that version – one will learn much about the art of pitching.

                                    

Book Format Read:

Audiobook and e-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Full-Count-Education-Pitcher/dp/B07Q8XGY6G/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/full-count-david-cone/1129475430?ean=9781538748848#/

Review of "Odd Man Rush"

This book is one that the author has been giving away every month on Goodreads since it was published.  Every month, I would faithfully enter the giveaway - and every month, someone else was chosen.  Until out of the blue, the author asked if I would consider reviewing the book here - of course I said yes.  It was a very entertaining memoir - here is my review of "Odd Man Rush."

Title/Author:

“Odd Man Rush: A Harvard Kid’s Hockey Odyssey from Central Park to Somewhere in Sweden – with Stops Along the Way” by Bill Keenan

Tags:

Ice Hockey, Professional, college, memoir, autobiography, humor

Publish date:

January 5, 2016

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

If a child is playing a sport, chances are good that he or she dreams of playing the game at the highest professional level in the sport.  Hockey player Bill Keenan took that dream to its ultimate test as when he realized his dreams of a National Hockey League contract would not reach fruition. Instead, he started a European adventure, playing on teams in Gremany and Sweden.  The adventures he had while playing there as well as Harvard for his college hockey career are captured in this very funny and entertaining memoir.

The book is part hardcore hockey, part coming-of-age in both the sport and in life and part wild ride in the far outreaches of European minor league hockey.  Keenan writes these stories with a great deal of humor (some at the expense of others, some self-depreciating) and just a bit of melancholy as well.  The latter is especially true when he was in Sweden and had to end a relationship with a woman when he was sold to another team. 

The hockey talk is great in that it is detailed enough to satisfy very knowledgeable fans, but easy enough to understand so that non-fans or casual fans will understand it as well.  There isn’t a lot of statistical information, no X’s and O’s and no detours to long winded explanations of the European minor league structure - just good stories about Keenan’s wish to keep his hockey-playing dreams alive as long as possible.  This is a book that hockey fans, humor fans and anyone who wants to read an entertaining memoir will want to add to his or her library.

I wish to thank Mr. Keenan for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Review of "The Phenomenon"

As I was somewhat familiar with the story of Rick Ankiel, I have been interested his memoir since it was published in April.  I was able to obtain the audio version and I believe that it made a good story even better.  Some of the reviews of this book that I read were somewhat critical of the writing and the narration, but I felt that those were secondary to the story which is one that is inspiring.  Here is my review of "The Phenomenon"

Title/Author:

“The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips and the Pitch that Changed My Life” written by Rick Ankiel and Tim Brown, narrated by Rick Ankiel

Tags:

Baseball, Professional, memoir, autobiography, Cardinals, Braves

Publish date:

April 18, 2017

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

 

Review:

In October 2000, Rick Ankiel felt like he was on the top of the baseball world.  He was considered one of the best young pitchers in the game and was on the mound for a post-season game against the team he cheered for as a boy, the Atlanta Braves.  In the third inning, a seemingly innocent wild pitch led to even more of them and he had to soon thereafter be removed from the game. That led to even more wildness and Ankiel was in the fight for his baseball career.  But that fight was an internal one and how he handled that is chronicled in his recently published memoir.

When I saw that Ankiel was the narrator of the audio version, I decided to listen as I always believe that hearing the author tell his or her story lends an air of credibility to the book if he or she sounds honest.  That was certainly the case here as Ankiel comes across in both words and voice as completely honest.  While he had a difficult childhood by seeing his father treat his mother badly, he doesn’t blame that or any other external reason for his sudden loss of the ability to throw a baseball where he wanted.

When Ankiel subsequently underwent surgery on his throwing arm and still did not have success, the reader or listener will be surprised at how he decided to change from being a pitcher to an outfielder.  Even though I knew the story behind his decision to change and his subsequent work to learn a new position, I believed this was the most inspiring part of his story.  Late in his career, he played in another post-season game, this time for the Braves and he hit a game-winning home run against the San Francisco Giants.

He also spoke honestly about his name appearing on the Mitchell Report, the report written by former senator George Mitchell on his investigation in the use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball.  Ankiel states that he took human growth hormone while recovering from his surgery and at the time, he checked if it was a banned substance in the game.  He stated that it was not at the time (not until 2005) and therefore he decided to use it.  There was no defiance, no bitterness at being listed on the report – just stated as a matter of fact. 

This statement is in line with the rest of his book – narrated as just what happened without a lot of emotions, regrets or anger.  It was an audiobook that I enjoyed listening to and would recommend this book, either print or audio, to baseball fans who enjoy memoirs or a good comeback story.

Book Format Read:

Audiobook

 

Review of "Impact Player"

I went to my first baseball game of the season today and when take the train to a game, I like to also take a book on the sport I am going to see. Since it was a Yankees game I went to, I decided to pull this one out of the bag of book I bought at our library's book sale last year and read it on the train trip.  Finished it just before pulling into the station, so it was just the right length for today.  Here is my review of Bobby Richardson's memoir, "Impact Player."

Title/Author:

“Impact Player” by Bobby Richardson

Tags:

Baseball, memoir, autobiography, Yankees

Publish date:

September 1, 2012

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The great New York Yankee teams of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s had many legendary players such as Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. While his statistics may not be quite as impressive as these Hall of Fame player, Bobby Richardson was an important member of these teams as well as the second baseman for several years before he retired after the 1966 season. He writes about his life on the Yankees and also about his Christian faith in this breezy memoir.

The book is an easy read and Richardson concentrates on his years with the Yankees in the bulk of the text.  While his faith is important for all aspects of his life, he never writes too much about it until the end when his teammate Mickey Mantle made the decision to become a Christian just before his death in 1995. That is the closest the book comes to being more about faith than baseball.  Otherwise, Richardson writes in the same way he spoke about his faith while a Yankee. He “…shared my faith in simplicity as a friend. That’s exactly what I always hoped to do.”  Without him overtly stating it, the reader will realize how much Richardson’s faith affected his family life and his baseball career.

I felt that his stories about his teammates and his experiences with the Yankees were very good. There isn’t a lot of great detail in any particular teammate or season, but enough to be informative and entertaining.  I enjoyed his account of his famous catch of Willie McCovey’s line drive to end game 7 of the 1962 World Series. It has gone through many different versions over the years, but in Richardson’s mind, it was a simple catch of a sharply hit line drive. That is just one of the many great Yankee stories in the book that fans of baseball in that era, especially Yankee fans, will enjoy in this book.  It can easily be read in one sitting and will leave the reader smiling when he or she closes the cover. 

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Impact-Player-Leaving-Lasting-Legacy/dp/1414372736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460855466&sr=8-1&keywords=impact+player

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impact-player-bobby-richardson/1111318083?ean=9781414383194

Review of "Doc"

One aspect of pop culture is that many like to hear about a celebrity who has had success after a fall from grace. Dwight Gooden, at least based on the content of this book, would certainly qualify as one of those who recovered, at least thus far, from his substance abuse problems.  His candid recollection of those days of drugs and alcohol and his painful road to recovery is told in this excellent memoir.  Here is my review of "Doc." 

Title/Author:

“Doc: A Memoir” by Dwight Gooden and Ellis Henican, narrated by J.D. Jackson

Tags:

Baseball, professional, autobiography, Mets, Yankees, drugs, audiobook

Publish date:

June 4, 2013

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

By all accounts, Dwight “Doc” Gooden should have been riding atop the world of baseball in late October 1986. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game and he was the ace of the pitching staff for the New York Mets, who had just won the World Series in a tense seven game series. But instead of getting ready for a parade to celebrate the championship, he was in the low-income housing area getting high on drugs.

That is the beginning of this brutally honest memoir in which Gooden opens himself up about all of his substance abuse problems and how they affected his personal and professional life. This is not a happy book to read or listen to – at times it is very painful to hear what these substances have done to the man.  The text and the narration bring this all to life for the reader or listener and it is easy to get mad at Gooden for living this type of life.

While the book concentrates more on Gooden’s battle with addiction, there is a good deal of baseball stories as well. They are not as deep or humorous as many other memoirs and biographies of baseball players. Indeed, there seems to be a condition attached to each teammate remembered. Gooden got along great with Keith Hernandez – but they would often have beers together.  Darryl Strawberry was always linked with Doc – but that friendship turned out to be anything but cordial. Those are just two of the many people who Doc believes either hurt him or he hurt with his battle against addiction.

The road to recovery for Gooden is long, takes many turns including appearing on the reality show “Celebrity Rehab” and is painful. This is reflected in both the words and the narration and that is why this particular memoir was moving.  Instead of reflecting on his baseball success and failure, Gooden realizes at this point in his life what he needs to do to not only stay clean but to be a good father for his seven children and be the man that he believes he can be. 

Mets and Yankee fans who remember Gooden’s pitching and subsequent substance abuse problems will enjoy this book to see the recovery process Gooden had succeeded with to that point when the book was written. Others who wish to read about success after substance abuse will also want to read this excellent memoir.

Book Format Read

Audiobook

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Doc-Memoir-Dwight-Gooden/dp/0544027027/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450925905&sr=1-1&keywords=doc+a+memoir

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/doc-dwight-gooden/1112318721?ean=9780544027022

Review of "Slim and None"

I have to admit, I love to read anything about hockey teams that no longer exist. One of these teams is the Hartford Whalers and when I found this memoir of the original owner of the Whalers, I knew that it had to have some great stories about the team. It certainly did and told the story of a very interesting person.  Here is my review of Howard Baldwin's autobiography "Slim and None.

Title/Author:

“Slim and None: My Wild Ride from the WHA to the NHL and All the Way to Hollywood” by Howard Baldwin with Steve Milton

Tags:

Ice hockey, professional, memoir, Whalers, Penguins, Flyers, owners

Publish date:

October 7, 2014

Length:

320 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Even though he was a good athlete through high school and college, Howard Baldwin never thought to have a sports career as a player – instead he wanted to own a team.  He achieved that dream at the young age of 28 as one of the partners of the New England Whalers of the fledgling World Hockey Association. How he got there and what he did with the team, as well as his future endeavors are captured in this wonder memoir that is entertaining, informative and full of great memories for hockey fans.

Baldwin doesn’t spend too much time talking about his childhood or his college days.  After his time in the Marines, he dives immediately into his sports career, becoming a ticket manager for the expansion Philadelphia Flyers in 1967. When Gary Davidson had an idea to create a rival hockey league in 1972, Baldwin convinced two other men to become the owners of the brand new New England Whalers franchise. The team was one of four WHA teams to join the NHL in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers – a merger (although for business reasons it was called an “expansion”) between the two leagues in which Baldwin played a key role.

How Baldwin and the Whalers got there and their years in the NHL makes for great reading. How the team and the entire WHA league was able to make deals with players, negotiate rent for arena time and yet still provide excellent hockey is covered throughout the book. It is clear that Baldwin is very passionate about the Whalers and the city of Hartford even after he sold his shares in 1989 and the subsequent move of the franchise to Raleigh in 1996.

Life after the Whalers is discussed in depth as well in the same entertaining manner – Baldwin later moved to the West Coast after marrying his second wife Karen and was instrumental in making San Jose a viable NHL market. However, that lead to a very brief tenure as an owner of the Minnesota North Stars. He went from Minnesota to Pittsburgh and was able to celebrate the Penguins’ 1992 Stanley Cup championship with them.  He also went on to become a successful movie producer with his wife, the most notable of his films being the hockey movie “Mystery, Alaska.”

Hockey fans will love the stories of the WHA and some of the wisecracks Baldwin makes. One of my favorites came during the discussion of the final season of the WHA, when it finished with six teams, only four of which would join the NHL. Baldwin stated that “the NHL had its Original Six and the WHA would have its Final Six.”  His relationships with people like Jack Kelley, whom he hired from Boston University to become the first Whalers coach and GM, are told with reverence. It is clear that he feels that he should do right to people who help him or work for him and it is really no surprise he became such a successful team owner.

This was one of the few memoirs that I read in one sitting because I was riveted to the book’s hockey stories and Baldwin’s writing that was easy to read.  It was entertaining, insightful and a book that is highly recommended for hockey fans.  People who have fond memories of the Hartford Whalers will especially love this book.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LWFF3E0?keywords=slim%20and%20none&qid=1450748612&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slim-and-none-howard-baldwin/1119185311?ean=9781770893634