5 comments about You're Out and You're Ugly, Too : Confessions of an Umpire with Attitude.

1. It's a light read, but Durwood is very colorful and sincere in his writing. I felt as if he was my Grandpa sitting next to me telling me these wonderfull stories. You'll enjoy it even if you're not a baseball fan.

   If you ARE a baseball fan. You'll hesitate the next time you "boo" an umpire at a game. (but only for a second or two)

   :)




2. Durwood Merrill just passed away today, after suffering a heart attack last Sunday. Godspeed, Durwood.



3. When I first bought this book, I wasn't quite sure what to think. I had heard a few negative things about it, and kind of had a prejudice against it. Boy, was that wrong! I found this to be a very funny, lighthearted read (for the most part). There's some really wonderful insights into what it takes to become a big league umpire - never quite realized all they went through in "Umpire boot camp" (my term). It's not all fun and games, there's a few stories about how an umpire friend of his was attacked and crippled on the streets of Dallas, and the latter part talks a lot about his charity works.

   A great book - funny, light, and to be honest, something that surprised me in a very good way. What was personally annoying was that after I read this (during the last month of the 99 season), I wanted to watch Durwood, and then he up and retires during the playoffs (and then died a short time later). Damn. Really wanted to see him after reading his book. Oh well. Check it out, a good light read.




4. Somebody messed up badly. Being an amateur baseball umpire I am biased towards umpires in general and those in baseball in particular but Merrill does not do himself and his profession justice. The ghostwriter, assuming there was one, must have been drunk and illiterate and the publisher too lazy, or do we call that cost conscious, to proof read the manuscript. I ended up reading a book that should not have been published and does not do justice to a man who became an umpire in a different and much tougher era. The book does not do him justice, god rest his soul. Maybe the publisher could be so kind and honor him with and revised edition.



5. I expected a little more humor from this book judging from the title.However it was still quite interesting. It was nice to read how he worked so hard for those less fortunate. Seemed like he was a guy I would have liked to have had as a friend.

5 comments about Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth.

1. This books opens with the Great Bambino as a child. Remindingyou of your own innocent childhood. It then leaps to his professinalcareer where it slows down to one at bat. (the moment) It is written with a grace for detail that makes you feel like part of the story. You hear the crack of the bat, feel the dirt under your spikes, the "soft hardness of the base", and hear the defening sound of the crowd. This book brings tears to my eyes everytime I read it to my daughter and my son. Maybe one day they will read it to their children and know why. END



2. Purchased this for my nephew who is overweight, uncoordinated and loves playing baseball. Reading this to him increased his joy of the game and gave him confidence to keep trying to improve his own skills. Taught him to do best with the skills he had right now and even how to deal with successes in life. This level of understanding was terrific for children and adult alike. Excellent book for sharing special time with children.



3. When I first saw the cover painting by Mike Wimmer on "Home Run" I was not sure if it was supposed to be Babe Ruth. In his glory days the Bambino had a body like an inverted pyramid, with those broad shoulders tapering down to those thin little ankles and tiny feet, and there are some paintings in "Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth" that do not especially look like the Babe. However, those are few and far between.

   The text by Robert Burleigh comes in two parts. First, there is the book's narrative, a sort of lyric ode to the Babe that combines his discovering his "pretty" swing as a boy with a home run he hits off of a Red Sox pitcher years later. Second, under the narrative text there is the back of a faux-baseball card (from "The World Champion" series), that has biographical and statistical details about Ruth.

   However, the centerpiece of this book is the time at bat that takes up the last half of the book. Earlier there is a striking painting of Ruth launching a pop-up; the view is from behind the catcher who has taken off his mask, all eyes turned to the sky and the small white ball rising into the sky. Wimmer offers several unique and compelling perspectives during the home run episode as well: the Red Sox first baseman craning his neck to follow the flight of the unseen ball, the eyes of Ruth watching it disappear into the stands, the Babe's foot on first base as the pitcher stands dejectedly on the mound.

   There is a quote on the back-flap of the dust-jacket that says the "Chicago Sun-Times" described Wimmer's illustrations as "reminiscent of some of Normal Rockwell's best." Certainly there are strong similarities, especially in the painting of the fans reacting to Ruth's homerun. But with his emphasis on key details to tell the story Wimmer offers a decidedly different perspective from Rockwell that I really liked. Ultimately, it is the artwork rather than the narrative that makes this a lyrical book.




4. This is a beautiful picture book but it is for much younger children than whom i purchased it for. He is Ten and would have read it in fifteen min. not what i expected.



5. I liked it when Babe said (I like to see the skiny ball hit the fat bat). I liked it when the Author said he`s always had this swing NO coach tought him.

1 comments about Safe at Home 2: More Winning Players Talk About Baseball and Their Fatih (Safe at Home 2).

1. This book includes the stories of about twenty baseball players, their life experiences and the main focus, their Christian backgrounds. You'll find how God helped them get where they are today and how they found their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and lived for Him. For any Christian who loves baseball, this book is for you.

No comments about A Biographical Dictionary of Major League Baseball Managers.

No comments about Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and His Great Black Teams.

No comments about Babe Ruth.

No comments about Perfect Pitch.

No comments about Dravecky: A Story of Courage and Grace.

1 comments about How Far do You Wanna Go?.

1. Inspirational story by a reluctant baseball coach and mentor who helped 16 inner-city kids avoid the streets and succeed in sports and life. Tru Dixon is not perfect but he is honest, caring and willing to give of himself. When you read this book you will feel like doing something good today!

5 comments about My Time At Bat.

1. My Time At Bat: A Story Of Perseverance is the memoir of Chuck Hinton, a successful African-American player in Major League Baseball and the founder of The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. Very highly recommended reading (especially for baseball fans), My Time At Bat is highly recommended as an insightful story of one man's drive to follow his dream and make the most of what life to offer...



2. This autobiography looks back at the struggles and achievements of Chuck Hinton as a young African American ballplayer in the early 60's. He played a total of 11 seasons with four teams (and remains to this day the last Senator to bat over .300). Away from the playing field, Hinton founded the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association while guiding the Howard University baseball team to more wins than any other coach in school history. Through it all, Hinton has retained his warmth and enthusiastic spirit, an effusive nature that emanates throughout the book." -November 6 - 12, 2002



3. Chuck Hinton is, to date, the best African-American ballplayer in Washington Senators history. He and Frank Howard are the two most remembered position players from the expansion years.



4. CHUCK HINTON WRITES ABOUT HIS LIFE AND CAREER IN BASEBALL. HIS STORY HAS A WHOLE LOT OF EXCELLENT INSIGHTS HOW TO PLAY AND IMPROVE YOUR ABILITIES AS A PLAYER. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY HE SHARES HIS LIFE AS A PERSON AND BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN. CHUCK HAS SOME GREAT OPINIONS, INSIGHTS, AND EXPERIENCES TO SHARE. I SAW CHUCK PLAY AS A MEMBER OF THE CLEVELAND INDIANS, HE WAS A SOLID AND RELIABLE PLAYER. HIS BOOK IS FROM THE HEART. THE ONLY COMPLAINT IS, TOO BAD THERE WASN'T MORE. CHUCK'S BOOK IS VERY HEART WARMING AND A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FROM TODAY'S SELF CENTERED AND GREEDY ATHLETES OF TODAY. BLESS YOU CHUCK.



5. "My Time at Bat" is the biography of Chuck Hinton, who played in the American League from 1961-1971. Most people identify Chuck as a former Washington Senator, though he also played for the Indians. It is no poor reflection on Hinton that MLBB was just then starting its' decline from the "Golden Era" of 1946-1960. Expansion had begun the inevitable dissolution of the talent pool. However many fine players from the 40s and 50s were still in uniform during Chuck's career. MTB is a leisurely account of Hinton's days in the minors, majors and the US Army. MTB is filled with helpful on the field and off the field tips to survival. One point is crystal clear: The pressure is intense-players must bear down, not get distracted. Few mistakes are tolerated on the Major League level. There are some minor detractions: The photos are not of a high quality and a tad too much time is devoted to Hinton family matters. These matters are common to many sports' tales. Perhaps players wish to impart the point that they are people too. Mr. Hinton struck this reviewer as a highly principled guy and a real family man. After his ML days, Chuck was the baseball coach at Howard University. His players must have had high graduation rates! This offering will not reach the piinacle of great sports literature. However, MTB is a nice pleasant leisurely read, just right, as it says above, for the Summertime.