World Famous Comics: Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes
Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes
By: Bobby Murcer, Glen Waggoner Publisher: Harper Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Harper Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 320 Publication Date: June 01, 2008 Release Date: May 20, 2008
A former Yankees great remembers his years in pinstripes and talks candidly about his courageous battle with brain cancer.
As he stepped to the plate at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day in 1966, Bobby Murcer carried with him the hopes and expectations of Yankees fans looking for the next Mickey Mantle.
Like Mantle, Murcer was a phenom from Oklahoma. Like Mantle, he came up to the majors as a shortstop, but was later converted to a centerfielder. And like Mantle, his first at-bat in Yankee Stadium was at the tender age of 19.
Bobby wasn't the Mick, but he became one of the most beloved Yankees of all time.
Yankee for Life is the story of Murcer's stellar career as both a player and as an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster. With self-effacing humor and down-home charm, he shares fascinating, illuminating, and never-before-told anecdotes about former teammates and bosses, including Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, Lou Piniella—and George Steinbrenner.
But no relationship was more significant and poignant than his friendship with Yankees captain Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash in 1979. On the morning of Munson's funeral, Murcer delivered the eulogy for his friend in Ohio; he ended the day by driving in all five runs in an extra-inning 5-4 victory at Yankee Stadium to honor his captain's memory.
Following his career, Murcer became a revered figure in the Yankees broadcast booth. From the best seat in the House That Ruth Built, he has watched the latest generation of Yankee superstars—Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera—grow up.
No one is more qualified—or brave enough—to choose his own personal Pinstripe All-Star Team of the last 40 years.
Murcer is no stranger to courage. On Christmas Eve 2006, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Five days later, after surgery to remove it, he learned that the cancer was terminal. In an uplifting, honest, and even humorous exploration of his battle with illness, Murcer explains how the love of his wife and his family, a deep religious faith, and the passionate support of fans have seen him through his ordeal.
Bobby Murcer may not have become the next Mickey Mantle, but he became someone he always wanted to be—a Yankee for life.
Book review I totally enjoyed reading Bobby's book. i had to keep stopping to wipe away the tears in my eyes from sadness and laughter. I recommend it to all lovers of baseball.
Awesome book This is an awesome book by an awesome person and I think everyone should read it,not only baseball fans. It is very inspiring.
Thank you Amazon.com. You have always been wonderful. Never had a problem.
A true Yankee A true yankee. This book was a GREAT read- I couldn't put the book down. The Phil Rizzuto stories were classic. I recommend this book to any baseball or yankees fan. I wish it could have been 500 more pages. A true gentleman and a great ballplayer.
A Wonderful Book By a Beautiful Man I truly savored every page of this book. The stories and memories of this kind and special man are at once easily believable and never forgotten. Whether or not you are a Yankee fan, or just a fan of great baseball history, there is no doubt you will be a Murcer fan when you're done reading. My only lament is how pissed off I am that he is no longer here with us to write the next book. It is truly our loss.
A Gem of a Book by a Gem of a Man Growing up in New Jersey during the '60s and '70s, the Yankees were my team and Bobby Murcer was my idol. I treasure my Murcer bat I got at the Stadium on Bat Day and remember crying my eyes out when he was traded to the Giants. For any Bobby Murcer fan (and any Yankee fan) this is a wonderful book. It's a quick read written without pretension by from a man who by all accounts was a very classy guy. It's clear from his book how much Murcer loved his wife, kids, baseball and the Yankees (not necessarily in that order.) Bobby may be gone and they gave Billy Martin his old uniform number, but Bobby Murcer will always be #1 in this fan's book. Read this book and you'll not only relive a lot of Yankee memories, but you'll be inspired! Rest in peace, Bobby.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
