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Don Baylor: Nothing but the Truth : A Baseball Life
Presents the anecdotes, insights, and reflections of a seasoned player, chronicles his own hard-hitting career, and presents an insider's view of famous baseball personalities
Paperback
First published August 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 20, 2022
Subtitled: Nothing But the Truth - A Baseball Life
Don Baylor was a winner at nearly every stop in his major league career, highlighted by appearing in 3 straight World Series - winning 1 - with 3 different teams (Boston in 1986, Minnesota in 1987, and Oakland in 1988). This is the story of his playing career as told to Claire Smith, the first woman beat-writer for an MLB team when she covered the New York Yankees in the 1980s.
Baylor began his career in the Baltimore Oriole minor league system when the Orioles dynasty dominated the American League for three straight seasons. He arrived too late to take part in those three World Series (1969-1971), but played on the Oriole teams that won divisional titles in 1973-74. He as traded to the Oakland A's in a huge trade that also involved Reggie Jackson prior to the 1976 season before signing with the California Angels before the 1977 season, helping the Angels earn their first two divisional championships in 1979 and 1982. Baylor used his next shot at free agency to sign with the Yankees before going on his 3-year run of World Series appearances. If I could change one thing about this book, I would have liked for it to be written several years later so it could also included the details of Baylor's post-playing career, when he managed the Colorado Rockies for 6 years and the Chicago Cubs for 3 years.
I gave Don Baylor five stars on Goodreads. He was one of my favorite players of the 1970s and 80s, and it was fascinating to read the stories he told in this book about his relationships with his managers and teammates during that time.
Don Baylor was a winner at nearly every stop in his major league career, highlighted by appearing in 3 straight World Series - winning 1 - with 3 different teams (Boston in 1986, Minnesota in 1987, and Oakland in 1988). This is the story of his playing career as told to Claire Smith, the first woman beat-writer for an MLB team when she covered the New York Yankees in the 1980s.
Baylor began his career in the Baltimore Oriole minor league system when the Orioles dynasty dominated the American League for three straight seasons. He arrived too late to take part in those three World Series (1969-1971), but played on the Oriole teams that won divisional titles in 1973-74. He as traded to the Oakland A's in a huge trade that also involved Reggie Jackson prior to the 1976 season before signing with the California Angels before the 1977 season, helping the Angels earn their first two divisional championships in 1979 and 1982. Baylor used his next shot at free agency to sign with the Yankees before going on his 3-year run of World Series appearances. If I could change one thing about this book, I would have liked for it to be written several years later so it could also included the details of Baylor's post-playing career, when he managed the Colorado Rockies for 6 years and the Chicago Cubs for 3 years.
I gave Don Baylor five stars on Goodreads. He was one of my favorite players of the 1970s and 80s, and it was fascinating to read the stories he told in this book about his relationships with his managers and teammates during that time.
June 12, 2019
Not surprisingly, Don Baylor was straight up and honest, pulling no punches and mincing no words, which is exactly what I look for in a sports autobiography. Considering the teams he played on and the career he’s had, he has a lot of stories that a diehard baseball fan of my age finds fascinating.
Don Baylor himself is a vanished breed in baseball. A tough guy, a superior Black athlete who chose to play baseball, and a leader in the truest sense whose number one concern was the team getting the “W”. It was nice to hear his motivation in his own words,
Claire Smith did a nice job editing the book.
It seems to have been written just after the 1988 season which was Baylor’s last. I was disappointed at the lack of closure in the final chapter, he only said that he was looking forward to the next one. The next one never happened!
I enjoyed learning more about players, managers, and other personalities from the field level. Strongly recommended for like-minded fans.
Don Baylor himself is a vanished breed in baseball. A tough guy, a superior Black athlete who chose to play baseball, and a leader in the truest sense whose number one concern was the team getting the “W”. It was nice to hear his motivation in his own words,
Claire Smith did a nice job editing the book.
It seems to have been written just after the 1988 season which was Baylor’s last. I was disappointed at the lack of closure in the final chapter, he only said that he was looking forward to the next one. The next one never happened!
I enjoyed learning more about players, managers, and other personalities from the field level. Strongly recommended for like-minded fans.
December 17, 2018
I read this book many, years ago. As an avid sports book reader, this was absolutely one of my favorite books. Don Baylor has a lot to tell as his career spanned baseball different eras with multiple teams. The relationships he formed with teams and players plus the insights he shares are second to none. Highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews