...Baseball Wisdom || ...an Iowa farm boy makes 'the show'
Written: Sep 19 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: Colloquially told, breezy, chatty, insightful about players 'back in the day'.
Cons: No pictures, no career highlights, no career stats. All would have been of interest...
The Bottom Line: Given the troubles of modern-day sports, is refreshing to hear the words/beliefs of a man who valued his talents and opportunities and left a true legacy for all who follow.
sleeper54's Full Review: Bob Feller and Burton Rocks - Bob Feller's Little ...
... Imagine pitching in the major leagues the summer before your senior year of high school. Imagine striking out 17 batters in one game that summer, at 17 years old 'striking out your age'. Bob Feller did that. Only one other pitcher in major league baseball history has done that before or since. (Bonus points if you can name the other pitcher to 'strike out his age'.)
Bob 'Rapid Robert' Feller was a simple Iowa farm boy that had a passion for the game of baseball and a strong and accurate right arm. Throughout his career Feller often credited his upbringing and family life in Iowa as the font of his success.
Bob Feller's Little Blue Book of Baseball Wisdom, written by Feller and coauthored by Burton Rocks, shares the nine basic tenets Feller credits with helping him be in the right place at the right time with the right preparation to be an 18-season member of the Cleveland Indians and a first-ballot Baseball Hall of Fame player.
The Little Blue Book shares Bob Feller's tenets (or keys) for success as a young boy growing up, as a major league baseball player, as a U.S. Navy sailor in combat during WWII, and as an unofficial 'ambassador' for baseball since his playing days ended over fifty years ago.
It is a quick read, running barely 160 pages in a small hardbound book, not much bigger than a paperback. No pictures, no tables of stats or box-scores, the book is really just the sharing of an old ballplayer's memories of his life, his parents, the players he played with and against, and his time spent in baseball and in service to his country.
He talks about as a youth seeing Babe Ruth barnstorming through Iowa, about all the friends he played with and against, about pitching against a speeding motorcycle, and he tells you what is wrong with Little League youth baseball. He shares observations about umpires, and player loyalty, the importance of his 'lost years' while serving in the Navy during WWII, the value of black baseball players that were long excluded from a then all-white baseball world and much more.
Over nine chapters Feller highlights his "tenets for success" including Family Values, Hard Work, Loyalty and six others. While discussing the topic at hand he mixes in memories of his life and shares maxims to live by.
Feller and Rocks have also previously co-authored a 'Little Black Book of Baseball Wisdom'. Looking at on-line resources the content appears to be presented differently . . .but appears to share the same style and tone. Do not ask me why the similar titles.
The Bottom Line So who might want to read this..?? I doubt the younger reader will have the interest to read about a player from 50-plus years ago. At the other extreme, at 90 years of age (yes, he is still alive and active..!!) Feller has outlived most of his contemporaries.
So perhaps those who might most benefit from reading Bob Feller's Little Blue Book of Baseball Wisdom are younger and older baseball fans who want to learn more about the man many once thought to be the best pitcher in baseball, ever. Or at least on the short list.
Given the troubles of modern-day sports in general and baseball in particular it is refreshing to hear the words of a man who truly valued his talents and his opportunities to use them in war and peace, leaving a true legacy for all who follow.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.