Still Pitching

February 1, 2003
Kaat pitched for 24 years in the major leagues and holds the record for the most gold gloves (16) won by a pitcher. His lifetime statistics are quite admirable, but he remains on the bubble for the Hall of Fame. He has since become a well-known announcer for the Yankees. Here he tells the secrets behind his durability and offers plenty of insights on how baseball has evolved. Sports fans in New York and Minnesota (Kaat is a Minnesota Twin legend) will especially enjoy.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2003
When he retired in 1983, Kaat had spent more time in a major-league baseball uniform than any other player. That alone merits a memoir. In addition to his ball-playing credentials--he finished just a few wins short of the 300 that would surely have won him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame--Kaat also served as a coach under the now infamous Pete Rose, and for nearly a decade he has worked as a broadcaster for the New York Yankees. If at times a bit biased in favor of the ballplayers from his heyday (the 1960s), Kaat proves an affable tour guide to the world of big-league baseball. He's insightful when discussing what it was like to work with Rose as the latter's gambling problems worsened, and he offers interesting tidbits on current Yankees and other major-league stars such as Barry Bonds. This is not a tell-all book; there's little in the way of dirt or gossip but plenty of strong and learned opinion from a lifelong student of the game.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)