It's Anybody's Ballgame

by Joe Garagiola

It's Anybody's Ballgame

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Woody Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really nostalgic trip down memory lane with Joe Garage-Door, as my late-Pops used to call him. I first "met" him through the "Game of the Week", which I watched religiously beginning in the Summer of 1974. The trick was to find out who was playing & lay out all of their cards on the carpet before the game. It really brought home the players as Joe would call the game, usually with Vin Scully. I wept when I realized that Joe is gone, as are Pops, both Grummys & Pap-Paps & even the "Game of the Week" is no more. My childhood is a distant memory.

I wish that I could say that I liked this book more, but too often, Joe's digressions were too much for me. His ENTIRE chapter on baldness really grated. I am going bald, but my beard is people's focus now. Who the f**k cares about a rambling diatribe on baldness?!? Not me.

Same with his Catholicism. I realize that it was a large facet of his life, but it need not color EVERY utterance. I got it. Yer a true-blue, dyed-in-the wool believer. Enough.

OTOH, his childhood with "Lawdie/Yogi" Berra is beyond enviable & the stories of his playing days are so evocative of yesteryear. Even his mention of "current" players evoked my youth.

It was a worthwhile read, but a bit uneven & touching on subjects, like the "Today Show" & his emceeing game shows, that had naught to do with baseball.

[Gordon Gammell · Rating 1 out of 5]

One good chapter about his relationship with President Ford. One slightly interesting chapter about the Today show. The rest was a filler of baseball anecdotes. I felt like I was reading stories shot from a Gatling gun being fired by a demented joke writer.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book from broadcaster Joe Garagilola. He writes some about his less than stellar major league career, though most of this book is more about his TV work as a broadcaster and as a host on Today and several game shows. Lots of funny stories told by a very funny man.

Recommended for the baseball fan even though it deals with more than just baseball.

[Marshall Merims · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a few funny or memorable stories: Pedro Guerroro, President Gerald Ford, Yogi Berra. Written in a style that didn’t excite me. Not a very funny or engaging book. Would not read this one again.

[Buck Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories and observations by one of the best in the sportscasting business.