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My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life (Fireside Sports Classics) | 
| Author: Ted Williams
Publisher: Fireside
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $0.46
You Save: $13.54 (97%)
New (25) Used (54) from $0.46
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 123398
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rep Sub
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0671634232
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3570924
EAN: 9780671634230
ASIN: 0671634232
Publication Date: March 15, 1988
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Now available for the first time in years, My Turn at Bat is Ted Williams' own story of his spectacular life and baseball career. An acclaimed best-seller, My Turn at Bat now features new photographs and, for the first time, Ted's reflections on his managing career and the state of baseball as it is played in the 1980s. It's all here in this brilliant, honest and sometimes angry autobiography -- Williams' childhood days in San Diego, his military service, his unforgettable major league baseball debut and ensuing Hall of Fame career that included two Triple Crowns, two Most Valuable Player awards, six batting championships, five Sporting News awards as Major League Player of the Year, 521 lifetime homeruns and a .344 career batting average. And Williams tells his side of the controversies, from his battles with sportswriters and Boston fans to his single World Series performance and his career with the declining Red Sox of the 1950s. My Turn at Bat belongs in the library of everyone who loves Ted Williams, baseball, or great life stories well-told. Red Barber proclaimed My Turn at Bat to be: "One of the best baseball books I've ever read." John Leonard of The New York Times said My Turn at Bat was "unbuttoned and wholly engaging...the portrait of an original who is unrepentant about being better than anyone else."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Unrepentant and unapologetic Ted Williams on the life of Ted Williams October 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book, in Williams' own words, is a biased, yet largely honest appraisal of his life and career as a player. Written in 1970, approximately one decade after he retired as a player and shortly after he re-entered the game as a manager, Williams was still young enough to be assertive about his role in the game. He shows no repentance for his actions, time has not yet mellowed Williams, a fact that helped lead to his dismissal as a manager shortly after the book was published.
There is much to speculate about what Williams would have accomplished had be not been called into military service twice, in both World War II and in Korea. He lost four and a half seasons due to his service, all of which were in the prime of his career. Had he been exempted, even if only for Korea, it is possible that when he retired he may have owned every significant batting record.
Williams mentions this, how deeply bitter he was about the call up for Korea and yet how he kept from complaining. He saves most of his invective for the baseball writers, as there was a mutual dislike between Williams and some of the press that covered the sport. Ted Williams was a great baseball player, while he had the potential to be the greatest circumstances intervened to prevent it. Off the field and to ordinary people, Williams was also a great person, he exhibited a kindness to others that many players never exhibit. In this book we see all sides of Williams, from his arrogance to his humility.
 WOW Teddy can ramble September 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Interesting book, it appears to have been written as if Teddy Baseball were speaking into a tape recorder. Strange at times but VERY enjoyable!!
In His Own Words April 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In its original printing, "My Turn at Bat" was a real eye opener for those seeking the real story of Ted Williams. Continuously battered by negative media attention throughout his playing days, myth and scandal seemed to terrorize Williams. While Williams may not have always made the best public relations decisions through his career, he may in fact be the greatest hitter in baseball history. This is his story in his own words.
Though some biographies go into greater detail about Williams' life, this is a very personal version. At times, one must realize that he is creating a positive image of himself. I suspect more often than not, he is being completely accurate. The matter of fact story telling seems as though it is coming right from the mouth of Ted Williams. This creates the one major problem with the book. The chronology of the story seems to jump all over the place. It really takes away from the story.
The book is also advertised to be an explanation of Ted Williams' theory and practice for hitting. Yet in reality, there are only a few pages. But the brief thoughts are still valid today. Today's hitters would be well served to follow his theory.
Fans of Ted Williams will enjoy this book, particularly if you can find an older copy like I did. It is a treasure.
From the hip May 14, 2007
In his autobiography, legendary Ted Williams details his illustrious career in baseball with a wide spectrum of human emotions. From passion to disparity, Williams tells it like it is.
He blasts sports writers for their one sidedness's and fabrications, talks highly and respectful of many managers, players and close friends, and above all he talks baseball...especially hitting.
Losing nearly six years to military service and injuries, there is a strong possibility that Williams would have set even more incredible records.
A strong-willed reflection of his life in his own words. It's as if you have Ted right there in your own home and listening directly to the greatest hitter of all time.
Good Hot Stove League December 17, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
"My Turn at Bat" is a biography of the late Ted Williams, slugging left fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1939-1960. MYB is very pleasant and easy reading. The tone is conversational, as if there were no ghostwriter. The reader might almost believe Ted is present in the room. There are few surprises. The tale unfolds in linear fashion from TWs childhood through his career-ending homer against young Jack Fisher of the Orioles. The reader of "a certain age" will be reintroduced to some old friends both on the Bosox and other teams: Del Baker, Joe Cronin, Lou Boudreau, Dom Di Maggio, Bobby Doerr, Billy Goodman, Pinky Higgins, Jim Tabor and TWs favorite manager, Marse Joe McCarthy are all here. TW makes his love for fishing quite clear. Those salmon in New Brunswick's Miramichi River must be wonderful! There are some negatives: The spacing of the paragraphs makes reading a challenge and the chapters are oddly sequenced. MTB has a patched together undertone. These flaws are not fatal; they are listed here for the record. There is also a sense of melancholy to MTB. This reviewer always thought TW gave that vibe in his final years. It seemed TW would leave a game early for no apparent reason. In fact TW lost the 1954 and 1955 batting titles due to insufficient times at bat and he never did achieve 3,000 hits. Something was going on there. Perhaps it was the 5 (!) seasons lost to military service. If TW had those seasons back, he would own the record book. The final word on MTB remains positive. The only major warning label might be that the potential audience is limited. Fans with little curiosity concerning the TW era may be disappointed. Hardcore Bosox fans or those who remember Ted from the good old days should pounce.
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