Baseball Eccentrics

March 1, 2007
Bill Lee was a good major-league pitcher before chronic arm problems did him in after 14 years. But whatever he accomplished on the field was overshadowed by his reputation as an eccentric, as a guy who revered the game but never took himself--or his teammates, coaches, and managers--too seriously. This is a laugh-out-loud collection of outrageous behavior, head-scratching logic, practical jokes, and great wit. For example, there's a tale involving drinking buddies Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin in which a mule was euthanized and two cows were categorized as collateral damage. Former Cubs manager Lee Elia's profanity-laced diatribe against Cubs fans and their employment status is transcribed here, as is Earl Weaver's not-for-public-consumption spoof of his own radio call-in show. Mix in an array of Yogi Berra's fractured aphorisms, Jay Johnstone's practical jokes, and even some weighty philosophical issues (Dan Quisenberry: "I've seen the future and it's much like the present, only longer"). Lee never had much of a fastball as a pitcher, but he writes a 95-smile-per-hour book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)