My Life in Baseball

Rating:
Summary: Good Hot Stove Action!
Review:

To fully appreciate "My Life in Baseball", it would help if the reader knows what the "Hot Stove League" is. (The phrase refers to fans amusing themselves in the cold winter by talking baseball, looking forward to Spring Training- and presumably staying warm around the hot stove in a rural general store.) MLBB is set mostly in Major League Baseball's golden era, from 1946-1960 when BB was comprised of the original 16 teams and St. Louis and Kansas City were the western outposts. Robin Roberts played from 1948-1966 but his most productive years were in the early to mid 1950s with the Phillies. The author has an encyclopedic recall of old games, former teammates, managers, coaches, front office staff and opponents. His musings on individuals are more absorbing than the play by play in games of long ago. This reviewer was more taken with Roberts' less productive years in the early to mid 60s as he struggled to hold on with the Orioles, Cubs and Astros. The reader follows with admiration as Roberts invents a life for himself outside of Major League Baseball. He was highly instrumental in the formation of the Major League Players Association, though he disagrees with some of the actions that organization has taken. MLBB is an intelligent sports biography by a thoughtful and serious athlete. Roberts attained success on and off the playing field but had his struggles as well. He tells it like it is and, as another reviewer noted, does not use MLBB to settles old grudges. If one is over 50, or a die-hard Phillie fan of any age, MLBB is a safe choice. One dig at the author: How did he not know that Sal "The Barber' Maglie of the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers didn't shave on days he was scheduled to pitch? (It made him more intimidating to the batters!) Every school kid in New York City knew that one! Those who fondly remember Sal will enjoy MLBB.


Rating:
Summary: A Player Who Appreciates His Place in the Game
Review: I enjoy reading about baseball players from the 1950's since that was when I was introduced to the game. This is a straightforward account of Robin Roberts's career in baseball spent primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies in addition to cups of coffee with the Yankees in spring training of 1962, the Orioles, Astros, and Cubs. Profiles are also given to treasured teammates such as Curt Simmons, Richie Ashburn, Granny Hamner, and others. I find it interesting to read about what these players I used to collect as baseball cards are like as people. It is also refreshing to read a story of this kind without being bombarded with profanities so often found in books. Robin Roberts has a profound respect for the game that has been such a great part of his life. Roberts, like so many other players from this period, found it to be a shock when his playing days were over. He worked for an investment company, but found more happiness while coaching college baseball at South Florida. He also expresses appreciation for being blessed with a supportive wife who encouraged him while he chased his dream of a baseball career. I'm a fan of the Detroit Tigers, but Robin Roberts and his Phillies' teammates were known to me through baseball cards, and I appreciate having this book to familiarize myself with Roberts and his teammates.

Rating:
Summary: A Player Who Appreciates His Place in the Game
Review: I enjoy reading about baseball players from the 1950's since that was when I was introduced to the game. This is a straightforward account of Robin Roberts's career in baseball spent primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies in addition to cups of coffee with the Yankees in spring training of 1962, the Orioles, Astros, and Cubs. Profiles are also given to treasured teammates such as Curt Simmons, Richie Ashburn, Granny Hamner, and others. I find it interesting to read about what these players I used to collect as baseball cards are like as people. It is also refreshing to read a story of this kind without being bombarded with profanities so often found in books. Robin Roberts has a profound respect for the game that has been such a great part of his life. Roberts, like so many other players from this period, found it to be a shock when his playing days were over. He worked for an investment company, but found more happiness while coaching college baseball at South Florida. He also expresses appreciation for being blessed with a supportive wife who encouraged him while he chased his dream of a baseball career. I'm a fan of the Detroit Tigers, but Robin Roberts and his Phillies' teammates were known to me through baseball cards, and I appreciate having this book to familiarize myself with Roberts and his teammates.

Rating:
Summary: Mr Roberts: The Stories of a Winner!!
Review: Ok, so old-timers will recognize my heading as a take off on the 50's Sport magazine article on Robin Roberts which in turn played off the hit 50's Broadway play...Mr. Roberts.

Robin Roberts is in the Baseball Hall of Fame because he was a winner.

His 286 lifetime wins attest to the fact. He is more than statistics however and has a reputation as one of the most intelligent, honorable and classy guys the game has produced.

In 18 years of Big Leage pitching during the Golden Age of Baseball (the postwar 40's,50's and 60's), Roberts competed against many of the best the game has produced; Mays, Aaron, Robinson, Banks, Musial, Matthews, Kiner...the list goes on and on.

He was a pitcher with the heart of an infielder. He would have pitched every day had they let him. And they almost did.

He pitched more innings than anyone during the 50's. Blessed with a low, easy delivery that put less strain on his arm and shoulder than most, he started every 4th day for years and in his heyday would relieve 6 to 10 times a season as well. All the innings eventually caught up with him but he made adjustments later in his career and kept pitching, and pitching well, for 18 seasons.

Roberts and his very able co-author Paul Rogers, a twosome that combined successfully in 1995 to produce the popular story of the "Philadelphia Whiz Kids and the Pennant of 1950", have again relied on Roberts near photographic memory and Rogers research and narrative talents, to create a book that chronicles Roberts career in baseball.

Roberts recollections are legendary among baseball afficionadoes and this book makes them available to the masses. And, what great stories they are! Stories about regular season games and players, All-Star games, off-season barnstorming games, a trip of major leagers to Japan and more. The book reads like a session around the Hot Stove with your favorite Big League ballplayer.

True to his reputation, and unlike many sports books, Roberts does not use his book to settle old scores, establish vendettas or tell tales out of school. It is at once a refreshing and pleasant aproach. Roberts chapter on the development of the Players Association and the selection of Marvin Miller as it's Executive Secretary is the closest he comes to "score-settling" and it is really more an effort to "set the record straight" than the former.

As a matter of fact, Roberts class shows throughout the book. He admits that he was wrong to push for the second All-Star game in the late 50's even though it was for the right reasons (to fund the underfunded player pension plan).

This is a book to enjoy! It is not written to stir controversy but to celebrate the joy of being able to play a "...kids game and get paid for it...". Roberts love for the game past and present shows in every page and every story. Like the author, it is a "keeper".

Rating:
Summary: Mr Roberts: The Stories of a Winner!!
Review: Ok, so old-timers will recognize my heading as a take off on the 50's Sport magazine article on Robin Roberts which in turn played off the hit 50's Broadway play...Mr. Roberts.

Robin Roberts is in the Baseball Hall of Fame because he was a winner.

His 286 lifetime wins attest to the fact. He is more than statistics however and has a reputation as one of the most intelligent, honorable and classy guys the game has produced.

In 18 years of Big Leage pitching during the Golden Age of Baseball (the postwar 40's,50's and 60's), Roberts competed against many of the best the game has produced; Mays, Aaron, Robinson, Banks, Musial, Matthews, Kiner...the list goes on and on.

He was a pitcher with the heart of an infielder. He would have pitched every day had they let him. And they almost did.

He pitched more innings than anyone during the 50's. Blessed with a low, easy delivery that put less strain on his arm and shoulder than most, he started every 4th day for years and in his heyday would relieve 6 to 10 times a season as well. All the innings eventually caught up with him but he made adjustments later in his career and kept pitching, and pitching well, for 18 seasons.

Roberts and his very able co-author Paul Rogers, a twosome that combined successfully in 1995 to produce the popular story of the "Philadelphia Whiz Kids and the Pennant of 1950", have again relied on Roberts near photographic memory and Rogers research and narrative talents, to create a book that chronicles Roberts career in baseball.

Roberts recollections are legendary among baseball afficionadoes and this book makes them available to the masses. And, what great stories they are! Stories about regular season games and players, All-Star games, off-season barnstorming games, a trip of major leagers to Japan and more. The book reads like a session around the Hot Stove with your favorite Big League ballplayer.

True to his reputation, and unlike many sports books, Roberts does not use his book to settle old scores, establish vendettas or tell tales out of school. It is at once a refreshing and pleasant aproach. Roberts chapter on the development of the Players Association and the selection of Marvin Miller as it's Executive Secretary is the closest he comes to "score-settling" and it is really more an effort to "set the record straight" than the former.

As a matter of fact, Roberts class shows throughout the book. He admits that he was wrong to push for the second All-Star game in the late 50's even though it was for the right reasons (to fund the underfunded player pension plan).

This is a book to enjoy! It is not written to stir controversy but to celebrate the joy of being able to play a "...kids game and get paid for it...". Roberts love for the game past and present shows in every page and every story. Like the author, it is a "keeper".

Rating:
Summary: A True Phillie
Review: Robin Roberts was a great pitcher, arguably the greatest right-handed pitcher ever for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1950, the Philadelphia Phillies won the pennant over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The went on to lose in four straight to the New York Yankees in the World Series. Although the had a nucleus of very good, young ballplayers (Roberts, Richie Asburn, Curt Simmons, Granny Hamner, etc), they never seriously contended again.
Roberts fills you in on every painful detail of the Phillies demise.
As a life-long Phillies fan, but one born after Roberts career had ended it was good to read about his insights. I suggest that those who never saw Roberts play read this book. Roberts is very even-handed. Complimenting others and admitting his mistakes.
He discusses the failings of baseball in general and the Phillies in specific, but still keeps it light. He laments the Phillies reluctance to sign black players - missing out on Roy Campenella as well as others. He recalls his involvement in the Player's Union. He let's the reader know how the players were not treated fairly, but now it is the fan who is not treated fairly.
This book is a good easy read. Very close to a 5 star rating, but just not enough juicy and/or unique information.

Rating:
Summary: Robin Roberts -- When Baseball Was All About The Game
Review: Robin Roberts' book, My Life in Baseball, along with his previous book, The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant, transported this 62-year old back to my early childhood memories growing up in a Philadelphia suburb. Mr. Roberts' writing helped me recall a time when life was less complicated, a time of few worries, and a time when baseball was all about the game.

Mr. Roberts' book is so detailed with the names of who hit what kind of pitch, in which inning, and to what part of the ballpark that it is like having been at the game or reading last night's box score. He provides a different perspective about baseball - of how the game used to be played back when players earned $5,000 a year and traveled long hours on the train going from one big league city to another.

Mr. Roberts had a remarkable career as a big league pitcher. In just his third year in the Major Leagues, he won 20 games, which he did for six consecutive years. His record in his fifth year was 28 and 7, with 330 innings pitched. In 19 seasons, his overall ERA was 3.41. No wonder Mr. Roberts was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976, at that time just the second Phillie ever elected to the HOF.

Read about some of the stars and Hall of Famers who played alongside Mr. Roberts or who faced him on the field, players such as Ashburn, Simmons, Ennis, Jones, Hamner, Mays, Aaron, Robinson, Musial, Spahn, Koufax, and Campanella. And read about the spitball, the development of the Players' Association, and the creation of the players' pension fund. This is a must-read for anyone who has a passion for the game of baseball.