Johnny Roulette

excellent insight into baseball in the 60's & 70's, strange, May 15 2004

Dock Ellis was a frustratingly inconsistant pitcher with excellent stuff. He pitched for the Pirates from the late 60's to the mid-70's, moving to the Yankees for one last terrific season before a seeming lack of dedication/interest left him wasting away in Texas. He had a less than glorious return to Pittsburgh in 1979 before calling it a career. This is not your usual sports bio. Donald Hall brings his poetic style to the narrative and Dock brings his own strange blend of stubborness,talent & inconsistancy to the table. While the book does hit some sluggish spells, you should be able to overlook its flaws to learn more about a man who pitched a no-hitter following a night of LSD… Read more

a wonderful keepsake for all Giants fans, Sep 5 2003

Thanks to some ridiculous pitching moves(removing Ortiz in game 6. bringing in Worrell to face three guys who had annihilated him in the past...also game 6, not starting Reuter in game 7, sticking with Livan after it was clear he couldn't function within the established strikezone in game 7...the relievers only allowed one hit after his removal) the Giants ended the 2002 season without a world championship. We, as fans, did however get closer than we've been to seeing our team take it all since Willie McCovey lined out to Bobby Richardson, ending game 7, thirty years earlier. We also get this wonderful look at the '02 seasons from the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle. The book is… Read more

over one hundred years of oral history/ amazing rare photos, April 27 2003

This is one of the most informative(from the player perspective) books on baseball I've ever seen. Good narrative riddled with excerpts from interviews and autobiographies of the players who've made this the most beautiful sport around. Highlights include Willie Stargell's harrowing brush with Texas racism in the minors, psychological terrorism tips from Ty Cobb, playing through agony with Gary Carter and Roberto Clemente, what if's from Judy Johnson and Monte Irvin and dealing with the loneliness of language barriers in a strange land by Juan Marichal.
Humor comes from a bit on illegal pitches featuring Gaylord Perry and Burleigh Grimes, as well as Joe Sewell's innovative way to… Read more