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Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read Book!!
Review: Durwood (Darewood) Merrill gives the fans of baseball a unigue look at the total game of baseball. Baseball is more than high priced players with attitudes. Durwood describes good and bad managers, owners, and umpires who together with the players, all make up the game once known as good as "Mom's Apple Pie."Durwood gives a new appreciation for those serving as judge and jury of the game. Early day struggles of umpires and todays changes are set forth with humor and sadness. Durwood's stories offers a refreshing way to look and appreciate those men fans have come to "hate." They have a tough job which very few can or would consider doing. My hat is off to them for the job they do and to Durwood for taking the time and chance to write. Ending his book writing about his charity was heart warming and inspirational, but I felt it took too much from what I expected the book to be about.
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Summary: Please someone take the editor out back and....
Review: Durwood Merrill has had some interesting experiences, and crossed paths with some of the more intriguing people behind the scenes of baseball. For that, it may be worth struggling through this poorly written manuscript. Mr Merrill is not expected to be much of an author, and should rely heavily on his editor to tighten up his anecdotes into a readable, coherent, flowing manuscript. Mr. Dent has failed him miserably here. It's as if the editor read each anecdote separately, and forgot about it once he turned the page. Spelling and typos were ATROCIOUS. In short, this book would have been much better if it were edited down to about 2/3rds its size, and nothing of value would have been lost.
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Summary: RIP Durwood
Review: Durwood Merrill just passed away today, after suffering a heart attack last Sunday. Godspeed, Durwood.
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Summary: From the Heart
Review: Durwoods book is from the heart. There are some typo's but, his book shows the real side of umpiring. I am an ump on the non pro end of baseball. He is the type of person he says he is in the book. I read the book and wrote him. He did write back and told me to stay in touch. This book is highly recommended for all to read. It is funny and sad but you do get a good feeling while reading it.
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Summary: You'll hesitate the next time you "boo" an umpire.......
Review: 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) :)
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Summary: You can't write and your publisher stinks too.
Review: 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.
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Summary: Pathetic editing
Review: This book MIGHT be good if the author didn't mention the same stories over and over. By page, 200, I had heard about Roberto Alomar's spitting incident, Steve Palermo, and Merrill's hand gestures entirely too many times. This book is by far the most choppy piece of writing I've ever read. I hope Merrill puts more effort into his umpiring than he does his spelling and grammar...
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Summary: Some very funny stories, and some that are serious, too.
Review: 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.
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