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This issue of SI features Darryl Strawberry on the cover, Peter Gammons baseball playoff preview, the Miami Hurricanes, Marc Wilson of the Raiders, football player Jeff Van Note, USA Today sports, Walter Byers, and much more! ... Read more

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Aus Wikipedia. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975) is an American Major League Baseball third baseman of Dominican parentage. Nicknamed "A-Rod", he currently plays third base for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez is considered one of the best all-around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939. In December 2007, Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to a 10-year, $275 million contract. This contract was the richest contract in baseball history (breaking his previous record of $252 million). In February 2009, after previously denying use of performance-enhancing drugs, including during a 2007 interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, Rodriguez admitted to using steroids, saying he used them from 2001 to 2003 due to what he called "an enormous amount of pressure" to perform. Rodriguez was born in the Washington Heights section of New York City to a Dominican family. When he was four, Rodriguez and his parents moved to the Dominican Republic, then to Miami, Florida. Rodriguez's favorite baseball players when he was growing up were Keith Hernandez, Dale Murphy, and Cal Ripken, and his favorite team was the New York Mets. Rodriguez was a star shortstop at Miami's Westminster Christian High School. In 100 games he batted .419 with 90 steals. Westminster went on to win the high school national championship in his junior year. He was first team prep All-American as a senior, hitting .505 with 9 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 35 steals in 35 tries in 33 games, and was selected as the USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year and as Gatorade's national baseball student athlete of the year. Rodriguez was the first high school player to ever try out for Team USA in 1993, and was regarded as the top prospect in the count...http://booksllc.net/?l=de ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Joe Dimaggio, Barry Bonds, Darryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, Vladimir Guerrero, Andre Dawson, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Babe Ruth, Jim Thorpe, Grady Sizemore, Harold Baines, Rick Ankiel, Luis González, Manny Ramírez, Albert Pujols, Juan Samuel, Andre Ethier, Dale Murphy, Ron Leflore, Marquis Grissom, Jason Kubel, Otis Nixon, Ty Cobb, Dave Parker, Juan Pierre, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Finley, Matt Holliday, Rick Monday, Vince Coleman, Jon Nunnally, Shawn Green, Jim Edmonds, Lefty O'doul, Kosuke Fukudome, Eric Hinske, Lenny Dykstra, Josh Anderson, Hank Aaron, Corey Patterson, Gabe Kapler, José Bautista, Pete Rose, Willie Mcgee, Juan Rivera, Frank Robinson, Fred Lynn, Mike Cameron, Sammy Sosa, Eric Byrnes, Delmon Young, Carl Crawford, David Justice, Ben Francisco, Eric Davis, Andy Van Slyke, Juan González, Mickey Mantle, Austin Kearns, Matt Laporta, Kirk Gibson, Chipper Jones, Lonnie Smith, Vernon Wells, Endy Chávez, Brett Gardner, George Bell, Denard Span, Michael Bourn, Rondell White, Lastings Milledge, Pedro Guerrero, Willie Mays, Shane Victorino, José Canseco, Jay Buhner, Adam Jones, Shin-Soo Choo, Nick Markakis, B. J. Upton, Matt Kemp, Fernando Perez, Lou Montañez, Manny Mota, Willy Taveras, Rajai Davis, Roberto Clemente, Rickey Henderson, Larry Doby, Nolan Reimold, Hubie Brooks, Matt Joyce, Jason Bay, Brennan Boesch, Ryan Sweeney, Darnell Mcdonald, Justin Ruggiano, John Vander Wal, Jody Gerut, Ryan Church, Burt Shotton, Don Kelly, Larry Parrish, Jason Pridie, Ron Fairly, Ben Grieve, Paul O'neill, Carlos Quentin, Dave Martinez, Jason Heyward, Andruw Jones, Josh Hamilton, Félix Pie, Adam Dunn, Travis Buck, Bo Jackson, Mitch Maier, Alejandro de Aza, Tris Speaker, Elijah Dukes, Ellis Valentine, Reggie Jackson, Dexter Fow...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry, whose achievements on the field were often overshadowed by his struggles off the field, recounts the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned along the way that allowed him to survive.

Customer Reviews (15)

NOW DARRYL DOES NOT DRAW THE SHORT STRAW
DARRYL AND JOHN STRAUSBAUGH DO A GREAT JOB TELLING THIS INTERESTING AND DRAMA PACKED STORY. STRAW WAS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED PLAYERS OF THE 80'S AND 90'S. HE COMBINED A GREAT ARM, SPEED AND POWER TO BECOME ONE OF THE ELITE PLAYERS IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE. ALONG THE WAY HE BECAME ADDICTED TO BOOZE, DRUGS AND SEX. DARRYL WAS RAISED BY A VERY LOVING MOTHER AND AN ABUSIVE ALCOHOLIC FATHER. DARRYL WOULD FALL IN TO THIS PATTERN FOR A GREAT DEAL OF HIS ADULT LIFE. I WON'T GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT THE DRAMA AND DAMAGE DARRYL PUT HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY IN. HIS TELLING OF THE ADDICTION IS FRIGHTNING, HORRIBLE, POWERFUL AND ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE THAT HE SOME HOW SURVIVED TO TELL HIS STORY. HE ALSO WAS STRICKEN WITH CANCER, DEATH OF HIS MOTHER, BANKRUPCY, 2 DIVORCES AND A RETURN OF HIS CANCER. DARRYL TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO BEAT HIS ADDICTION THRU REHAB, AA AND NA. HE ALWAYS RELAPSED. FINALLY NEAR THE END, HE DISCOVERED GOD AND BECAME A CHRISITIAN. HE IS A SERIOUS AND VERY ACTIVE MEMBER IN HIS FELLOWSHIP. HE ALSO HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AND DABLE A BIT IN BRAODCASTING. TODAY DARRYL IS NO LONGER THE BRASH, PARTYING ATHLETE WHO SPENT MONEY LIKE IT GREW ON TREES. HE IS VERY HUMBLE,SIMPLE AND DOWN TO EARTH. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND I APPLAUD DARRYL FOR HIS TRUTH AND HONESTY IN HIS TELLING OF THIS MUST READ BOOK.

Strong
I was a big baseball fan growing up. Darryl played for my beloved Mets. I, like many other fan from the NYC area
both loved and berated him during his time on the club. While reading the book I could see a vulnerable human
being that I could identify with completely. I thought that I wouldn't have been able to because of where he came
from, the fame and fortune that he enjoyed, and finally by the depths that he had sunk to.

But, as I continued to read I found numerous similarities in backgrounds and the feelings that he felt while he was
going through his rough times. I found that he came through with great humility. There were parts of the book that
were completely moving. I'll leave it at that. I enjoyed the read.

D. Strawberry Book
My boyfriend was thrilled with this book!It was a Christmas present and it arrived on time and in excellent condition!

An Issue of Credibility
I remember the great athletic ability of Darryl Strawberry; the man who once hit a titanic home run at old Busch Stadium in 1985, that banged off the Longines clock way out in right field.He was truly "the man".

I also remember the forlorn look on his face during the 1986 World Series when the taunting Boston fans were chanting, in unison, the derisive, "Dar-ryl"; repeatedly.Clearly, this man was still in many ways, a vulnerable young man; almost a boy.I felt sorry for the kid, and wasn't overly displeased when the Mets went on to win that World Series.Being from St Louis, I really disliked the Mets, ever since Keith Hernandez went over there, mid-way through the dismal '83 season.

Still, the Cards-Mets rivalry in the mid '80s was an enjoyable episode for fans in both New York & St Louis.Strawberry, a very talented slugger, seemed to have everything going for him as he cruised through the decade.

The dangerous combination of money, "rock star" fame, a troubled childhood with an abusive father, and a permissive society, made it all too easy for Strawberry to escape into the abyss of drugs and alcohol.Like his father, he became an abusive and forlorn husband; his slide deeper into the abyss left him on the outside of baseball's glamorous world; suddenly an outcast.This only perpetuated the situation.

Has Darryl Strawberry really "found his way", or is that just a convenient way of pretending everything's okay now?Has the "finding my way" slogan just been conjured up to sell books; has he really found redemption in God, or is that just another folly in the saga of Straw's checkered history of alcohol & drug abuse?As a society, we tend to give people the benefit of the doubt; however, based on past performance, there's an issue of credibility for this man.I hope I'm wrong.

In the meantime, I found his story to be interesting, but not as compelling as it might have been if I didn't somehow think this was bit of a fairy tale, told by the author.I really hope he lives happily ever after.Only time will tell.

Interesting Read for '86 Met Fans
This book was an interesting read for someone who followed the 1986 Mets and Strawberry through the years. It gives a lot of insight into his early years of baseball, what players are thinking and how they feel as they are becoming a baseball superstar. The reviews pretty much cover what's inside the book, but I found the chapters on the '86 championship year the best part of the book. Strawberry really brings you inside the team, the personalities, and the high expectations on himself and the team. He also talks about returning to L.A. to play for the Dodgers and his reasoning for joining the Yankees in the late 90s. Overall I rated the book four stars because there are some chapters that didn't catch my attention but the good ones are worth the price especially if you get this book on Kindle for less. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Guaranteed to dominate the sports page, this inside story of the trials and tribulations of two of baseball's biggest and brightest stars relates the hopes, heartbreaks, excesses, and exorcisms of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. of photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

mmm mmm good
dis is very goods book. me recomend to people who enjoy thrilly baseball parties

Orange and blue
High and Tight is a tried and true page-turner, an excellent sociological study of two rising urban stars who found that life in the big apple was too much for them to handle.The book also reveals some interesting stories concerning the other members of the 1986 Mets, a team divided in two camps-bible beaters and party animals.

Turns out this was just part one
HIGH AND TIGHT could have been one of those works that is closer to an overblown magazine article than a full-fledged book.But author Bob Klapisch keeps the pages turning, and it's over quicker than a 1985 at-batagainst Dwight Gooden and, unlike that at-bat, leaves you wanting more. The new book HEAT by Gooden and Klapisch serves as a part two for Doc. With Darryl Strawberry's Yankees comeback and subsequent health challenges,can yet another entry be far off?

"High and Tight" A Majestic Homerun
Having grown up and watching Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden shine for the Big Apple's "other team," I was initially afraid to read this book. I was afraid of the brutal honesty that I would encounter and about tarnishing the images of my two childhood heroes.I was right, the book is brutaly honest,yet so captivating, I really couldn't put it down.The book follows the careers of the two men from thier days growing up to their darkest hours. I really enjoyed watching both players before I read the book, but after reading it, I feel as though I know them personally and was right there with them during all of the incidents that took place.I respect these two men so much for having conqured their demons.Nothing they acomplish on thefield could ever equal themagnitude of the personal victories that they have attained. Kudos to author Bob Klapisch for capturing the reader's attention with his captive descriptions of the players' individual situations.

Great book.
Very sad, but honest story. There were things in the book I never knew. I recommend it to any baseball fan ... Read more

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Follows the life and career of the baseball player who was named Rookie of the Year in the National League in 1983. ... Read more

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The major league superstar offers a behind-the-scenes look at his private life--his alcohol abuse and rehabilitation and his disputes with his wife--and his public life--including conflicts with teammates and managers and his bitter contract negotiations. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Shy of Greatness.. Shy on Humility
This book was written after the 1991 season, his last solid season in the majors. He spends most of the book pontificating on how great he is and how his teammates couldn't perform on a consistent basis to help the Mets. When the Mets did well, it was because of him. When they didn't win... hey he can't do it all... my teammates stink.

He feels free to rip teammates while exempting himself. Case in point: '86 World Series. In one of the games Hernandez fielded a bunt and threw it away to center trying to get the runner at second. He lets Keith have it. Then he barely mentions how he botched a Rich Gedmen fly ball in game 7, pushing it over the wall for a Red Sox Homer. Also he sulks an incredible amount for being pulled in 6 six in a double switch for Kevin Mitchell. Hey it worked! Deal with it and be thankful you won.

The only reason I didn't give this one star is you can clearly see the pressure he was under to be the next great baseball superstar. Pressure put on him by others, but also, more importantly by himself. I believe he desperately wanted to achieve, but the pressure prevented him from pushing past the cusp of very good to a great player. You can feel the pressure he was under in this book.

He takes continual shots at the Mets. Claiming racism for part of the reason he was let go (the Mets shaft Ray Knight for much less $ in '87). It may be true, I don't know, but he has few kind words for the Front Office. If this book were written any later he would have had to address how he went from very good to pretty poor player... which couldn't have been written with the same attitude.

Excellent story
This book is great.It provides a real life drama of a superstar once destined to reach the hall of fame, and his battles with fame, alcohol, and drugs, and his battle to win his life back. ... Read more

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Roger Clemens/Darryl Strawberry brings these two legendary players straight into the homes of their millions of fans. With action-packed photos and record sheets for the 1988 season, it is a must-have for every baseball aficionado. Original. ... Read more

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If you could ask Darryl Strawberry one question, what would it be? Would you ask him about baseball? Substance abuse? The role of faith and prayer in his life? Family? Cancer? Fear? Failure? Courage?? Tough to decide? Plough makes it easy. We asked Darryl all the questions we could think of, and he gave us answers - simple, honest, and hard-hitting. But we didn't stop there: we asked his wife, Charisse, to share her views as well. Think of this book as a conversation: a discourse between two people who've lived their entire shared lives in the spotlight, yet remain essentially 'ordinary' at heart. Whether you're captivated by baseball or not, you'll find yourself responding to the forthright nature of this book, which deals less with baseball than it does with issues such as battling cancer, addictions, and depression. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Baseball Playing Chickens
I was surprised this book did not mention anything about baseball playing chickens.

recovering life
Knowing what was going on in this mans life, this book was a chance to make money and not a true reflection of what he was really doing in his life.This book and the dishonesty involved in telling this story was only the beginning of Darryl's dishonesty with his peers and the public but most of all with himself and those he was hurting.I can only hope and pray this family is finally getting honest, once and for all to save his life.

HE BROKE THE LAW!!!
I AM DUMBFOUNDED AFTER READING THIS BOOK ABOUT ANOTHER VICTIM, THAT PEOPLEFEEL SORRY FOR HIM AFTER HE BROKE THE LAW MORE THAN ONCE.I AM SORRY ABOUTHIS CANCER BECAUSE NO ONE DESERVES THAT, BUT THIS MAN HAS HAD MANY CHANCESTO BE A GREAT ONE AND HE BLEW IT. FOR THAT,I AM NOT BUYING INTO THESO-CALLED COURAGE THIS COUPLE HAS HAD TO ENDURE BECAUSE IT WAS OF HIS OWNDOING.LIKE BILL CLINTON,WE SHOULD ALL FORGIVE HIM WHILE HE GOES THROUGH HISPROCESS.WHAT HAVE WE AS A NATION BECOME.

Still totally relevant!
This story is in no way diminished by the relapses that Strawberry deals with in life. The title is "Recovering Life" and "recovering" is an on-going process. Read the book, join thebattle, root and pray for The Straw and all the rest who battle withaddictions. The game isn't over until its over,(and I don't mean baseball).

Straw is still the man
Darryl's and Charisse Strawberry 's book is a touching and true story of what a proffessional athlete has to deal with beyond the game.I played baseball with Straw in St. Paul when he was a Saint - trying to get back tothe bigs, and I feel lucky to call him a friend.. too many people are readyto judge a man from the outside without gettting to know him on theinside.. We all deserve a 2nd chance and even a 3rd and 4th chancesometimes... Recovering Life talks about the struggles.. the defeats andthe tiny victories along the way - for a husband and wife who truely sharedlove and conqured addiction.. disease and depression... this is a greatbook by a good man ... Read more

Product Description
The year was 1979 and the fifteen teenagers on the Crenshaw High Cougars were the most talented team in the history of high school baseball. Most of the team were drafted into professional baseball. Two of them, Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown, would reunite as teammates on a National League All-Star roster. But Michael Sokolove's The Ticket Out is more a story of promise denied than of dreams fulfilled.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Life's true stories are often tough to read
I bought this book for my son, who has faced his own challenges in a world that pre-judges who he might be.It moved him, inspired him, gave him both hope and the courage to keep making forward progress.

Good Book
An "excellent" book. A story detailing many people, but, in particular aperson of "exceptional ability" and "train wreck" personality. A book everyone should read and learn from. It's a "fine line" that seperates any of us from following the path "Darryl Strawberry" took. Get it, Read it, Pass it on.

LIFE + SPORTS = LIFE
One of the greatest anomalies associated with athletics is that the "Best" are many times not successful.Talk to any professional athlete and they can tell you stories about great athletes that they played with or against that were better than they were, or even better than anyone that they had ever seen, but didn't make it to the pros or into to world class competitions.The variables of injuries, families, lack of discipline, luck or just plain life can wreck the possibility of any athletic career.Every practice, game, interview or even date can end the journey.More than any other profession, whether they show respect for it or not, professional athletes will tell you that they are one of the luckiest people on Earth.Their talent, luck and extreme level of desire does set them apart from most mortal men.The Ticket Out is one of the best presentations on how Life plus Sports usually just equals Life.

The Boys Of Crenshaw each had all the talent and training requirements necessary to be successful professional baseball players.Although they didn't really know it then, their team is American legend and they provide us with a very compelling drama.As a team they were the perfect research data pool to logically examine life and sports.As a group whose careers were not affected by major injuries their results of everything from incarceration with "three strikes" to one of the greatest natural home run hitters to ever play the game really does cover all possibilities, except the status of hero.

Sports or not, everyone in the game of life is dealt a hand.Even a group of the "Best of the Best" still have to deal with their own personal hand of cards.The Ticket Out shows how if you start in South Central Los Angeles, trying to be successful in any profession, it's a challenge.Although the exposure and training is there, the baggage a Black family carries to California in a migration for a better life can be a lot to overcome.Also children growing up in a community that is not always honest with itself can make life very daring.

Through baseball, The Ticket Out is really a great story about how South Central Los Angeles was created and how it can effect even the greatest talents.This baseball book about life is very interesting.I think we need more books that use our common interests to discuss our lives.

The most disturbing thing for any real baseball fan will be the lack of discussion about Lee May, who did have a real professional baseball career.

Unfortunately, people that are not into baseball will probably not buy this book and miss out on one of the most simple yet informative discussions on prison terms and the "three strikes" laws that you will ever find.

I'm a baseball fan and The Ticket Out provides a lot of interesting baseball and a lot of Daryl Strawberry legend, but it's really about Life + Sports = Life.

Outstanding Book!
This book was truly an outstanding piece of work.When I purchased it, I thought it would mostly be about Darryl Strawberry and a little about the others.I was wrong, Michael Sokolove does an outstanding job researching (and you can see he has spent countless hours finding out information about all the players and Brooks Hurst) and portraying each of the individuals who made up the team.One gets to know the individuals and the author makes you want to reach out to those who got caught up in the inner city after their opportunity to leave was lost.The only part missing from this book was the only player drafted not to be profiled: Lee Mays.The book leaves you wondering what happened to him.

Good overall book, but not really about baseball
I have to say, I was a little mislead by the subtitle of this book, Darryl Strawberry and the boys of Crenshaw. I was expecting the book to give me more about the boys, and what happened to them, both during their days at Crenshaw and afterwards.
The author provides some of that, but he also provides alot of social commentary. Now, while it was interesting to learn of the conditions of the prisons in the 1990s, and the affect of the three strikes law, I wanted to learn more about what happened to the guys, and why. To hear more about baseball.
Still, overall it's a good book. Just doesn't really delve too deeply into it's title subjects.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

bad examples are the easiest to learn
There's not much left to say about the waste of talent that Strawberry and Doc Gooden represented after the Mets' 86 season. Still, for many, there's much to learn. This book can help. ... Read more

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In Slouching Toward Fargo, author Neal Karlen describes his two-year journey with the St. Paul Saints--the most audacious bushleague ballclub ever to plumb the bottom of the pro sports barrel. Coowned by comedian Bill Murray and run by Mike Veeck--son of the infamous sports promoter Bill Veeck--this motley collection of mutts, hopefuls, and has-beens has become a national phenomenon for playing with as much gusto off the field as on ... while proudly adhering to the timeless sports credo that it takes heart, skill, and cheap theatrics to plant devoted butts in stadium seats. This is where Darryl Strawberry was rehabilitated (the first time) and began his long comeback climb to the Majors. Jack Morris--once baseball's winningest pitcher and biggest s.o.b.--joined the team only to vanish without a trace. Baseball's first female player, Ila Borders, made history on the mound of the Saints' ever-sold-out Midway Stadium. And St. Louis Cardinals phenom, J.D. Drew, played here for $300 a month while holding out for Major League millions. Here is the true story of one championship season and one complete collapse; a tale told with high spirits and genuine affection of frantic fans and baseball Annies, a back-rubbing nun, a blind sportscaster, and a 300-pound pig ballboy; a glorious celebration of the boys who still play the game for the best of reasons: SO THEY CAN GET CHICKS.

A resourceful veteran writer, Karlen spends thesummers of 1996 and 1997 following the mismatched misfits who moldthemselves into the St. Paul Saints of the unaffiliated A-levelNorthern League, one of the strangest clubs in one of the oddestleagues in the history of organized baseball. On one level, hischronicle is a certified hoot; the presence of team owners Murray andMike Veeck, who inherited his father's gene for baseball theatrics,ensures that Fargo flirts with the unpredictable. But this isalso a circumspect tale filled with second chances--not the least ofwhich is Karlen's own redemption as a journalist, which resonates incounterpoint throughout. His adventure begins at a personal crisispoint when he accepts an assignment from Wenner, who's had alongstanding grudge against Murray, to follow the comedian and do ahatchet-job on him for Rolling Stone. Karlen needs the check,sure, but he needs a reality check too. "It was time to put myscorecard in order," he admits; after all, this isn't hisgrudge. Can you hear the bass chord of conscience beginning to thrum?"As I followed the team, I would be searching for some clue to my ownbattered spirit." By the end of his journey, both the clues and theSaints entertainingly add up to a winning volume and a winningteam. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Diamond in the Rough
`Slouching Toward Fargo' could well turn the phrase "bush league" from a term of derision into a complement. Free lance writer Neal Karlen spent two years following the Saint Paul Saints, a team on the bottom rung of the bush leagues, and discovered a place where baseball is still fun; a place far enough away from the big corporate business that the major leagues have become that players and fans still remember what the game is all about. Here, outrageous stunts and promotions amuse enthusiastic fans, while the last-chance ballplayers play the game with great passion if not always great talent.
Karlen started following the Saints on an assignment from Rolling Stone. Jan Wenner, Rolling Stone's publisher and founding editor had a grudge against actor Bill Murray, one of the Saint's owners, and wanted a hatchet job article to run on him and his ball team.Karlen, who had worked for the magazine in the past and was no stranger to hatchet job journalism, was promised a handsome fee to deliver Murray and his team carved on a platter.
Despite the worst of intentions, Karlen was infected by the Saints and their ethos of fun and healing through the power of baseball. That philosophy had a positive effect on everyone, from owners Bill Murray (funny man actor and abdicated Hollywood superstar) and Mike Veeck (son of baseball legend Bill Veeck and banished from the major leagues because of his disastrous 1979 Disco Night promotion in Chicago) to onetime superstar Darryl Strawberry making a last ditch effort to return to major league glory, down through the no name guys who were fighting for their last chance to be professional ballplayers. It took hold of Karlen as well; he cancelled the hatchet job story, and instead wrote this book celebrating the fun and joy of baseball.
Karlen's writing is closer to utility infielder quality than superstar slugger, but a utility infielder having a very good game. It would have been hard to make an error with a story this rich. The drama includes the blackballed Darryl Strawberry magnificently working his way back to the major leagues and World Series glory, the first female to pitch in a professional men's league, a legless second baseman, a blind radio color anouncer, two managers sumo wrestling on the diamond after being thrown out of the game by the umpires, a pig who brings balls to the umpires, and the ghost of the outrageous Bill Veeck, present through his ashes in a coffee can and reaching out from beyond the grave to continue his unique brand of whacky baseball fun. Karlen didn't have to be a slugger to hit a home run on this story; he just had to swing the bat, and despite some sloppy editting, his story scores.
If you love the game of baseball, then this book is a must read. If you once loved the game, but have lost your passion for it and become cynical because of the corporate farce that the major leagues have become, then read this book to remember why you fell in love in the first place.

Theo Logos

A Book As Wild, Wacky And Wonderful As The Team It Covers
This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Neal Karlen was a writer for Rolling Stone, sent to St. Paul, Minnesota to "get the dirt" on Bill Murray, iconoclastic actor and part owner of the St. Paul Saints. The Saints are a minor league baseball team, part of the independent Northern League, and operated by Mike Veeck, son of the legendary Hall of Famer Bill Veeck. (Casual baseball fans will most likely recall the senior Veeck for having sent midget Eddie Gaedel up to bat as a pinch hitter. It was only one of many colorful stunts by the games' most creative promoter ever).

Karlen sticks around for a couple of years; the story for Rolling Stone never materializes, but along the way this book emerges, as much about Karlen's crisis of spirit as it is about the Saints and the zany cast of characters surrounding them. But along the way we meet many of those who have given the Saints and the Northern League their unique cachet: on the field performers like former Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry, who temporarily redeems his life and career during a two-month stay with the Saints; former pitching star Jack Morris, seeking one more taste of glory, but on his terms only; Ila Borders, the first female to play in a professional game; and Wayne "Twig" Terwillliger, player and coach for 50 seasons and quiet representative of so much that's right with the game.

There are also wonderful portraits of Sister Rosalind. the nun who offers massages at games; a blind radio announcer convinced he's on his way to the big leagues;an employee of one of the Saints' rivals who earns the title "Most Beloved Woman in the Northern League" and others who find solace, healing and a chance to keep dreaming dreams in this strange, wacky, wonderful firmamenent. I really hated to come to the end of this one. The empty feeling was almost as bad as the night the World Series ends.

Doesn't get more charming than this
Totally winning, both as a portrait of a team (and town) with heart and of a freelance writer who's struggling with the angel (good, real reporting) and devil (fat Rolling Stone paycheck) on his shoulders. The angel wins, and the reader can't help but cheer. Sex, strong women, kooky characters, fiercely loyal fans, minor-league silliness, bratwurst and the honest-to-God love of baseball, which weirdly enough persists no matter how disillusioning the world gets--this book's for anyone who likes Bull Durham, scrappy writers, or independence of spirit in any form. Ignore the minor editing errors; the book's worth it.

one of top baseball books i have read
i didn't think the minor leagues could be as interesting as the majors, but this proves i was wrong.

Hilarious - Couldn't Put It Down!
I picked this up at my boyfriend's house, read the first few pages, and stayed home on the sofa for an entire weekend because I couldn't put this book down.I'm not a baseball fan, and not from the Midwest, but Karlen's hilarious and equally moving tale of his two years following around this team of wanna-bes, has-beens, and dreamers (some who "made it," some who didn't) had me chortling out loud and even getting teary-eyed at times.This is really a book about Karlen's own search not just for material for his Rolling Stone article (how this book began), but for his own soul as well. Karlen's writing is always entertaining, leaving you wanting more.I'm buying a bunch of these as late Christmas presents -- it's the best gift I can think of.Uplifting, thought-provoking, and one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. You'll never find characters like this in fiction -- what's amazing is they're all real.It should be a movie. ... Read more

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Magazine published monthly ... 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 242 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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This digital document is an article from Black Enterprise, published by Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., Inc. on August 1, 2009. The length of the article is 755 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Back talk with Darryl Strawberry.(Interview)
Author: Dale R. Coachman
Publication: Black Enterprise (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., Inc.
Volume: 40Issue: 1Page: 88(1)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
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 2716 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

Product Description
Who is Pete Rose? Is he Charlie Hustle, the all-American kid who never grew up, who pushed and stretched himself to get the most out of his limited talent, who would do anything in his power to win and to be a part of the game he loved? Or is he the bloated ex-athlete who broke baseball's one absolute taboo, and who was willing to drag down the whole structure of the sport to save himself?

In January 2004, Pete Rose publicly admitted to betting on baseball and began his controversial campaign to get himself off the ineligible list and into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His recently published autobiography, the baseball legend's selective telling of the truth, only furthers the myth and the mystery that surrounds him.

With a new, updated introduction by the author, and packed with interviews with Rose's family, his teammates, sportswriters, and police investigators, Hustle is the real, objective story of the life of Pete Rose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Remarkably Evenhanded
I am no Reds fan and was only casually interested in Pete Rose before reading the book.

I thought the author was remarkably evenhanded in writing about Rose.The book is soup-to-nuts, it talks about Rose's parents in great depth.The author did not have access to Rose's children, nor that many teammates from the Reds.But he spoke to just about everybody else.

This book is NOT a hatchet job.Sokolove comes out strongly for Rose's enshrinement in Coopertwon, but wants him banned permanently from the game.He makes a convincing point that the "character" issue that gets cited by Rose's detractors is vague and meaningless and should NOT be used to keep Rose out of Cooperstown.

He does not speculate why Rose seems so obsessed about Coopertwon, though.

He also comes up with some great points that as a player, Rose was quite overrated.But he also gives Rose credit in many ways.Rose was friendly to most sportswriters for selfish purposes but also for other reasons.

Bottom line, Rose comes across as a nuanced character in this book, not a sterotype.That is quite an accomplishment.

Amazing incite into Pete Rose: the man, the legend, the gambler.
A very well written book about Pete Rose. I had always been a fan of Pete's and wondered why people would critisize him so much for betting on baseball (when he would only bet for his team to win...), and now I understand. This book gives you a peek into Pete's life that no news reporter has ever been able to share with the public.

I am always critical of reporters but Michael Sokolove's reporting will make you step back and take another look at Pete Rose the man, and will make you wonder if he really cares about anybody but himself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any baseball/sports fan. I loved it so much that I bought another copy for my father for christmas this year.

Charlie Hustle exposed
This book nicely represents the seedy side of Pete Rose - a man with no real friends and very few principles.Sokolove portrays Rose as being only out for himself, illustrated at its peek in his chase for Cobb's record.It was interesting to read how many of his contemporaries felt Rose looked foolish chasing the record with such diminished skills.

What may be even sadder is how the Commissioners' office looked the other way for so many years as his gambling problem grew worse.Bowie Kuhn really does not come out looking really strong in his attempt to "clean up" baseball, especially after the drug scandals of the late 70s.Unfortunately, his office's refusal to seriously confront Rose in the 70s led Rose to believe that he was beyond the rules.And, as usually occurs, this led to the crash and destruction of a supposed American hero - finally exposed for his lies and selfishness.The truth must really hurt for his fans in Cincinnati, who praised and adored him for so many years.Somewhere, Ray Fosse is smiling right now.

Depressing
Anyone who grew up a Reds fan in the 70's will find this book disturbing and depressing, to say the least.
No one should feel sorry for Pete Rose, he brought his troubles all on himself.What is depressing are the number of enablers he had around him beginning with Major League Baseball itself!Pete's problems could have been confronted as early as 1970 but since he put "fannies in the seats" both the Reds and the commisioners office chose to look the other way.
I reccomend this book not just as a biography but also a study of self destructive behavior and enabling an addict.
After you're finished find something humorous to read, you'll need it.

Pete Rose is white trash
Pete Rose is white trash, that is what is comes down to.

Pete Rose is a real jerk.The guy could play baseball, but that's it.

As a person, he is a jerk.

As least he will never get into the baseball hall of fame. If Pete Rose got into that sacred place, it would be a shame. ... Read more