DOCSLIB.ORG

Safe by a Mile by Charlie Metro with Tom Altherr

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Safe by a Mile by Charlie Metro with Tom Altherr SportBook History Reviews Review, 1996, 27, BOOK REVIEWS 99 © 1996 Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. Sport History Review, 2003, 34, 99-102 © 2003 Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. Safe by a Mile By Charlie Metro with Tom Altherr. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. (529 pp., $29.95 US) Reviewed by Steven R. Bullock, University of Nebraska at Omaha. Weaving together an intricate array of anecdotes, personal accounts and opinions, Charlie Metro has created a distinctive addition to an al- ready substantial library of baseball history. Associating with characters of such varied backgrounds as Frank Sinatra, Ty Cobb, Robert Redford, Casey Stengel, and Billy Martin, as well as witnessing, in person, every member of the 500 home run club, Metro has obviously experienced a rich and var- ied life. The central element of this work is undeniably the unique perspec- tive offered by an individual who was employed in professional baseball for nearly fifty years in a variety of capacities by a seemingly infinite num- ber of franchises. Drawing upon his tremendous baseball knowledge, Metro is able to provide the reader with a wealth of information presented in a straightforward fashion. Baseball historians will most likely be struck by the sheer magnitude of the experiences enjoyed by Charlie Metro during his professional ca- reer, including his many interactions with legends of the game at either the minor or major league level. The author provides insight into the personal behaviors and characteristics of baseball icons such as Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane and Ted Williams. Although the information Metro provides is not extremely controversial or novel to most baseball aficionados, it does lend to a greater understanding of these individuals. The author reinforces, for example, the fact that Ty Cobb did occasionally display generosity de- spite his reputation for anti-social behavior, that Mickey Cochrane was a blatant alcoholic following his retirement from baseball, and that Ted Wil- liams was an intense student and teacher of hitting. Another strength of this book is the author’s keen observations on the state of professional baseball during the past sixty-five years. Those interested in the current debate on the demise of small market franchises, for example, might be interested to read that Metro, who spent the vast majority of his career as a scout and minor league manager, asserts that small market franchises which do not succeed do so because of their own ineptitude in scouting and player development, not because of a lack of financial means. Metro also offers an assessment of professional players today, both individually and as a whole, and provides many interesting 99 100 BOOK REVIEWS analyses. Although not entirely critical of the money players enjoy today, Metro does chastise the modern ball player for being too outspoken and worries whether the desire to win has been replaced by the desire to attain a statistical level necessary for obtaining large contracts. Although strong in most areas, the primary weakness of the book is that the author, at times, tends to overwhelm the reader with cascades of information with no real semblance of order. This lack of fluidity is evident throughout the text in virtually every chapter and can be a bit distracting. Within the span of one page, for example, the author describes a bungled inside-the-park home run, expounds upon the superstitious nature of base- ball players, and discusses the difficulty of professional baseball in Mexico (p. 131). Such an array of topics leads inevitably to a jumble of ideas pre- sented to the reader in a seemingly unorganized fashion and makes com- prehension difficult. To be fair, the author does, with several notable ex- ceptions, present the material chronologically and simply seems to have too much to say for the space available. Even though Safe by a Mile is al- ready well over 500 pages, this work could have been substantially ex- panded to allow for more fluid transitions, or judiciously edited for con- tent. Although not a fatal flaw, Metro also occasionally allows his emo- tional attachments towards individuals to distort reality. For example, the author’s treatment of Billy Martin, under whom Metro coached with the Oakland A’s, is very benign; most of Martin’s boorish behavior and alco- hol addiction are overlooked or only touched upon briefly. Overall, how- ever, most readers would enjoy this glimpse of professional baseball through the eyes of one of the most well traveled men in baseball history and, there- fore, should add Safe by a Mile to their personal collections. The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture. Edited by Christopher H. Evans and William R. Herzog, II. Louisville and London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. (273 pp., $18.95 US) Reviewed by Joel S. Franks, San Jose State University. The title of this fine anthology refers to a scene in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. In this scene, Gatsby tells Nick Carraway about Meyer Wolfsheim, “the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919.” Based on the exploits of a real life gambler, Arnold Rothstein, Wolfsheim inspires Carraway to wonder how “one man could start to play with the faith of fifty million people—with the single mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe.” Obviously, America is not the same place it was when Fitzgerald wrote Gatsby. To be sure, if the 2005 World Series turned out to be fixed, American baseball fans would no doubt notice and perhaps even call in.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download Preview
    DETROIT TIGERS’ 4 GREATEST HITTERS Table of CONTENTS Contents Warm-Up, with a Side of Dedications ....................................................... 1 The Ty Cobb Birthplace Pilgrimage ......................................................... 9 1 Out of the Blocks—Into the Bleachers .............................................. 19 2 Quadruple Crown—Four’s Company, Five’s a Multitude ..................... 29 [Gates] Brown vs. Hot Dog .......................................................................................... 30 Prince Fielder Fields Macho Nacho ............................................................................. 30 Dangerfield Dangers .................................................................................................... 31 #1 Latino Hitters, Bar None ........................................................................................ 32 3 Hitting Prof Ted Williams, and the MACHO-METER ......................... 39 The MACHO-METER ..................................................................... 40 4 Miguel Cabrera, Knothole Kids, and the World’s Prettiest Girls ........... 47 Ty Cobb and the Presidential Passing Lane ................................................................. 49 The First Hammerin’ Hank—The Bronx’s Hank Greenberg ..................................... 50 Baseball and Heightism ............................................................................................... 53 One Amazing Baseball Record That Will Never Be Broken ......................................
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Making an Adjustment
    Introduction Making an Adjustment David M.K. Sheinin and Raanan Rein The Jewish American comedian Lenny Bruce famously reflected, “Who can be glad they’re Jewish? You can say…I’ve made a good adjustment, but that’s all.”1 In his 2013 documentary, “When Jews were Funny,” director Alan Zweig is pre- occupied with and anxious about what has changed in recent decades regard- ing Jewish comedy and Jewish comedians in the United States. More specifically, he asks, is there still “Jewish” comedy? No comedians interviewed have the same answer, but Gilbert Gottfried may have come closest to explaining a shift that has occurred over time. While yiddishkeit, Yiddish in-jokes, the Borscht Belt, and the other categorical “Jewish” markers of a comedian’s identity may have slipped away, Jewish comedy continues to function through comedic devices that identify protagonists as Jewish in conjunction with other, overlap- ping identities. Reflecting an ever more complicated set of ethnic and other identities in the Americas, the shift is away from the rigid, and toward a set of constantly reconfiguring identity borders. So according to Gottfried, on the popular television comedy Seinfeld, “every character in it was a Jew, even though they changed their name…. George Costanza and his family were all Jews, but they have an Italian name.”2 Jews have been adjusting their identities for centuries. Sport tells those adjustment stories in the twentieth century where Jewish sport narratives have both reflected and pushed a growing fluidity and complexity of ethnic identity and its boundaries. Jewish sports narratives have tended away from rigid mark- ers toward more complex, multifaceted identity narratives.
    [Show full text]
  • National Pastime a REVIEW of BASEBALL HISTORY
    THE National Pastime A REVIEW OF BASEBALL HISTORY CONTENTS The Chicago Cubs' College of Coaches Richard J. Puerzer ................. 3 Dizzy Dean, Brownie for a Day Ronnie Joyner. .................. .. 18 The '62 Mets Keith Olbermann ................ .. 23 Professional Baseball and Football Brian McKenna. ................ •.. 26 Wallace Goldsmith, Sports Cartoonist '.' . Ed Brackett ..................... .. 33 About the Boston Pilgrims Bill Nowlin. ..................... .. 40 Danny Gardella and the Reserve Clause David Mandell, ,................. .. 41 Bringing Home the Bacon Jacob Pomrenke ................. .. 45 "Why, They'll Bet on a Foul Ball" Warren Corbett. ................. .. 54 Clemente's Entry into Organized Baseball Stew Thornley. ................. 61 The Winning Team Rob Edelman. ................... .. 72 Fascinating Aspects About Detroit Tiger Uniform Numbers Herm Krabbenhoft. .............. .. 77 Crossing Red River: Spring Training in Texas Frank Jackson ................... .. 85 The Windowbreakers: The 1947 Giants Steve Treder. .................... .. 92 Marathon Men: Rube and Cy Go the Distance Dan O'Brien .................... .. 95 I'm a Faster Man Than You Are, Heinie Zim Richard A. Smiley. ............... .. 97 Twilight at Ebbets Field Rory Costello 104 Was Roy Cullenbine a Better Batter than Joe DiMaggio? Walter Dunn Tucker 110 The 1945 All-Star Game Bill Nowlin 111 The First Unknown Soldier Bob Bailey 115 This Is Your Sport on Cocaine Steve Beitler 119 Sound BITES Darryl Brock 123 Death in the Ohio State League Craig
    [Show full text]
  • Download Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History PDF
    Download: Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History PDF Free [116.Book] Download Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History PDF By Mark S. Halfon Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History you can download free book and read Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History for free here. Do you want to search free download Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History or free read online? If yes you visit a website that really true. If you want to download this ebook, i provide downloads as a pdf, kindle, word, txt, ppt, rar and zip. Download pdf #Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History | #396430 in Books | 2014-02-01 | Original language: English | PDF # 1 | 9.34 x .88 x 6.30l, 1.12 | File type: PDF | 248 pages | |5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.| This is a wonderful book that covers the entire dead ball era | By steven |This is a wonderful book that covers the entire dead ball era. The author takes us back to a time when baseball was vibraant and at times dangerous for fans and players given This is a wonderful book that tells about baseball's vibrant dead ball era.
    [Show full text]
  • With a Combination of Speed, Daring and Brains, Ty Cobb Is Surely the Terror of the Opposing Infield.” – 1912 Hassan Cigarettes Tobacco Card
    Ty Cobb By Jimmy Keenan “With a combination of speed, daring and brains, Ty Cobb is surely the terror of the opposing infield.” – 1912 Hassan Cigarettes tobacco card. “Rogers Hornsby could run like anything but not like this kid. Ty Cobb was the fastest I ever saw for being sensational on the bases." – Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel. 1 “The Babe was a great ballplayer, sure, but Ty Cobb was even greater. Babe Ruth could knock your brains out, but Cobb would drive you crazy." – Hall of Fame outfielder Tris Speaker. 2 "The greatness of Ty Cobb was something that had to be seen, and to see him was to remember him forever." – Hall of Fame first baseman George Sisler. 3 Ty Cobb made his mark in baseball during the first three decades of the 20 th century. To this day, the mere mention of his name resonates baseball excellence. Cobb was credited with setting 90 individual records during his 24-year major league career. He played with the Detroit Tigers from (1905- 26) and the Philadelphia A's from (1927-28). He was the player-manager of the Tigers from 1921-26. Cobb hit over .400 three times (1911, 1912, 1922). He currently holds the highest lifetime batting average (.366) of any major league player. During his tenure in the bigs, he was credited with 12 American League batting titles, nine of them in a row. An error regarding Cobb’s 1910 hitting statistics was discovered in 1978. This correction led to him losing a point on his lifetime average as well as the 1910 batting crown.
    [Show full text]
  • Sermon Sept 24 All in a Day's Work
    “All in a Day’s Work” Matthew 20:1-16 Proper 20-A, Sept 24, 2017 For any of you who are Major League Baseball fans, the name “Ty Cobb” is more than likely— very familiar—to you because Ty Cobb is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He first signed on to play centerfield for the Detroit Tigers when he was only 18 years old in 1904. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936, he received more votes than that of any other player whose name was on the ballot. Ty Cobb is even accredited for setting 90 MAJOR LEAGUE RECORDS—and to this very day—he holds the highest batting average ever of 366. Ty Cobb’s personal life, however, tells a different story. Only three weeks before this young man began to play baseball for the Detroit Tigers—a terrible tragedy struck his home. His father was shot to death by his mother with a pistol his father had purchased for his wife. How did this happen? Somehow Ty Cobb’s father conceived the idea that his wife was guilty of some type of marital infidelity. So coming home, late one evening, when he told his wife that he would be out of town, he was sneaking around to back of the house—hoping to catch her in a compromising situation—even though she was alone in that bedroom. But when she saw the shadow of a man appearing in her bedroom window, she opened her nightstand.
    [Show full text]
  • Linked to Earlier Flowering by Damaged Tective Plates, but Those That Lived As Part: Of
    'H»i' if pi: ^h i;-;' ^i I J* |f '^•E/: tf.^M t\A ?e 1/ •^^- s.Vv<?5?.'flj - ,„ ., ,^ V"* « THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT TAKING one: that's been accepted for years? What does it take to break through a foundation of thinking without understanding all A bold stroke. But, it doesn't mean turning things on their heads lies on the other side. the possible consequences. It takes a complete understanding of what operations in 130 No one is in a better position to help guide clients than AIG. With countries and jurisdictions throughout the world, we have an unmatched knowledge of local conditions and regulations to help manage risks. So, when you're ready to take on a risky venture, contact AIG. We'll help knock down the barriers that may be holding you back. WORLD LEADERS IN INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES ^^Rj Insurance and services provided by mennbers of American International Group, Inc., 70 Pine Street, Department A, New York, New York 10270. WWW.A1G.G0M fe, so your footprints won't the first ones shaped like a size 10 cross-trainer. ^^K A. JSA A. fki oitk less friveUr 1 .800.23 1.0568 www.panamainfo.com APRIL 2002 VOLUME 111 NUMBER 3 FEATURES A DIVERSE & MARVELOUS COLLECTION An eighteenth-century Dutch apothecary's "cabinet of curiosities" attracted even Peter the Great. BY IRMGARD MUSCH, RAINER WILLMANN, AND JES RUST ALL FOR ONE When European hunters first came to Africa, they quickly placed the Cape butlalo on their shorthst of extremely dangerous quarry.
    [Show full text]
  • One of Baseball's Greatest Catchers
    Excerpt • Temple University Press 1 ◆ ◆ ◆ One of Baseball’s Greatest Catchers f all the positions on a baseball diamond, none is more demanding or harder to play than catcher. The job behind the plate is without question the most difficult to perform, Oand those who excel at it rank among the toughest players in the game. To catch effectively, one has to be a good fielder, have a good throwing arm, be able to call the right pitches, be a good psy- chologist when it comes to dealing with pitchers, know how to engage tactfully with umpires, how to stave off injuries, and have the fortitude to block the plate and to stand in front of speeding or sliding runners and risk serious injury. Catching is not a position for the dumb or the lazy or the faint-hearted. To wear the mask and glove, players have to be smart. They have to be tough, fearless, and strong. They must be alert, agile, and accountable. They are the ones in charge of their teams when on the field, and they have to be able to handle that job skillfully. Excerpt • Temple University Press BIZ MACKEY, A GIANT BEHIND THE PLATE There are many other qualities required of a good catcher that, put together, determine whether or not players can satisfac- torily occupy the position. If they can’t, they will not be behind the plate for long. Rare is the good team that ever took the field without a good catcher. And yet, while baseball has been richly endowed with tal- ented backstops, only a few have ever made it to the top of their profession.
    [Show full text]
  • American Jews and America's Game
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters University of Nebraska Press Spring 2013 American Jews and America's Game Larry Ruttman Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples Ruttman, Larry, "American Jews and America's Game" (2013). University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters. 172. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples/172 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Nebraska Press at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 3 4 American Jews & America’s Game 7 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Buy the Book The Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey, the site of the first organized baseball game (1846). Courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown NY. Buy the Book 3 4 7 American Jews & America’s Voices of a Growing Game Legacy in Baseball LARRY RUTTMAN Foreword by Bud Selig Introduction by Martin 3 Abramowitz 3 3 3 3 3 3 University of Nebraska Press 3 Lincoln and London 3 Buy the Book © 2013 by Lawrence A. Ruttman All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ruttman, Larry. American Jews and America’s game: voices of a growing legacy in baseball / Larry Ruttman; foreword by Bud Selig; introduction by Martin Abramowitz. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
    [Show full text]
  • Babe Ruth's Value in the Lineup As "The Most Destructive Force Ever Known in Base­ Ball." He Didn't Mean the Force of Ruth's Homers Alone
    £ as I knew IIim BY WAITE HOYT, THE BABE 'S FRIEND AND TEAMMATE; AN INTIMATE STORY OF RUTH 'S FABULOUS CAREER WITH EXCLUSIVE PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDS BABE RUTH AS I KNEW HIM-BY WAITE HOYT • I MET Babe Ruth (or the first time in. late July, 1919. There was nothing unusual in the meeting. It was the routine type of introduction accorded all baseball players joining a new team. I had just reported to the Boston Red Sox and was escorted around the clubbouse meeting all the boys_ McInnis, Shannon, Scott, Hooper, Jones, Bush and the rest. Ed Barrow, the man­ ager, was making the introductions and wben we-reached Ruth's locker, the Babe was pulling on bis baseball socks. His huge head bent toward the floor, his black, sbaggy, curly hair dripping Waite Hoyt. now sports­ downward like a bottle of spilled ink. caster and radio direc­ Ed Barrow said, " Babe, look here a minute." tor of station wepo Babe sat up_ He turned that big, boyish, homely face in my Cincinnati, spent fifteen direction. For a second I was starUed. I sensed that this man yeors playing on the same diamond with was something different than the others I had met. It might Babe Ruth. A great ball­ have been his wide, flaring nostrils, his great bulbous nose, his player ~imself. Hoyt was generally unique appearance---the early physical formation wbich top pitcher of the 1927 Yon,ee World Cham­ later became so familiar to the American public. But now I pions with 0 record of prefer to believe it was merely a sixth sense which told me I 21 games won, 7 lost.
    [Show full text]
  • Movie Time Descriptive Video Service
    DO NOT DISCARD THIS CATALOG. All titles may not be available at this time. Check the Illinois catalog under the subject “Descriptive Videos or DVD” for an updated list. This catalog is available in large print, e-mail and braille. If you need a different format, please let us know. Illinois State Library Talking Book & Braille Service 300 S. Second Street Springfield, IL 62701 217-782-9260 or 800-665-5576, ext. 1 (in Illinois) Illinois Talking Book Outreach Center 125 Tower Drive Burr Ridge, IL 60527 800-426-0709 A service of the Illinois State Library Talking Book & Braille Service and Illinois Talking Book Centers Jesse White • Secretary of State and State Librarian DESCRIPTIVE VIDEO SERVICE Borrow blockbuster movies from the Illinois Talking Book Centers! These movies are especially for the enjoyment of people who are blind or visually impaired. The movies carefully describe the visual elements of a movie — action, characters, locations, costumes and sets — without interfering with the movie’s dialogue or sound effects, so you can follow all the action! To enjoy these movies and hear the descriptions, all you need is a regular VCR or DVD player and a television! Listings beginning with the letters DV play on a VHS videocassette recorder (VCR). Listings beginning with the letters DVD play on a DVD Player. Mail in the order form in the back of this catalog or call your local Talking Book Center to request movies today. Guidelines 1. To borrow a video you must be a registered Talking Book patron. 2. You may borrow one or two videos at a time and put others on your request list.
    [Show full text]
  • O'neil Turns 100, but His Story Cannot Be Forgotten
    O'Neil Turns 100, but His Story Cannot Be Forgotten By Paul Ladewski KANSAS CITY – Buck O'Neil turned 100 years old last weekend, and the birthday celebration staged by the Negro League Museum was just the way he would have wanted it. There were so many good baseball stories that even the statues had to listen, enough smiles to light up the room for days at a time. And every so often, there was talk about what might have been. O'Neil was never afforded the opportunity to play in the major leagues, but as their first African-American coach, he was in position to break another barrier, that of the first black manager. If the Cubs had asked O'Neil to assume the reins as part of their so-called College of Coaches five decades ago, how well would he have done? And what if any effect would he have had on baseball history? “Buck had everything you would want in a manager,” said ex-Cubs outfielder Joe Carter, whom O'Neil scouted and signed to his first professional contract. “He knew the game and had an eye for talent. He was a great teacher and loved to be around people. Not only would he tell where you needed to improve, but he did it in a way that made you want to do it. He had a way to get the most out of you.” Former Cubs outfielder George Altman witnessed what O'Neil was capable of first hand. He played briefly under O'Neil with the Kansas City Monarchs on his way to the big leagues.
    [Show full text]