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The Complete Game: Reflections on Baseball, Pitching, and Life on the Mound
Ron Darling has been beloved by Mets fans since he helped his team win the 1986 World Series. Today he is considered one of the most articulate and insightful broadcasters in baseball, bringing the game to life in ways that few can match. Now he gives us an engaging, sophisticated, practical, and philosophical exploration of the art, strategy, and psychology of pitching.
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Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
March 31st 2009
by Knopf
(first published March 30th 2009)
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Joyce
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Ron Darling always seemed to embody a unique pivot point in baseball history, perhaps one out of all proportion to his stat line as a pitcher. On the old-school side, he was one of the last complete-game workhorses who had the right to curl a lip at today's "quality-start" thinking. Darling also might have been one of the last pitchers who didn't specialize until almost the point when he turned pro; by all accounts he enjoyed hitting, fielding, and even playing football more than pit...more
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Ron Darling, the Yale-educated star pitcher turned Mets broadcaster, reflects on memorable games and innings that he’s pitched or witnessed and on his life experiences in baseball. He talks strategy and explicates what it means to pitch, with a full consciousness of what is happening on the field and what needs to be done on the mound, as opposed to merely hurling the ball at the plate. However, what makes the book a bit different from others of its ilk is that Darling mixes in a considerable am...more
Ron Darling was one of the few players from the Mets mid-'80's teams that I didn't actively loathe: him, Keith Hernandez (a carryover from his St. Louis years), Gary Carter (I pretty much always have a soft spot for old Expos), Doc Gooden. The rest? Buncha pricks. Okay, I liked Dykstra as a Phillie, and of course Mitchell and Straw as Giants. But again, however much I hated the Mets (which is and has always been about one iota less than I hate the Dodgers), I always respected Ron Darling.
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Ron Darling was a pretty good pitcher, although you might never know that listening to him work color commentary for the New York Mets. He sustains a level of modesty that would lead one to think he was a mere journeyman. He was not a great pitcher, although he did pitch some great games. He is, however, simply the best color commentator working baseball today. While he may not be a future hall-of-famer as an athlete, I expect he will make it to Cooperstown for his work covering the game.
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This came in as a freebie to my office a while ago, and I picked it up because of my past love for baseball books that break down the game from the inside. It is essentially a memoir of Ron Darling's major league career, done in the form of several memorable games he participated in, including a college game still called one of the greatest every played, in which Darling pitched for Yale.
The book is a little blowsy -- it probably could have been cut 20 percent in length -- but I ...more
Always like Ron Darling. He's now a great color guy for the Mets on TV. He was a talented, gritty pitcher, and one of the few Ivy leaguers to land in the majors. He tells the story of a practice when Yale was preparing for a championship game and only five or six teammates showed up for practice because they were more intent on studying for finals. Few places where this would happen in the big world of serious college sports. This book, while informative about the mound thoughts and strateg...more
An entertaining and enlightening look at Major League baseball from the pitcher's perspective, Darling's unconventional memoir provides an inside peek in nine innings - plus an extra inning from college baseball. Informative and amusing, Darling is down to earth about the ups and downs of the game, examining the mechanics of pitching and team life, from his initial callup from the minors to his glory days with the Mets to his pragmatic (if disappointing) release from the A's. An excellent co...more
Even if you don't love baseball (I do) this game puts you inside the mind and body of an athlete. Darling chooses nine of the most amazing, challenging and interesting innings of baseball he's seen -- some pitched by him; some by others, and adds "extra innings" and retirement to them. I learned a lot about how an athlete should think, feel and compete. I even used some of his techniques on the tennis court this past week. A must read for any competitor.
I think that this book was sort of a waste of time. The first half was intrigueing and i really enjoyed it becuase it was one of the few athlete memoirs that focuses on the physcological part of being a Major League baseball player rather than just recount the moments from his career. But eventually i got sick of it and wanted some more action and dramatic moments. Hearing about him taking a nap or drinking coffee or doing the crossword puzzels before the games stated was interesting - for the f...more
Darling was a great pitcher for the Mets during the 80ies, is currently an excellent announcer in the Mets television booth, and now it turns out, he's a talented writer as well. The Complete Game gives us vivid and fascinating descriptions of some of the most important games during Darling's career. But he also goes beyond that, and brings the reader into the mind of the professional pitcher and what makes them tick. A compelling read !
As a long time Mets fan, I have always liked Ron Darling and what I thought of as his no-nonsense approach to pitching. This is a no-nonsense book, part pitching advice, part autobiography, all good reading. Darling writes directly and honestly about mistakes, bad attitude, and the pain of realizing it is time to end his pitching career. Great book!
Really entertaining. The organization of the book (by innings) really helped it move along. More captivating than the other baseball nonfic books I've read this year- maybe because he's a commentator? Not about baseball in general, but about being a pitcher, which I know I didn't understand some of the subtleties of. Just a good, quick, entertaining read!
As Mets fan, and one who lived in Queens in 1986, I really looked forward to reading Darling's book. It was an informative read as I enjoyed learning about the finer points of baseball strategy. I also liked how Darling shows us how players and managers communicate and what they communicate both during games and off the field. It was all fascinating stuff and told in a style that moves quickly with no wasted words.
I had only one complaint about the book. I read a memoir by a world cl...more
I had only one complaint about the book. I read a memoir by a world cl...more
Yes, he is the Mets announcer but in this look
at baseball from the inside of pitching by a former pitcher.
And if your fastball is fast you can not touch a pitcher's pitch. Darling's book was divided into 9 innings/chapters and an extra inning chapter.
Nice to see Ron in print.
at baseball from the inside of pitching by a former pitcher.
And if your fastball is fast you can not touch a pitcher's pitch. Darling's book was divided into 9 innings/chapters and an extra inning chapter.
Nice to see Ron in print.
Some chapters were better than others. The chapter on the Yale v. St.John's NCAA duel was on the money. Darling's first game against the Phillies set a good tone for the book. Overall a good read and some nice insights by a better than average TV color man.
Darling gives great insight into the life of a pitcher. This is the sort of book which can change the way you watch a ballgame, and it makes me happier then ever when I hear Ron on SNY.
As a baseball fan, it's great to be able to get into the head of a player you respect. I knew pitching was difficult - but - reading this book put it in perspective. The amount of focus pitching requires just astounds me. And, it's well-written: I found myself getting anxious just reading about games - even knowing the outcome.
An insightful, thoughtful, and shockingly humble look at the game from former Mets and As pitcher Ron Darling. I've been paraphrasing choice bits to anybody who will listen.
Greg
rated it
Recommends it for:
People who think baseball is boring and people who love baseball.
Recommended to Greg by:
Cynthia
Great for rookies or veterans. For rookies, it shows what's going on when nothing is going on. For veterans, gives insight to what it is that makes one a ballplayer.
This was a mediocre book at best. I've just got too many books I'd rather read and life is too short to waste time reading mediocre stuff if I can help it.
Perhaps I'm biased as a lifelong met fan, but I thought this book was excellent. It rejuvenated my life for the sport not just the Mets. Some might consider this a little too sappy or emotional but I really appreciated the insights.
Darling's thoughts on different situations that arise in a game and a career, filtered through his experience pitching and watching other's pitch.
Former Mets' pitcher Ron Darling dishes on what it's like to be a major league pitcher, approaching pitching holistically, from standpoints of stamina, science, mental focus, statistics and more ... this as-told-to memoir is not intended to catalog Darling's achievements, but to illustrate the lonely position that so much of America's past time hinges on.
The writing is straightforward but mundane, and the blow-by-blow didn't hold my interest much past the 50 page mark, though the structure...more
The writing is straightforward but mundane, and the blow-by-blow didn't hold my interest much past the 50 page mark, though the structure...more
Darling is very articulate, plus, he's ghost-written. The combination means that you get a lot of how ballplayers think packed into well-organized, well-written book with tons of stories from the majors, minors, and college ball. He knows how to pick good anecdotes that makes interesting reading. A couple times, he veers into pure autobiographical stuff that only he really cares about, but that's a small percentage of the book.
A different look at a number of baseball games played by the author.
Good insight into what goes through the mind of a big league pitcher.
Todd Sheets
added it
Excellent read. Gets you into the mind of a pitcher.
One of the best baseball books i've ever read.
You know when you read a book by a blowhard who had to be mellowed by his co-writer or editor? This has a bit of that, and Darling doesn't speak to how he went from a hot prospect to a wild starter to major league flotsam (I never watched him after he left the Mets... he was in Oakland and it was the early 90s!), but the book also has some spectacular musings on athletic competition, pitching strategy, emotion, and how to adapt when everything is not working right.
I loved this book...more
I loved this book...more
I was prompted to read this book because I was intrigued by the proposed structure. Getting insights into the mind and mechanics of a pitcher from specific innings spread throughout a game tempted me but I was not completely satisfied. Darling is admirably forthright about his motivations and failings but I expected more baseball. He tantalizes the reader with his descriptions of some of the situations but then disappoints as he skates quickly past some seemingly important at-bats.
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