HARDBALL

Rating:
Summary: In Defense of a Rocky Tenure
Review: I recently read Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner with the notion that this book is a defense on Bowie Kuhn's part and not a story. He's written this book, after the fact, that the trail of dirt he left cannot not be pushed to the side and forgotten about. Though, he has agreed about some of his missed calls, he has also made it known who else was at fault in say the 1981 strike, etc., etc., etc. Mr. Kuhn made some good points in the book, however he should have used the good knowledge while commissioner.

Rating:
Summary: Kuhn's self-serving account of his years as MLB Commissioner
Review: Plainly, Mr. Kuhn would prefer that his official version of events in baseball from the late 60s into the 80s prevail, despite the popular notion that he was overdrawn at the clue bank during much of that period. His account of labor negotations during his tenure conflicts in many respects with the published accounts of Marvin Miller (the players union representative) and (more objectively) with the account set forth in LORDS OF THE REALM (written by a WSJ reporter). Mr. Kuhn's attempt to repaint his missteps as leadership is certainly understandable, and the book is interesting as a historical document, but bring your grain of salt -- or maybe the whole shaker.

Rating:
Summary: Unintentionally revealing account of Kuhn's tenure
Review: The reader should come away from an autobiography with an understanding of the author's personality and his place in the world. By that standard, Bowie Kuhn's autobiography is a success: on nearly every page, he reveals that even in retrospect he doesn't understand what happened while he was Commissioner of Baseball.

Kuhn, who served as Commissioner from 1969 until 1984, comes across as a character out of P.G. Wodehouse -- a doddering nobleman who obliviously mouths platitudes while his world collapses around him.

Unlike predecessors Spike Eckert and Ford Frick, Kuhn actually believed the myth of the Commissioner as Majestic Neutral, lording above owners and players alike to proclaim The Best Interest of Baseball. The players were never fooled: they knew Kuhn was hired and paid by the owners, and took their cues from master negotiator Marvin Miller. Within a few years they had won the right to take their grievances to a truly impartial arbitrator, using this leverage to win free agency. Kuhn never knew what hit him.

The owners weren't fooled, either. They knew the difference between a pretentious title and actual power -- and they fumed when Kuhn's attempt to play a role in labor negotiations undercut their own bargaining position. Throughout the second half of his tenure, Kuhn spent more time battling to keep his job than actually doing it.

When Kuhn took office, the owners ran MLB as they pleased. When he left, the owners couldn't sneeze without clearing it with the Players' Association. Read this book and you'll understand how this happened.

Rating:
Summary: Unintentionally revealing account of Kuhn's tenure
Review: The reader should come away from an autobiography with an understanding of the author's personality and his place in the world. By that standard, Bowie Kuhn's autobiography is a success: on nearly every page, he reveals that even in retrospect he doesn't understand what happened while he was Commissioner of Baseball.

Kuhn, who served as Commissioner from 1969 until 1984, comes across as a character out of P.G. Wodehouse -- a doddering nobleman who obliviously mouths platitudes while his world collapses around him.

Unlike predecessors Spike Eckert and Ford Frick, Kuhn actually believed the myth of the Commissioner as Majestic Neutral, lording above owners and players alike to proclaim The Best Interest of Baseball. The players were never fooled: they knew Kuhn was hired and paid by the owners, and took their cues from master negotiator Marvin Miller. Within a few years they had won the right to take their grievances to a truly impartial arbitrator, using this leverage to win free agency. Kuhn never knew what hit him.

The owners weren't fooled, either. They knew the difference between a pretentious title and actual power -- and they fumed when Kuhn's attempt to play a role in labor negotiations undercut their own bargaining position. Throughout the second half of his tenure, Kuhn spent more time battling to keep his job than actually doing it.

When Kuhn took office, the owners ran MLB as they pleased. When he left, the owners couldn't sneeze without clearing it with the Players' Association. Read this book and you'll understand how this happened.