Listing of player autobiographies/biographies

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Let's start a list of autoboigraphies/biographies of players. This would help folks here when they are looking for good books to read. After a while I'll collate the book titles into an easy to read list. Please list the title, author, year published and weblink (if possible)

Honus Wagner
1. Honus Wagner, A Biography by Dennis DeValeria, Jeanne Burke DeValeria (1998)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0822956659/qid=1128526582/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0604287-5711803?v=glance&s=books

2. Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's "Flying Dutchman" by Arthur D. Hittner (2003)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786418117/qid=1128526493/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-0604287-5711803?v=glance&s=books



Rogers Hornsby
1. Rogers Hornsby: A Biography by Charles C. Alexander (1996)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805046976/qid=1128526787/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0604287-5711803?v=glance&s=books

2. Rogers Hornsby : A Biography (Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters) by Jonathan D'Amore (2004)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0313328706/qid=1128526913/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/103-0604287-5711803?v=glance&s=books

3. My war with baseball by Rogers Hornsby (1962)

[Honus Wagner Rules]

bump

No one else has any player bios to recommend? :lookitup

[julusnc]

My Thirty Years in Baseball by John McGraw

[julusnc]

Uncle Robbie (Wilbert Robinson) by Jack Kavanagh and Norman Macht

[tmagnum06]

Mickey Mantle
The Mick(1986), All My Octobers(1994), My Favorite Summer 1956(1992), A Hero All His Life(1996)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0515085995/qid=1129305387/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/002-7035148-0657649?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060177977/qid=1129305574/sr=1-47/ref=sr_1_47/002-7035148-0657649?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440212030/qid=1129305574/sr=1-44/ref=sr_1_44/002-7035148-0657649?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060183632/qid=1129305387/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/002-7035148-0657649?v=glance&s=books

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Were's Bill Burgess? No Ty Cobb bios Bill?

[Sultan_1895-1948]

The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great - Rick Huhn

[WJackman]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786420065/102-7681587-5869767?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

[wamby]

Were's Bill Burgess? No Ty Cobb bios Bill?

The best baseball bio is Ty Cobb by Charles Alexander.

Some other good ones:

Jackie Robinson by Arnold Rampersad
Babe Ruth: Launching the Legend By Jim Reisler
Luckiest Man by Jonathan Eig
Judge and Jury (have to look up authors name)
Hal Chase by Martin Kohout
John McGraw by Charles Alexander

I have to look up some titles for books about Dizzy Dean, John Montgomery Ward, Ban Johnson, Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, John McGraw & Casey Stengel and Mel Allen.

[dgarza]

Dick Allen

Crash : the life and times of Dick Allen
Dick Allen; Tim Whitaker
1989

September swoon : Richie Allen, the '64 Phillies, and racial integration
William C Kashatus
2004

[dgarza]

Johnny Allen

Fiery fast-baller : the life of Johnny Allen, World Series pitcher
Wint Capel
2001

[dgarza]

Don Baylor

Don Baylor : nothing but the truth, a baseball life
Don Baylor; Claire Smith
1989

[dgarza]

Bobby Bonds

Bobby Bonds, rising superstar
George Sullivan
1976

[dgarza]

Eric Davis

Born to play : the Eric Davis story : life lessons in overcoming adversity on and off the field
Eric Davis; Ralph Wiley
1999

[dgarza]

Andre Dawson

Andre Dawson
Andre Dawson; Tom Bird
1994

Hawk : an inspiring story of success at the game of life and baseball
Andre Dawson; Tom Bird
1994

[dgarza]

Rich Gossage

The Goose is loose
Goose Gossage; Russ Pate
2000

[dgarza]

Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry, Louisiana lightning
Maury Allen
1979

Guidry
Ron Guidry; Peter Golenbock
1980

Sports hero, Ron Guidry
Marshall Burchard
1981

[dgarza]

Mike Hargrove

Safe at home : a baseball wife's story
Sharon Hargrove; Richard Hauer Costa
1989

[dgarza]

Babe Herman

Brooklyn's Babe : the story of Babe Herman
Tot Holmes
1990

[dgarza]

Frank Howard

Frank Howard, the gentle giant,
Albert Hirshberg
1973

[dgarza]

Dummy Hoy

The signal season of Dummy Hoy : a comedy in two acts
Allen Meyer; Michael Nowak
1986

[dgarza]

Joe Jackson

Say it ain't so, Joe! : the story of Shoeless Joe Jackson
Donald Gropman
1979

Shoeless : the life and times of Joe Jackson
David L Fleitz
2001

Joe Jackson : a biography
Kelly Boyer Sagert
2004

[dgarza]

Tommy John

The Tommy John story
Tommy John; Sally John; Joe Musser
1978

Tommy John
S H Burchard
1981

The Sally and Tommy John story : our life in baseball
Sally John; Tommy John
1983

TJ : my twenty-six years in baseball
Tommy John; Dan Valenti
1991

[dgarza]

Bob Johnson

Bright star in a shadowy sky : the story of Indian Bob Johnson
Patrick J McGrath; Terrence K McGrath
2002

[dgarza]

Jim Kaat

Safe at home!
Jim Kaat
1960s?

Still pitching : musings from the mound and the microphone
Jim Kaat; Phil Pepe
2003

[dgarza]

John Kruk

"I ain't an athlete, lady-- " : my well-rounded life and times
John Kruk; Paul Hagen
1994

[dgarza]

Fred Lynn

Sports hero, Fred Lynn
Marshall Burchard
1976

Fred Lynn : the hero from Boston
Edward F Dolan; Richard B Lyttle
1978

[dgarza]

Sal Maglie

The Sal Maglie story.
Milton J Shapiro
1957

Close shave : the life and times of baseball's Sal Maglie
James Szalontai
2002

[dgarza]

Minnie Minoso

Extra innings : my life in baseball
Minnie Minoso; Fernando Fernández; Robert Kleinfelder
1983

[dgarza]

Kevin Mitchell

Sports great Kevin Mitchell
Glenn Dickey
1993

[dgarza]

Dale Murphy

Murph
Dale Murphy; Brad Rock; Lee Warnick
1986

Dale Murphy, a gentleman
Hal Lundgren
1986

Dale Murphy-- baseball's gentle giant
Patricia Stone Martin; Bernard Doctor
1987

[dgarza]

Joe Niekro

The Niekro files : the uncensored letters of baseball's most notorious brothers
Phil Niekro; Joe Niekro; Ken Picking
1988

[dgarza]

Lefty O’Doul

Lefty O'Doul : the legend that baseball nearly forgot
Richard Leutzinger
1997

[dgarza]

Orval Overall

Correspondence school of pitching : 10 illustrated lessons
Orval Overall
1913

[dgarza]

Johnny Pesky

Mr. Red Sox : the Johnny Pesky story
Bill Nowlin
2004

[dgarza]

Dan Quisenberry

Down & in : poems
Dan Quisenberry
1995

On days like this : poems
Dan Quisenberry
1998

[dgarza]

Allie Reynolds

Allie Reynolds : super chief
Royse Parr; Bob Burke
2002

[dgarza]

Jim Rice

Jim Rice, power hitter
Maury Allen
1980

[dgarza]

Pete Rose

The Pete Rose story: an autobiography.
Pete Rose
1970

Pete Rose : baseball's all-time hit king
William A Cook
2004

My prison without bars
Pete Rose; Rick Hill
2004

[dgarza]

Ted Simmons

The Ted Simmons story
Jim Brosnan
1977

[dgarza]

Rusty Staub

Rusty Staub of the Expos.
John Robertson
1971

[dgarza]

Dave Stieb

Tomorrow I'll be perfect
David Stieb; Kevin Boland
1986

[dgarza]

Darryl Strawberry

Darryl Strawberry
Walt Saxon
1985

Darryl
Darryl Strawberry; Art Rust
1992

The ticket out : Darryl Strawberry and the boys of Crenshaw
Michael Y Sokolove
2004

[dgarza]

Joe Torre

Chasing the dream : my lifelong journey to the World Series : an autobiography
Joe Torre; Tom Verducci
1997

[dgarza]

Cecil Travis

Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators : the war-torn career of an all-star shortstop
Rob Kirkpatrick
2005

[dgarza]

Bob Turley

Bob Turley, fireball pitcher.
Gene Schoor
1959

[dgarza]

Maury Wills

It pays to steal
Maury Wills; Steve Gardner
1963

On the run : the never dull and often shocking life of Maury Wills
Maury Wills; Mike Celizic
1991

[dgarza]

Joe Wood

A presentation for the election of Joe Wood "Smoky Joe" to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Robert K Wood
1972

[dgarza]

Pete Alexander

Grover Cleveland Alexander
Jack Kavanagh
1990

Alexander the great : the story of Grover Cleveland Alexander
Jerry E Clark; Martha Ellen Webb
1993

Ol' Pete : the Grover Cleveland Alexander story
Jack Kavanagh
1996

[dgarza]

Cap Anson

Cap Anson 1 : when captaining a team meant something : leadership in baseball's early years
Howard W Rosenberg
2003

Cap Anson 2 : the theatrical and kingly Mike Kelly : U.S. team sport's first media sensation and baseball's original Casey at the bat
Howard W Rosenberg
2004

Cap Anson 3 : Muggsy John McGraw and the Tricksters : baseball's fun age of rule bending
Howard W Rosenberg
2005

[dgarza]

Alexander Cartwright

The man who invented baseball.
Harold Peterson
1969

Hoboken, Alexander Cartwright, & the beginnings of baseball : with a note on the Doubleday myth
Nick Acocella
1996

[dgarza]

Frank Chance

Tinker, Evers, and Chance : a triple biography
Gil Bogen
2003

[dgarza]

Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb, the idol of baseball fandom
Sverre O Braathen
1928

Cobb : a biography
Al Stump
1994

Peach : Ty Cobb in his time and ours
Richard Bak
2005

[dgarza]

Mickey Cochrane

Baseball, the fans' game,
Mickey Cochrane
1939

Mickey Cochrane : the life of a Baseball Hall of Fame catcher
Charlie Bevis
1998

[dgarza]

Charlie Comiskey

"Commy": the life story of Charles A. Comiskey, the "Grand old Roman" of baseball and for nineteen years president and owner of the American league baseball team "The White Sox,"
G W Axelson
1919, 2003

[dgarza]

Joe Cronin

From sandlots to league president, the story of Joe Cronin.
Albert Hirshberg
1962

[dgarza]

Dizzy Dean

Dizzy Dean dictionary and what's what in baseball.
Dizzy Dean
1943

The Dizzy Dean story
Milton J Shapiro
1963

Diz : Dizzy Dean and baseball during the Great Depression
Robert Gregory
1992

Dizzy and the Gas House Gang : he 1934 St. Louis Cardinals and Depression-era baseball
Doug Feldmann
2000

[dgarza]

Ed Delahanty

July 2, 1903 : the mysterious death of Hall-of-Famer Big Ed Delahanty
Mike Sowell
1992

Ed Delahanty in the emerald age of baseball
Jerrold I Casway
2004

[dgarza]

Joe DiMaggio

Lucky to be a Yankee
Joe DiMaggio
1949

Joe DiMaggio : the hero's life
Richard Ben Cramer
2000

Joe DiMaggio : a biography
David Jones
2004

Joe DiMaggio
Kevin Viola
2006

[dgarza]

Buck Ewing

Buck Ewing and the 1893 Spiders
John Phillips
1992

[dgarza]

Jimmie Foxx

Double X : the story of Jimmie Foxx--baseball's forgotten slugger
Bob Gorman
1990

Jimmie Foxx
Norman L Macht
1991

Jimmie Foxx : the life and times of a baseball Hall of Famer, 1907-1967
W Harrison Daniel
1996

Jimmie Foxx : the pride of Sudlersville
Mark R Millikin
1998

[dgarza]

Frankie Frisch

Frank Frisch: the Fordham Flash,
Frank Frisch; J Roy Stockton
1962

[dgarza]

Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig, Baseball's iron man; a biography of "Larrupin' Lou," the star first baseman of the Yankees; the chronological narrative of the most durable performer in the annals of baseball and the teams of which he was a vital part.
Stanley Waldo Carlson
1940

Lou Gehrig : the luckiest man
David A Adler; Terry Widener
1997

Luckiest man : the life and death of Lou Gehrig
Jonathan Eig
2005

[dgarza]

Hank Greenberg

Hank Greenberg, the story of my life
Hank Greenberg; Ira Berkow
1989

Hank Greenberg : hall-of-fame slugger
Ira Berkow; Mick Ellison
1991

"Oi, oi, oh boy! Hail that long-sought Hebrew star" : the significance of Hank Greenberg in 1930s America
Jonathan Brian Harris
1995

Hammerin' Hank : the story of Hank Greenberg
Yona Zeldis McDonough; Malcah Zeldis
2006

[dgarza]

Clark Griffith

Playing the game : from mine boy to manager
Stanley Harris
1925

Calvin : baseball's last dinosaur : an authorized biography
Jon Kerr
1990

[dgarza]

Lefty Grove

Recollections of Lefty Grove : baseball's greatest left-handed pitcher
Ruth Bear Levy
1987-1988

Lefty Grove : American original
Jim Kaplan
2000

[dgarza]

Gabby Hartnett

The Gabby Hartnett story : from a Mill Town to Cooperstown
James M Murphy
1983

Gabby Hartnett : the life and times of the Cubs' greatest catcher
William McNeil
2004

[dgarza]

Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby
Jack Kavanagh
1991

Rogers Hornsby : a biography
Charles C Alexander
1995

Rogers Hornsby : a biography
Jonathan D'Amore
2004

[dgarza]

Hugh Jennings

"Ee-yah" : the life and times of Hughie Jennings, Baseball Hall of Famer
Jack Smiles
2005

[dgarza]

Ban Johnson

Ban Johnson : czar of baseball
Eugene Converse Murdock
1982

[dgarza]

Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson, king of the pitchers;
Roger L Treat
1948

Walter Johnson
Jack Kavanagh
1992

Walter Johnson : baseball's big train
Henry W Thomas
1995

Walter Johnson : a life
Jack Kavanagh
1995

[dgarza]

King Kelly

"Play ball", stories of the diamond field.
Michael J Kelly
1888

King Kelly, the famous catcher : or, the life and adventures of the $10,000 ball-player.
Billy Boxer
1894

Slide, Kelly, slide : the story of Michael J. Kelly, the "king" of baseball
Alfred P Cappio
1962

Cap Anson 2 : the theatrical and kingly Mike Kelly : U.S. team sport's first media sensation and baseball's original Casey at the bat
Howard W Rosenberg
2004

[dgarza]

Napoleon Lajoie

Napoleon Lajoie : modern baseball's first superstar
J M Murphy
1988

[dgarza]

Kenesaw Landis

Conduct of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Sixty-sixth Congress, third session, February 21, 1921 : statement of Hon. Benjamin F. Welty, M.C.
Benjamin F Welty
1921

Judge Landis and twenty-five years of baseball
J G Taylor Spink
1947

[dgarza]

Connie Mack

Connie Mack, grand old man of baseball,
Fred Lieb
1945

Connie Mack : a life in baseball
Ted Davis
2000

[dgarza]

Rabbit Maranville

Run, Rabbit, run : the hilarious and mostly true tales of Rabbit Maranville
Walter Maranville
1991

[dgarza]

Christy Mathewson

Matty : an American hero, Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants
Ray Robinson
1993

The old ball game : how John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants created modern baseball
Frank Deford
2005

[dgarza]

Joe McCarthy

Joe McCarthy : architect of the Yankee dynasty
Alan Howard Levy
2005

[dgarza]

John McGraw

McGraw of the Giants, an informal biography,
Frank Graham
1944

John McGraw
Charles C Alexander
1988

[Captain Cold Nose]

Carl Yastrzemski

Yaz by Carl Yastrzemski and Al Hirshberg. 1968

Baseball, the Wall and Me by Carl Yastrzemski and Gerald Eskenazi. 1991.

[dgarza]

Kid Nichols

The Candy Kid: James Calvin "Kid" Nichols, 1883-1962.
Lucille Nichols Patrick
1969

[dgarza]

Jim O’Rourke

From FarField to Newfield : the baseball dream of Orator Jim O'Rourke
Michael J Bielawa
1999

[dgarza]

Mel Ott

The Mel Ott story.
Milton J Shapiro
1959

Mel Ott : the Gentle Giant
Alfred M Martin
2003

[dgarza]

Charley Radbourn

Old Hoss : a fictional baseball biography of Charles Radbourn
James W Bennett; Donald Raycraft
2002

[dgarza]

Wilbert Robinson

Uncle Robbie
Jack Kavanagh; Norman L Macht
1999

[dgarza]

Babe Ruth

The Bambino visits Cuba, 1920 : unedited notes regarding the visit of Babe Ruth to Cuba in 1920
Yuyo Ruiz
19??

Babe: the legend comes to life
Robert W Creamer
1974

The legend of the curse of the Bambino
Dan Shaughnessy; C F Payne
2005

Babe Ruth saves baseball!
Frank Murphy; Richard Walz
2005

[dgarza]

Al Simmons

Al Simmons, the best : a fan looks at Al, the Milwaukee Pole
Ed Doyle
1979

[dgarza]

George Sisler

The sizzler : George Sisler, baseball's forgotten great
Rick Huhn
2004

[dgarza]

Al Spalding

Baseball and Mr. Spalding; the history and romance of baseball.
Arthur Charles Bartlett
1951

A.G. Spalding and the rise of baseball : the promise of American sport
Peter Levine
1985

[dgarza]

Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker : the rough-and-tumble life of a baseball legend
Timothy M Gay
2005

[dgarza]

Bill Terry

Under Coogan's bluff : a fan's recollections of the New York Giants under Terry and Ott
Fred Stein
1981, ©1978

When the Giants were giants : Bill Terry and the golden age of New York baseball
Peter Williams; W P Kinsella
1994

[dgarza]

Rube Waddell

Magnificent screwball.
1944

Baseball's one-man circus : the erratic life of Rube Waddell
Eric D Duchess
1997

Rube Waddell : Butler's outrageous southpaw
Eric D Duchess
1998

Rube Waddell : the zany, brilliant life of a strikeout artist
Alan Howard Levy
2000

[dgarza]

Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner : the flying Dutchman
John Harrington; Adam McMahon
1992

Honus Wagner
Jack Kavanagh
1994

Honus Wagner : a biography
Dennis DeValeria; Jeanne Burke DeValeria
1996

[dgarza]

Paul Waner

Big and Little poison : Paul and Lloyd Waner, baseball brothers
Clifton Blue Parker
2003

[dgarza]

Harry Wright

Baseball's first professional manager
Harold Seymour
1955

Harry Wright : the father of professional base ball
Christopher Devine
2003

[dgarza]

Cy Young

Cy Young Centennial, 1867-1967 : July 14 & 15, New Philadelphia & Newcomerstown, Ohio
[Cy Young Centennial Committee].
1967-1970?

Cy Young
Norman L Macht
1992

Cy Young : a baseball life
Reed Browning
2000

[Bill Burgess]

Rogers Hornsby
My Kind of Baseball, by Rogers Hornsby, 1953

My War With Baseball, by Rogers Hornsby, 1962

Rogers Hornsby, by Charles Alexander, 1995
------------------------------------------------

John McGraw
The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, And The New York Giants Created Modern Baseball, by Frank Deford, 2005

The Days of Mr. McGraw: The Wild, Wacky, Wooly Era of John J. Mcgraw and His Baseball Giants, by Joseph Durso, 1969

McGraw of the Giants, by Frank Graham, 1944

John J. McGraw: My Thirty Years in Baseball, as told to Bozeman Bulger, 1923

John McGraw, by Charles C. Alexander, 1988

The Real McGraw, by Mrs. John J. McGraw, edited by Arthur Mann, 1953

Casey & Mr. McGraw, by Joseph Durso, 1989

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ty Cobb

Bustin' Em, by Ty Cobb, as told to John N. Wheeler, 1914

Baseball Legends: Ty Cobb, by Norman L. Macht, 1993

Ty Cobb, by Charles C. Alexander, 1984

The Story of Ty Cobb: Baseball's Greatest Player, by Gene Schoor, 1952

Ty Cobb; The Tiger Wore Spikes: An Informal Biography of Ty Cobb, by John D. McCallum, 1956

Ty Cobb, by John D. McCallum, 1975

Ty Cobb: His Tumultuous Life and Times, by Richard Bak, 1994

The Ty Cobb Scrapbook: An Illustrated Chronology of Significant Dates in the 24-Year Career of the Fabled Georgia Peach--Over 800 Games from 1905 to 1928, by Marc Okkonen, 2001

Peach: Ty Cobb In His Time And Ours, by Dan Holmes, 2004

Ty Cobb, the Greatest, by Robert Rubin, 1978

Ty Cobb: Bad Boy of Baseball, by S.A. Kramer, 1995

TY COBB My Life in Baseball, by Al Stump, 1961

Cobb, by Al Stump, 1994

Ty Cobb, the idol of baseball fandom, by Sverre O Braathen, 1928

Peach : Ty Cobb in His Time and Ours, by Richard Bak, 2005

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker : the rough-and-tumble life of a baseball legend
Timothy M Gay
2005


I have read a lot of baseball bios in the last 47 years of my 53-year life. This is the second best one I have read to date, behind only Creamer's nonpareil bio of the Babe.

Until I read this book, I was not clear on whether Cobb was better than Speaker... especially after reading, in Alexander's book, about all the concrete ways Cobb's egomania (read: statsmania) hurt his team. I now feel secure in saying that, although they weren't as far apart at the plate as people think, and although Speaker was obviously 100 times better in the field, Cobb was the better player. (In truth, a good part of that conclusion came not from this book, but from comparing their SB's and CS's for the years where those stats are available; Cobb blows Speaker away in SB%, and when you consider how many steals these two attempted, that's huge.)

I also now realize that, although Speaker changed later in life and never had a latent streak of homicidal psychopath in him, like Cobb did (there were a few times it was barely latent), he wasn't that much better a person in his playing days than Cobb was.

He was, however, a complex and fascinating man. The depth of his personality is, I feel, well developed in Gay's excellent novel... in stark contrast, say, to the character of Lou Gehrig in "Luckiest Man"--a book hopelessly handicapped by the jejune character of its heroic, but tepid, subject.

BHN

[JohnGelnarFan]

"HAWK" by Ken Harrelson and Al Hirshberg (1969) Viking Press

"Sandy Koufax:A Lefty's Legacy" by Jane Leavy (2002) HarperCollins Publishing

"The 26th Man" by Steve Fireovid and Mark Winegardner (1991) Macmillan Publishing

"Chuck Hinton:My Time At Bat" by Charles E. Hinton Jr.(2002) Christian Living Books/Pneuma Life Publishing

"Hey Kid,Just Get It Over The Plate" by Russ Kemmerer and W.C. Madden (2002) Madden Publishing Co.,Inc.

"Now Wait A Minute Casey!" by Maury Allen (1965) Doubleday & Company,Inc.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Continuing the post I made above....

I sounded like I was really slamming Jonathan Eig's "Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig." In truth, I only meant to slam it in one way which will be inherent to any ACCURATE bio of Gehrig: His life was BORING until his horrible tragedy struck. He was emotionally repressed as hell, tepid, didn't have a clue with women until Eleanor basically took him and claimed him as her own, was a dud at parties, etc., etc. As great as he was athletically, that's how bad he was socially, and there's really no way to dress up his personal life, nor that of his godawful tyrant of a mother.

But the book conveys all of that, and certainly conveys how great a player he was. What I DON'T like is the fact Eig felt compelled to libel the memory of Babe Ruth.

Robert Creamer spent many years researching his magnum opus on the Babe--a book almost unanimously viewed as an unsentimental, accurate and definitive bio of Ruth, and viewed by many (including S.I. and me) as the greatest bio of any American sports figure ever. At the beginning of the book, Creamer tells of a chat with a friend, after he'd finished his zillion or so research hours. The friend asked him if Ruth was a s---. Creamer told the friend of a chat he had with one contemporary of Ruth's who was fully aware of how exasperating Ruth's immaturity, incessant foul mouth, uncontrollable hedonism, etc., could be.

Creamer asked the guy something about the players who had disliked Ruth. The old player got a startled look and replied that although Ruth had tried pretty much everyone's patience at times, he had never known ANYONE who disliked Babe Ruth.

Jonathan Eig, however, takes it upon himself to build Gehrig up by bashing at Ruth as a drunken, megalomaniacal, press-hungry, dissolute lowlife, and gives the reader no clue as to how clearly superior Ruth was to Gehrig as a player. And I say that--as I hope y'all would, by now, expect of me--as someone who unhesitatingly rates Gehrig as #1 at 1B, with neither Foxx nor Bagwell close, and McGwire and Palmeiro on the "disqualified" list.

But even for the vast majority of us who appreciate how great Gehrig was, there is much to be learned here. From the point where Eig first tells us of Gehrig's being stricken with A.L.S. in 1938, the book goes on for another 125+ pages. So it's not just a baseball book--an asset it shares with Creamer's masterpiece, Alexander's definitive (to me) bio of Cobb, and Gay's fantastic bio of the immortal Tris Speaker.

I wonder what % of this site's regulars rate Cobb ahead of Wagner, and what % rate Speaker ahead of Wagner. I rate them Cobb, Speaker, Wagner, and would not include Wagner in my Top 10, but I realize my favorite (by far) historian would try to get me 86'ed from this site for saying that. Yo, Bill, you can't do that until you justify your rating Brett ahead of Mathews, in light of the fact Mathews leads Brett on EVERY ONE of your rating criteria, sometimes by lots. (Playing in K.C. is not a rating criterion.)

I bought several hundred dollars of baseball bios last year, and am leisurely working my way through them late at night, when I'm winding down from my work and getting sleepy. Right now, I'm on a Walter Johnson bio which looks as good as his grandson's one was bad.

For those of y'all who have sparred with me about Walter Johnson vis a vis Maddux, Clemens et al.--and did it so CORDIALLY AND RESPECTFULLY, when I first got here, something I appreciated and will never forget--I decided to read this bio next in deference to YOU. It's a book highly decorated by SABR, as I'm sure y'all know, and while his grandson's hagiography told me the personal details, and unwittingly made statistical arguments FOR Grove over Johnson--and made asinine arguments like that Grove's 9 ERA titles to Johnson's 5 didn't mean much, because Johnson didn't have Foxx, Simmons and Cochrane--I want to hear a baseball-savvy author make an in-depth case for Johnson.

I'm so entrenched in my position on Grove--and like another member here, the last 4 ERA titles, past his 35th b-day in Fenway, will pretty much make it impossible to sway me on that. But I will keep an open mind to the notion that perhaps I should wait until the end for Clemens and Maddux before deciding whether to put them ahead of Johnson. Indeed, I may find that Clemens needs a couple more BIG seasons to get there, and Maddux needs 30more wins in good seasons, which I really doubt will happen.

If, after reading this book and seeing what becomes of Clemens and Maddux in the future, I decide Johnson IS the #1 righty, I'll dig up that thread and issue my retractions to all of you who so cordially and admiringly discussed my posts (albeit without abandoning your views.

Is that something you do for obviously knowledgeable newcomers as a rule, or does that mean I really impressed y'all quite a lot with my arguments? I know so little about SABR lingo, and if I impressed y'all that much, well, I'm flattered to the point of humility, and I'll do everything I can to justify that respect down the road.

B.T.W., I respect the hell out of the quality of the average post here, and some of y'all, like "Sultan," just floor me. I've had god-knows-how-many-people tell me I should go on TV with my baseball knowledge, but even if we take all SABR-speak and SABR-stats out of the equation, I'm quite sure that several of you--starting with Sultan--would defeat me. You'd know you'd been in a helluva fight, but so would I, and I think I'd ultimately lose.

Never thought I'd say that.

BHN

BHN

[Bill Burgess]

Continuing the post I made above....

I sounded like I was really slamming Jonathan Eig's "Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig." In truth, I only meant to slam it in one way which will be inherent to any ACCURATE bio of Gehrig: His life was BORING until his horrible tragedy struck. I'm relieved to hear you edit yourself.He was emotionally repressed as hell, tepid, didn't have a clue with women until Eleanor basically took him and claimed him as her own, was a dud at parties, etc., etc. As great as he was athletically, that's how bad he was socially, and there's really no way to dress up his personal life, nor that of his godawful tyrant of a mother. Very true, but his wife Eleanor did a credible job, telling how they went to the Met and went backstage to greet Kirsten Flagstad..

But the book conveys all of that, and certainly conveys how great a player he was. What I DON'T like is the fact Eig felt compelled to libel the memory of Babe Ruth.

Robert Creamer spent many years researching his magnum opus on the Babe--a book almost unanimously viewed as an unsentimental, accurate and definitive bio of Ruth, and viewed by many (including S.I. and me) as the greatest bio of any American sports figure ever. I thought the Marshal Smelser bio was written in a more interesting way. At the beginning of the book, Creamer tells of a chat with a friend, after he'd finished his zillion or so research hours. The friend asked him if Ruth was a s---. Creamer told the friend of a chat he had with one contemporary of Ruth's who was fully aware of how exasperating Ruth's immaturity, incessant foul mouth, uncontrollable hedonism, etc., could be.

Creamer asked the guy something about the players who had disliked Ruth. The old player got a startled look and replied that although Ruth had tried pretty much everyone's patience at times, he had never known ANYONE who disliked Babe Ruth. That might be true, with the exception of Durocher. It seems that, shockingly, even Huggins/Barrow liked Babe, despite how they treated him. Dismissively like a child.

Jonathan Eig, however, takes it upon himself to build Gehrig up by bashing at Ruth as a drunken, megalomaniacal, press-hungry, dissolute lowlife, and gives the reader no clue as to how clearly superior Ruth was to Gehrig as a player. And I say that--as I hope y'all would, by now, expect of me--as someone who unhesitatingly rates Gehrig as #1 at 1B, with neither Foxx nor Bagwell close, and McGwire and Palmeiro on the "disqualified" list.

But even for the vast majority of us who appreciate how great Gehrig was, there is much to be learned here. From the point where Eig first tells us of Gehrig's being stricken with A.L.S. in 1938, the book goes on for another 125+ pages. So it's not just a baseball book--an asset it shares with Creamer's masterpiece, Alexander's definitive (to me) bio of Cobb, and Gay's fantastic bio of the immortal Tris Speaker.

I wonder what % of this site's regulars rate Cobb ahead of Wagner Most, and what % rate Speaker ahead of Wagner Almost none. I rate them Cobb, Speaker, Wagner, and would not include Wagner in my Top 10, but I realize my favorite (by far) historian would try to get me 86'ed from this site for saying that. On no. You're too valuable, and you write in too interestingly a way! Yo, Bill, you can't do that until you justify your rating Brett ahead of Mathews, in light of the fact Mathews leads Brett on EVERY ONE of your rating criteria, sometimes by lots. (Playing in K.C. is not a rating criterion.) I have very good reasons why I place Brett ahead of Eddie. And I like Eddie too. But don't dismiss George because he had less power. He hit for a much higher average, had nice mid-range pop, and probably fielded a good bit better.

I bought several hundred dollars of baseball bios last year, and am leisurely working my way through them late at night, when I'm winding down from my work and getting sleepy. Right now, I'm on a Walter Johnson bio which looks as good as his grandson's one was bad. What! The Thomas Walter bio had EVERYTHING. Great b/w glossy photos, acknowledgments, introduction, forward, epilogue, 3 appendixes, notes, bibliography, index, massive footnoting. Everything you'd want in a sports bio. He had 19 family scrapbooks to work from, tons of clippings, took many years. What was not to love? Content? Content can be highly over-rated.:rolleyes:

For those of y'all who have sparred with me about Walter Johnson vis a vis Maddux, Clemens et al.--and did it so CORDIALLY AND RESPECTFULLY, when I first got here, something I appreciated and will never forget--I decided to read this bio next in deference to YOU. It's a book highly decorated by SABR, as I'm sure y'all know, and while his grandson's hagiography told me the personal details, and unwittingly made statistical arguments FOR Grove over Johnson--and made asinine arguments like that Grove's 9 ERA titles to Johnson's 5 didn't mean much, because Johnson didn't have Foxx, Simmons and Cochrane--I want to hear a baseball-savvy author make an in-depth case for Johnson. We have. With Metal Ed we jousted/sparred our butts off.

I'm so entrenched in my position on Grove--and like another member here, the last 4 ERA titles, past his 35th b-day in Fenway, will pretty much make it impossible to sway me on that. But I will keep an open mind to the notion that perhaps I should wait until the end for Clemens and Maddux before deciding whether to put them ahead of Johnson. Indeed, I may find that Clemens needs a couple more BIG seasons to get there, and Maddux needs 30more wins in good seasons, which I really doubt will happen.

If, after reading this book and seeing what becomes of Clemens and Maddux in the future, I decide Johnson IS the #1 righty, I'll dig up that thread and issue my retractions to all of you who so cordially and admiringly discussed my posts (albeit without abandoning your views.

Is that something you do for obviously knowledgeable newcomers as a rule, or does that mean I really impressed y'all quite a lot with my arguments? I know so little about SABR lingo, and if I impressed y'all that much, well, I'm flattered to the point of humility, and I'll do everything I can to justify that respect down the road.

B.T.W., I respect the hell out of the quality of the average post here, and some of y'all, like "Sultan," just floor me. I've had god-knows-how-many-people tell me I should go on TV with my baseball knowledge, but even if we take all SABR-speak and SABR-stats out of the equation, I'm quite sure that several of you--starting with Sultan--would defeat me. You'd know you'd been in a helluva fight, but so would I, and I think I'd ultimately lose.

Never thought I'd say that. Nor us! Of all the recent good posts, I must say, yours has been the most, er, - recent! Ha ha! :rolleyes:

BHN

Most excellent post. Just love it. Keep up the good work.

Bill the Pill

[lamearm]

Just finished Mike Schmidt's book, "Clearing the Bases", and can't say I'd really recommend it. Seems to me it was more his opinions than his story.

[Bill Burgess]

Upcoming bios to look out for:

Tris Speaker by Charles Alexander

Tris Speaker by Opie Otterstad

Pete Alexander by John C. Skipper

Eddie Collins by Rick Huhn

Connie Mack by Norman L. Macht

[JohnGelnarFan]

This one's rare. I can only find 5 copies for sale on the Internet. I'll look for the Rusty Staub:Expos Book as well. Thanks! :lookitup





Frank Howard

Frank Howard, the gentle giant,
Albert Hirshberg
1973

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Robert Creamer spent many years researching his magnum opus on the Babe--a book almost unanimously viewed as an unsentimental, accurate and definitive bio of Ruth, and viewed by many (including S.I. and me) as the greatest bio of any American sports figure ever. At the beginning of the book, Creamer tells of a chat with a friend, after he'd finished his zillion or so research hours. The friend asked him if Ruth was a s---. Creamer told the friend of a chat he had with one contemporary of Ruth's who was fully aware of how exasperating Ruth's immaturity, incessant foul mouth, uncontrollable hedonism, etc., could be.


Couldn't agree with you more about Creamer's work. For me, no question the best sports bio ever written. Most Babe fans know about his downfalls. Most also know of his accomplishments. Creamer peeled back the layers without pulling any punches, giving a true picture of the man. Just amazing presentation.

I especially enjoyed the beginning part where he describes the Shore/Shawkey discussions and how neither had any particular reason to be fond of Babe, yet they were. I think it was one of those guys who said "Sometimes people got mad at him, but I never heard of anyone who didn't like Babe Ruth."

As far as "Luckiest Man" goes, I liked the book, and didn't think it was too harsh on Babe at all. Not to say I didn't sense a tint of dislike for Babe, or a tint of slant toward diminishing what he truly was, but for the most part, I thought it was fair. Here's a paragraph from page 84.

"Ruth was one of the nation's most beloved celebrities in large part because he was so human. Most of the nation's famous men were actors, which meant that fans rarely glimpsed their true personalities. On-scren, Douglas Fairbanks was a buccaneer and W.C. Fields a curmudgeon. Off-screen was anybody's guess. But Ruth was always the Babe - bigger than life and yet real as life. Sometimes he homered; sometimes he struck out. Sometimes he was witty; sometimes dense. Sometimes he visited kids in hospitals; sometimes he was wheeled in on a gurney. His fallibility made him more appealing."

The slight tint there obviously being the gurney comment.

Also your comments about Gehrig's life being boring is spot on. Without ALS, there wouldn't be much of a book to write about Lou. Something this piece from "Luckiest Man," written by Paul Gallico hits on, although Gallico clearly puts his own slant on things. Btw, this is from the chapter of Eig's book titled, "Sinner and Saint."

"The most astonishing thing that has ever happened in organized baseball is the home run race between George Herman Ruth and Henry Louis Gehrig. Gehrig, of course, cannot approach Ruth as a showman and an eccentric, but there is still time for that. Lou is only a kid. Wait until he develops a little more and runs up against the temptations that beset a popular hero.

Ruth without temptations might be a pretty ordinary fellow. Part of his charm lies in the manner with which he succumbs to every temptation which comes his way. That doesn't mean Henry Louis must take up sin to become a box office attraction. Rather one waits to see his reactions to life, which same reactions make a man interesting or not.

Right now he seems devoted to fishing, devouring pickled eels, and hitting home runs, of which three things the last alone is of interest to the baseball public. For this reason it is a little more difficult to write about Henry Louis than George Herman. Ruth is either planning to cut loose, is cutting loose, or is repenting the last time he cut lose. He is a news story on legs going about looking for a place to happen. He has not lived a model life, while Henry Louis has, and if Ruth wins the home run race it will come as a great blow to the pure."

BHN, have you read the bio from Brother Gilbert called "Young Babe Ruth: His Early Life and Baseball from the Memoirs of an Xaverian Brother" ?

[wamby]

I thought the most interesting part of Luckiest Man was when it started discussing ALS and how it affected Gehgig. I've come away from it thinking that the most amazing season an American professional athlete ever had on the field was Gehrig in 1939.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

I thought the most interesting part of Luckiest Man was when it started discussing ALS and how it affected Gehgig. I've come away from it thinking that the most amazing season an American professional athlete ever had on the field was Gehrig in 1939.

I second that, except I came away believing 1938 was ;)

A close second for me might be Babe's 1920. Aside from the actual numbers he put up, he had a ton of pressure on him from many angles (although he probably never felt it). He battled various injuries/illness and still did what he did. He was busy shooting a movie and did what he did. He shattered his own HR record. He had a 26 game hitting streak despite being intentionally walked and pitched around quite often. As late as early August he topped out with a .391 BA. Did I mention the actual numbers? :o

[Bill Burgess]

I second that, except I came away believing 1938 was ;)

A close second for me might be Babe's 1920. Aside from the actual numbers he put up, he had a ton of pressure on him from many angles (although he probably never felt it). He battled various injuries/illness and still did what he did. He was busy shooting a movie and did what he did. He shattered his own HR record. He had a 26 game hitting streak despite being intentionally walked and pitched around quite often. As late as early August he topped out with a .391 BA. Did I mention the actual numbers? :o
Randy,
If I didn't already know you so well, I'd almost swear you were a tad partial to a player named George Henry. His friends sometimes called him, Babe. Say it ain't so, Randy!

Billy Boy

[wamby]

I second that, except I came away believing 1938 was ;)

A close second for me might be Babe's 1920. Aside from the actual numbers he put up, he had a ton of pressure on him from many angles (although he probably never felt it). He battled various injuries/illness and still did what he did. He was busy shooting a movie and did what he did. He shattered his own HR record. He had a 26 game hitting streak despite being intentionally walked and pitched around quite often. As late as early August he topped out with a .391 BA. Did I mention the actual numbers? :o

I have Babe Ruth Launchung the Legend but haven't sat down and read it yet.

Re: Gehrig in 1939: The thought of a player getting four hits at the big league level while sufering from an advanced case of ALS is just mind-boggling to me.

[Bill Burgess]

Re: Gehrig in 1939: The thought of a player getting four hits at the big league level while sufering from an advanced case of ALS is just mind-boggling to me.
Now that's what I call tenacity.

Bill

[Sultan_1895-1948]

I have Babe Ruth Launchung the Legend but haven't sat down and read it yet.

Re: Gehrig in 1939: The thought of a player getting four hits at the big league level while sufering from an advanced case of ALS is just mind-boggling to me.

I know Wamby. But that 1938 season. Both gut wrenching and heart warming when you look bac on it. Him struggling and not really knowing why. His muscles just not reacting the same way they once used to. Him ordering lighter bats. The numbers he was still able to put up in '38 are friekin' incredible to me.


Randy,
If I didn't already know you so well, I'd almost swear you were a tad partial to a player named George Henry. His friends sometimes called him, Babe. Say it ain't so, Randy!


A tad? :D I try to remain unbiased, but GHR makes it so hard with what he did.

[wamby]

I know Wamby. But that 1938 season. Both gut wrenching and heart warming when you look bac on it. Him struggling and not really knowing why. His muscles just not reacting the same way they once used to. Him ordering lighter bats. The numbers he was still able to put up in '38 are friekin' incredible to me.


A tad? :D I try to remain unbiased, but GHR makes it so hard with what he did.

I'm not trying to minimize 1938, that was quite a season too. I bet Gehrig heard a lots of whispers that he was through and that he became washed up in an extraordinarily short time. I thknk if I had been a fan in the 1930s, that Gehrig may have been my favorite player. He is my favorite type of professional athlete.

I recently read a book on the history of polio in America, and I think someone could write a good book about ALS in America also. It would be a lot tougher since it doesn't seem like there will be a cure for ALS anytime soon.

[Bill Burgess]

By the way, the first biography of Eddie Collins is now available. Here is the link on Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078643287X/ref=nosim/bookfindercom0e


Rick can be contacted at

rhuhn@earthlink.net

The only thing is, Eddie wrote his biography in the Sporting News. It was in 5 installments. If anyone has access to TSN, via paperofrecord, the dates are given as follows.

Here are the links: You may have to register with paper of record, which is free.

First Installment: October 11, 1950, pp. 13-14. ----http://www.paperofrecord.com/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&RecordId=2&PageId=7746224&iZyNetId={72B6B436-1B3E-48B1-9BED-F34231EB0C42}&iOrder=2&iOrderDir=0&iCurrentBlock=1

Second Installment: October 18, 1950, pp. 13-14.----http://www.paperofrecord.com/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&RecordId=1&PageId=7746313&iZyNetId={81E9995F-CD49-475C-B048-EA50E69FC68D}&iOrder=2&iOrderDir=0&iCurrentBlock=1

Third Installation: October 25, 1950, pp. 11-12.----http://www.paperofrecord.com/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&RecordId=3&PageId=7746354&iZyNetId={664F0C75-33E7-4F5B-BE49-501DFD67B630}&iOrder=2&iOrderDir=0&iCurrentBlock=1

Fourth Installment: November 1, 1950, pp. 13-14.----http://www.paperofrecord.com/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&RecordId=2&PageId=7746431&iZyNetId={03EA2D0B-D107-4E8E-8663-6C170D3C7D75}&iOrder=2&iOrderDir=0&iCurrentBlock=1

Fifth Installment: November 8, 1950, pp. 13-14.----http://www.paperofrecord.com/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&RecordId=1&PageId=7746493&iZyNetId={8A9D24E8-870B-4E4B-ABC1-7D65A04C4528}&iOrder=2&iOrderDir=0&iCurrentBlock=1

[michaelramm]

The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron
Howard Bryant
2010

I started reading this on Sunday night and I could not put it down. It is an amazing bio of one of my favorite players in MLB history. I have gotten through about 100 pgs and learned so much about Aaron.

I really like that there is not chapter on chapter about his childhood. I know that it is important to setting up the life of the man, but there is 2 chapters that deal with him growing up in Mobile, then Chapter 3 starts his BRIEF Negro League stint (I did not know that he played in the Negro Leagues.) and his assignment to the Minor leagues when the Milwaukee Braves bought him for $10,000.

It really sickens me that black players were treated the way that they were in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Bryant tells of how the black players stayed in the houses of black host families while the white players were put up in nice hotels during the season. Bryant also tells of some of the sympathetic white players that would try to help out the black players and be ostracized by the rest of the team for it.

I can already tell that this is going to be one of the best bios that I have ever read. I know that Aaron help contribute to the book, but only after Barry Bonds passed his 755 HR mark. Aaron is very concerned about his status in the world. He feels (probably rightly so) that people just want him to relive the glory days. He does not want that to be his place in life.

I will post other little tidbits in this post that I find interesting throughout the book.

Tidbit #1: Henry Aaron does not like the name 'Hank' and usually does not respond to it. Only two people called him 'Hank' before he started getting famous. One was a childhood friend from Mobile and the other was Dusty Baker.