Synopses & Reviews
Baseball breeds practical jokers and wise guys who deliver some loony lines, and this collection features the best of them, with a laugh on every page. Catch these: The "steak dinner" Seattle Mariners star Ken Griffey bought his manager, Lou Pinella, when he lost a bet -- a live 1,200-pound steer. Ace Boston Red Sox reliever Dan Quisenberry really did put out a fire when catcher Jamie Quirk lit some newspapers and smoked him out of the portable toilet (thousands cheered as he hitched up his pants). Chicago Cubs pitcher Bob Patterson was asked what pitch he threw Cincinnati Reds batter Barry Larkin for a game-winning home run: "It was a cross between a screwball and a change up -- a screw-up". Yogi Berra's classics, including: "It's deja vu all over again"; "When you come to a fork in the road, take it"; "If the fans don't want to come out, nobody can stop them"; and "You can observe a lot just by watching". Casey Stengel's fractured phrases: "They're very much alike in a lot of similarities"; and "He can throw a ball through a wall. But you can't be sure which building". Three whose antics changed the rules: Bill Veeck, who hired pinch-hitter Eddie Gaedel, 3 feet 7 inches, with the number 1/8; Germany Schaefer, who stole first (from second, with a man on third); Jim Piersall, who faced backwards running out a home run. As broadcaster Ralph Kiner once said: "That's the great thing about baseball. You never know exactly what's going on".
Synopsis
"Light, anecdotal accounts of pranks, witty quotes, and retellings of the foibles of such legendary figures as Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola, and others round out this humorous compilation."--
Library Journal. It's a home run of humor!