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On the morning of October 2, 1978, the World Champion NewYork Yankees found themselves tied for first place with the Boston Red Sox. That day these rousing ball clubs would meet at Fenway Park. Both had won ninety-nine games. Only one would win one hundred. The Yankees should have been reaching for their golf clubs-they had feuded until they were fourteen games out of first place. Then their fortunes turned, and they capped one of the most thrilling comebacks in baseball history by defeating the Red Sox that October afternoon in a game that many still remember as the greatest ever played. Transporting us into the midst of this unforgettable team, Roger Kahn weaves the first in-depth account of the legendary season of '78 and reaffirms his standing as our nation's master storyteller of baseball.
Amazon.com Review
October Men reads like a night spent in the dugout with a veteran manager during a lopsided game. Roger Kahn sits beside you occasionally narrating the events of each inning as it unfolds while frequently digressing into anecdotes from his lifetime as a baseball writer. The digressions--everything from Yankees's VP Al Rosen's connections to the Las Vegas boxing scene to a brief history of the 1903 New York Highlanders (the "Pleistocene Yankees")--are all interesting, but one frequently loses track of the main reason for being there.

In this case, the main story is the tumultuous 1978 Yankees's season. What makes this particular season an interesting subject for a book is that it is not the story of a group of young heroes who rallied together to make a team that was somehow larger than its parts. Rather, the 1978 Yankees was a team patched together with aging stars (Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage, Catfish Hunter) from other teams, held fast by George Steinbrenner's money, and piloted by the tempestuous Billy Martin. This was a team expected to win a world championship. The story Kahn tries to tell is how this boatload of talent nearly ran aground because of bickering, paranoia, and racism.

Kahn's breadth of knowledge is impressive, and the many insider tales he relates are entertaining; but October Men does not flow effortlessly as a narrative of the 1978 team. If one can excuse the digressions and occasional disjointed transitions, though, there is much pleasure to be had from this prime spectator's seat. --Patrick O'Kelley ... Read more

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Sublime Lemon
Roger Kahn ("The Boys of Summer") hits another grand salami with "October Men," the story of the 1978 world champion New York Yankees. The subtitle of the book omits Manager Bob Lemon which, in turn, nearly made the title of this review "What About Bob?" But delve into the book and see that Kahn does Lemon justice especially in the chapter titled "Resurrection."
Ten years after Lemon's death one hopes other books will join "October Men" in recognizing the man's greatness as a manager and motivator. There really ought to be a monument to Lem at Yankee Stadium. There probably ought to be an award given to Al Rosen, Lem's friend and teammate from the Cleveland Indians glory teams of the 1940s and `50s and president of the '78 Yankees. Also, a Nobel Prize goes to the psychiatrist that can explain the relationship between George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin.
Steinbrenner's death this year produced outpourings citing his achievement in reviving the Yankees. Those are deserved. Yet there's a need to examine why Steinbrenner kept bringing back Martin against all common and business sense. My best guess is that George had an inferiority complex about being from Cleveland and took that out on Lemon and Rosen. That was married to a pseudo-conservative view that only someone from great Yankee playing past (like Martin or Yogi Berra) was fit to manage the team (not a person who spent his playing days opposing the Yankees).
In truth, 99 percent of Yankees fans don't care about this historical link as long as the team is winning. But George, who did so much through free agency to bring players from all over to the Bronx, apparently thought his franchise needed the link. Perhaps this mindset explains why Steinbrenner never moved the Yankees out of the Bronx long after the neighborhood deteriorated or ever gave into the stadium-naming craze that sucked in so many owners.
Kahn neatly chalks the lines of Steinbrenner's traditionalism. Perhaps Roger will take to the field on this subject in a new book now that The Boss has passed on. I suggest he start with Joe Torre. George found his happy medium in Torre, a calm New Yorker but not a player from the Yankee past. George's historical fetishism may also explain why Sparky Lyle was ousted from his role as main bullpen closer in 1978 with the signing of Rich Gossage. Lyle, you see, had the original sin of being on the Boston Red Sox before coming to the Yankees. How else to reckon the demotion of a pitcher who won the Cy Young Award the year before? In any event, George got Lyle's book, "The Bronx Zoo," as payment for his psychosis.
Our author navigates the jungle of personalities to show us Lemon holding quiet camp and inspiring his talented players, instead of eating them like the emotional cannibal Martin. The fact that Lemon called most of his players "Meat" makes this more ironic and funny. Lemon didn't resent Reggie Jackson for being "the straw that stirs the drink" because Lemon knew that he as manager was imparting his taste onto all elements of the drink including Jackson.
Lemon's laissez-faire stemmed from his deep knowledge of the game and his Hall of Fame playing days. Thus he wouldn't disrupt ace Ron Guidry's pitching schedule for short-term gain but when Guidry, shortening his own schedule, asked for the ball to start the playoff game against the Red Sox, Lem replied without hesitation "You got it."
This wide technical facility combined with a feel for the physiology of human character also characterizes Kahn's writing. Kahn's Jewishness shines through here, not surprising coming from the author of "The Passionate People." For all our knowledge of G-d's Law, Kahn (like our co-religionist Howard Cosell) knows that the compelling part of sports and sports journalism is not to be found in batting averages and box scores. It's about people and relationships. That's why Cosell's "Monday Night Football" was so much more than football. His groundbreaking interviews with Muhammad Ali and Reggie Jackson showed us the evolution of America and how blacks had gone from excluded to the pinnacle of athletics. Cosell's controversial probing subtly convinced white America not to resent this. Howard did civil rights work on a grand scale without most of his viewers being aware of it.
America needs a new Cosell. Whoever will be Joshua to Howard's Moses will be able to erode the Islamophobia how engulfing our nation and rouse blacks and others from their welfare state stupor. No easy tasks here but perhaps Kahn is our best hope. He has done admirable work so far, serving like a Kohen (Jewish Levitical priest) in the temples of the American pastime. "October Men" is a sharp, witty avodah (service) in the House That Ruth Built. Hopefully, the book will bring Bob Lemon's greatness to public attention in the fullness of time.
Despite seven 20-win seasons on the Cleveland mound it took 18 years for Lemon to be inducted into Cooperstown. Sadly, more than that amount of time has passed since Lem last managed a Yankees team and his accomplishment has yet to be lastingly acknowledged in the Bronx. But Lemon's dedication to team likely means he wouldn't want Kahn to become his PR man but continue applying his powers Cosell-like to the problems of sports and society. For Lemon and Kahn, the vehicle was and is baseball. Both show us in "October Men" that proper handling of a kid's game can do a heck of a lot for people in general.

Kahn visits the Bronx
It's neither as funny nor as thorough as Sparky Lyle's book, the Bronx Zoo, when it comes to the Yankees in 1978, but Kahn does do a good enough job of telling the history of the franchise and the main characters leading up to that classic season.

Kahn is especially good at explaining the history of Yankees ownership through the years and relating Steinbrenner's purchase of the team with that of the owners who came before him. George is given a lot more credit here than he ever got in the national press.

Like a lot of books that have come out since Billy Martin's death, this one has little sympathy for that combative, alcoholic, eccentric yet effective Yankee manager. Kahn's take on Reggie is somewhat in the middle recognizing him as a great clutch player but with too many of the same insecurities that plagued Martin. I think Kahn should be commended for his straightforward approach to the sainted Thurman Munson. He shows Munson as essential to the team and yet a little more surly than a Yankee captain should be.

I would have liked to see Kahn spend more time explaining the histories and motivations of the other important members of the team, but this book was mostly interested in the guys we already know the most about. In the end, Kahn doesn't create the classic he did with BOYS OF SUMMER, but this history is still worth reading.

Atrocious proofreading in the hardcover edition
I'm really appalled at the typos that show up in so many hardcover books these days. This one is about the worst. Call me weird, but I think that if a publisher expects you to fork over $25 for a harcover book, they should at least proofread it for typos. To wit: "(She) later became a a celebrity." That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Typos aside, Kahn has picked a worthy topic for this book. It's a fast-paced, breezy read that will be enjoyed most by baseball fans who lived through the seasons described. I don't remember Kahn being as opinionated in his previous books as he is in this one, and often times these opinions get in the way and, quite honestly, are hard to shrug off and move on from, particularly when he refers to fundamentalist Christianity as a "religious cult." He takes pot shots at Roger Angell's writing skills, and David Halberstam's fact-checking skills in his book "Summer of '49" (which is particularly amusing considering the aforementioned sloppy editing job on this book as a whole.)
Recommended for baseball fans, but stay away from the hardcover edition. I have not seen the paperback, so I can't say whether or not anybody proofread it.

A FINE REMEMBRANCE OF A REMARKABLE TEAM
The author of The Boys of Summer has now written a book about the men of October. October 1978 to be specific. Roger Kahn gives us a rambling, desultory, non linear history of that remarkable comeback season for the Yankees. His prose wanderings take us back to the 1880s and forward, past 1978, to 2003. OCTOBER MEN is like sitting down with a grand uncle and listening to the colorful musings of his life, except that here, Mr Kahn is musing about baseball history. This can be frustrating to some who want a story told in a straight forward fashion. The actual wordage given to the games played by the Yankees in 1978 would probably reduce to twenty pages. In between and before are the politics, the trades, the personality conflicts, the rows, the blustering, the bickering and the history of each persona plus related history of the game itself. But it is a great story, well-told and for those of us who remember the Yankees of that year (Reggie, Munson, Guidry, Pinella, Nettles, Dent, Sparky Lyle, Gossage, Mickey Rivers) we are treated to a fine remembrance. And, for those who were too young or too distracted to remember, it is well worth reading, for seldom comes such a remarkable team and this was one.

George, Billy, Reggie, Thurman and more
"October Men" was one of a spate of books that came out in time for the New York Yankees' 100th anniversary. This time though, its focus is on another milestone -- the Bronx Bombers' 1978 championship run, especially their comback from 14 games out to win the American League East title.

Roger Kahn ("The Boys of Summer") brings first-hand observations, strong research and a love of both sports and history to the batter's box. Kahn's insights into the insecurities of the key players are intriguing. He raises the key point that the troubled childhoods of Yankees like Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Bucky Dent both gnawed at these baseball fixtures and provided a fuel for their success.

Kahn's eye for the sensitivities of these and other tough guys of the era gives the book its charm.He helps you both shake your head at their excesses and understand where they come from. (And he smartly indicates just how much Ron Guidry, the quiet pitcher who went 25-3 in '78 was a stable and stabilizing force during the team's roller-coaster year.)

Where "October Men" bogs down is in the style. Kahn spends nearly half the book on the 1977 campaign. While the previous season, Reggie Jackson's first in pinstripes, sets the tone for the soap opera that followed the next year, it's not the main course. Kahn also spends too much time with extraneous insights about his friendships with Yankee execs George Steinbrenner and Al Rosen, troubles with short-sighted editors during his sportswriter years, and jabs at the writing style of fellow sportswriter Murray Chass.

Get past Kahn's asides, and you find a book that is enjoyable. ... Read more

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He wanted to see himself as a victim, but it was getting harder all the time.

When Coley was a kid, his brother, Patrick, showed him how to "plunk" the life-size statue of Reggie Jackson that stands in the Burkes' backyard. If you nail the statue with a baseball in just the right place, it makes a loud gonging sound. It takes "mental toughness" -- a concept that Patrick mastered but that Coley is still trying to learn.

Now Patrick is dead, killed in a drunken boating accident, and Coley is struggling to live up to their father's idealized memory of him. Like Patrick, Coley is a star high school pitcher destined for the major leagues. But an ankle injury has sidelined him for most of the season. He's flunking English and could go ineligible for the play-offs. And he's started dating Bree Madison, a gorgeous sophomore whose mysterious past is causing Coley more problems every day.

When the pressures become more than Coley can handle, he and Bree run off to Florida. There, along the crystal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Coley tries to get his mind right and understand what "mental toughness" really means.

The master of sports fiction for teenagers, James W. Bennett weaves a powerful story of memories, relationships, and high school baseball in this stunningly realistic novel.Amazon.com Review
In his senior year, Coley Burke is on top of it all, a baseball star courted by the major league scouts for his pitching arm, with his choice of college scholarships and pretty girls. He chooses red-haired Bree, who has a reputation for being hot. Their relationship mystifies him: Bree is sexually aggressive all right, but she retreats angrily whenever Coley asks questions about her family. Coley has family troubles of his own--a father who criticizes every detail of Coley's pitching and constantly holds up the example of his older brother, Patrick, now four years dead. For Coley, his relationship with his wild and athletic brother is symbolized by the metal statue of Reggie Jackson in their backyard and the gonging sound it made when the two of them used it for surreptitious target practice. But Coley is flunking English, he's injured his ankle and can't play, and when Bree tells him she's pregnant, he sees his career in the big leagues swirling down the drain if he can't solve his problems.

James W. Bennett, as always, sticks pretty close to the conventions of the sports novel--the pressuring dad, the wise coach, the sports injury, the Big Game, the career in jeopardy. There's plenty of play-by-play baseball action here, described in the jargon of the sports page, and boys looking for a straightforward sports novel with a bit of sex thrown in will be willing to forgive the half-baked psychology of this simple story that tries to be more than it is. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell ... Read more

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Patty Campbell is half baked
Patty Campbell's Amazon review of "Plunking Reggie Jackson" refers to the book's "half baked psychology."If confronting your own deficiencies and finding the courage to confess and overcome them is half baked psychology, then we should all be taken out of the oven prematurely."Plunking Reggie Jackson" is, like Bennett's other books, gritty, truthful, and multi-level.

Like his other sports novels, the book is authentic in its portrayal of high school athletes, their pressures, their boosters, coaches, and the like.Most reviewers have perceived Coley Burke as a sympathetic character with the courage to be (and become).

Maybe Patty Campbell needs to go back to the muffin tin; she might learn something. ... Read more

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The Story of Mr. October
This is the story of the most famous and outspoken member of the Great Yankee Teams of The Late 1970's. This book will take you from Reggie's childhoodto his days with the Oakland A's, The Baltimore Orioles, The Yankees, and the California (now Anaheim ) Angels. You will read his version about his quotes to the press, his relationship with Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner. A must for all Yankee Fans. ... Read more

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Designed especially for beginning readers, First-Start Biographies trace the childhood years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles and achieved greatness. Illustrated in full color. ... Read more

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A biography of the controversial baseball player who has led teams to five pennants and four World Series championships and who has been Most Valuable Player in two World Series and his own league. ... Read more

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A Good Book on Mr.October
Reggie Jackson in His Prime was like Dion Sanders,Barry Bonds&Shaq all rolled into One.He was unstoppable when it was money time&He truly was a one of a kind Personality.wherever He went He was a Winner.Reggie was something else.this is a good book that spotlights one of Baseball's Greatest's Talents Ever.

The Reggie Jackson Story- Review
The Reggie Jackson Story by Bill Libby

Reginald Martinez Jackson was born on May 18th, 1946 in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Reggie went to college at Arizona State University where he was an All-American football and baseball player.He was then drafted by the Kansas City A's in 1966 as a left-handed outfielder.He had a sensational rookie season in 1968 as he hit 29 home runs with a .250 batting average.In 1969, he had a spectacular season as he hit 47 home runs.1973 was a season to remember for Reggie!He won the Most Valuable Player award with a league leading 32 home runs and 117 RBI's.Then the A's, led by Reggie's clutch performance, won the World Series.In 1974, Reggie led the A's to another World Series victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Reggie was then traded to the Baltimore Orioles and signed with the New York Yankees in 1977. That year, the Yankees won the World Series with the help of Reggie's spectacular clutch performances.In the World Series, Reggie broke records by hitting four home runs in a row, scored ten runs, and had eight RBI's!In 1978, Reggie led the Yankees to yet another World Series victory against the Dodgers!When it came to the playoffs and the World Series, Reggie Jackson proved himself to be one of the greatest clutch hitters in the history of baseball.His clutch performances earning himself the nickname "Mr. October!"In 27 October playoff games, he hit an amazing 19 home runs, 24 RBI's, and maintained a .357 batting average. Throughout Reggie's career, he led his teams to twelve division titles and five World Series victories!Reggie Jackson was very fun to read about!This book was very well written!I would recommend this book to any sports fan! ... Read more

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In their own words, some of baseball's best (including Reggie Jackson, Dave Duncan, and Rickey Henderson) talk about superstar Ken Griffey, Jr.--covering his life both on and off the field. Full-color photos.Amazon.com Review
Though barely in mid-career, the Mariners' remarkablecenterfielder is already the stuff of legend, his bat and gloveseemingly graced with magic. But just how good is he? Ken GriffeyJr. steps up to the plate with testimonials from a lineup of 10who have competed with him, competed against him, or just marveled athis miracles, and the consensus is clear--he's that good... and better.

If you like Junior, you'll cheer this coronationthat wears his name. Part photographic tribute--see his first steptoward Cooperstown as he toddles into home in a father-son game inCincinnati in the '70s--and part tour guide to some toweringachievements, Junior asks its varied witnesses for insightsinto the player, the man, and his talents; then it presents itsfinding as oral history. Teammate Jay Buhner focuses on the power ofJunior's innate confidence; former manager Jim Lefebvre looks back atGriffey's rookie year with continued amazement ("He was so natural,and never in awe"); Tim McCarver analyzes his on-the-fieldcompleteness; slugger Reggie Jackson, after parsing Griffey's fluidswing, observes that his background as a Major League brat always madethe ballpark feel like home to him. Off the field, a representativefrom the Make-a-Wish Foundation ushers the kid-within-the-superstarinto the spotlight with her tales of his dedication to and patiencewith ailing children. It makes for an altogether exuberant look at anexuberant presence--and with hopeful expectations of what's yet tocome. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

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awesome way to learn about ken griffey jr
This book is a great way to learn about ken griffey jr. i think it is kool b/c baseball legends coaches, and anaylists such reggie jackson, rickey henderson, tony LaRusa, tim McCarver and kens griffey sr(kens dad)tell what hes like and about his work ethnics. so when u want to learn about ken griffey jr, choose this book. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 907 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies and textual cross-references to related essays. ... Read more

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Biography of Reggie Jackson Baseball Superstar ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson (born May 18, 1946), nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder who played for four different teams (twice for Oakland / Kansas City) from 1967 to 1987 and currently serves as a special advisor to the New York Yankees. Jackson helped win three consecutive World Series titles as a member of the Oakland A's in the early 1970s and also helped win two consecutive titles with the New York Yankees. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. He now resides in Carmel, California. Reggie Jackson was born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia. His father was Martínez Clarence Jackson, a former second baseman with the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues , who raised his son as a single parent after divorcing Reggie's mother. His grandmother was born in St. Croix. In Jackson's family, Martinez was a "personal" name and not a last name, his grandmother fell in love with that Spanish name and named her son "Martínez Clarence". Then, Reggie's father named him "Reggie Martínez". But "Martínez" in his family doesn't have any Latino roots, except that his grandmother lived with his family for a few years in Mexico before going to live in the United States. Jackson graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1964, where he had excelled in both football and baseball. Jackson then attended Arizona State University on a football scholarship. There, he met Jannie Campos, his first wife, a Mexican-American, learning to speak Spanish with Jannie's fathers. Reggie switched to baseball following his freshman year, impressing coach Bobby Winkles with his great baseball skill. In the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, Jackson was selected by the... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=59396 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1903 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

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This is the most widely read news weekly among Black Americans in the US and perhaps by Blacks, and others, around the Globe. Its popularity is due to its inclusiveness of events relevant to Blacks, which were often ignored by the mainstraim media. The featured artist on this issue of Jet is famed baseball player Reggie Jackson as he defends his hero image. ... Read more

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Chapters: Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, World Series Most Valuable Player Award, Gene Tenace, Mike Schmidt, Hideki Matsui, Cole Hamels, Mike Lowell, David Eckstein, Jermaine Dye. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 107. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Derek Sanderson Jeter (pronounced ; born June 26, 1974) is an American professional baseball player. He is a Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He has served as the Yankees' team captain since 2003. Jeter's presence in the Yankees' lineup, highlighted by his hitting prowess, played an instrumental role in the team's late 1990s dynasty. Jeter debuted in the Major Leagues in 1995, and the following year he won the Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Yankees win the 1996 World Series. Jeter was also a member of championship-winning teams in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. In 2000, Jeter became the only player to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year. He has been selected as an All-Star ten times, and he has won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards on four occasions. He is regarded as a consummate professional, by teammates and opponents alike, and has a reputation as a reliable contributor in the postseason. Jeter is considered to be one of the best players of his generation. He is the all-time hits leader among shortstops and his .317 career batting average through the 2009 season ranks as the fifth-highest among active players. He has been among the American League (AL) leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years. He is the all-time Yankees hit leader, passing Hall of Fame member Lou Gehrig in 2009. Jeter was born at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, in 1974. His father, Dr. Sanderson Char...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=218947 ... Read more