|
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend |  | Author: James S Hirsch
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $30.00
Buy New: $6.46
as of 9/8/2010 19:39 CDT details
You Save: $23.54 (78%)
New (60) Used (44) from $4.67
Seller: purpleturtleproducts
Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 14032
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 640
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.9
ISBN: 1416547908
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.357092
EAN: 9781416547907
ASIN: 1416547908
Publication Date: February 9, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | ***This is 1 of only 100 Signed Copies*** | | • | With Letter of Evaluation from Academy of Manuscripts & Autographs |
|
| Also Available In:
| |
| Customer Reviews:
 Adds Depth to a Familiar Picture August 2, 2010
Joseph Ryan (Islamabad, Pakistan)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I know Mays's numbers pretty well, so Hirsch's point that you couldn't really appreciate Mays by his numbers alone spoke to me and I did learn quite a bit from the book.
-- The Arm: Hirsch emphasizes Mays's great arm and his many spectacular assists and double-plays from the outfield. I was surprised that I hadn't heard more about that before: I had assumed that the Golden Gloves were for catches. Throwing is also something that the most commonly cited statistics don't reflect.
-- Hard Work: Mays's having to fight through slumps and periods of serious exhaustion was admirable.
-- Positioning: Mays's hard work on positioning in the outfield was an eye-opener.
-- Shyness: Hirsch portrays Mays as sticking to baseball to the exclusion of practically everything else and being modest and reticent about most other things in life.
-- Team Player: Mays's outstanding role in supporting or guiding his team-mates was new and interesting to me.
-- Family Background: Hirsch seems to treat Mays's family background with revealing objectivity, making it interesting without romanticizing anything.
One comment kept popping to mind at various times as I was reading: in the frequent comparisons with other all-time great players, Honus Wagner's name never comes up. Wagner is no secret: he was the National League's best hitter for average and for power, best baserunner, and at shortstop best defensive player for a long era. He played with championship teams and I have never heard that he was hard to deal with (unless you were trying to beat the Pirates). As Hirsch notes, Wagner was a charter member of the Hall of Fame, being picked in preference to Speaker, Alexander, and others. If you were choosing up sides, you wouldn't go far wrong picking Wagner first. It seems to me that as Hirsch was putting Joe DiMaggio on his short list he could have mentioned Hans Wagner too.
Five stars for the book, but ... August 1, 2010
P. Meltzer (Wynnewood, PA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If someone was going to write a biography of Willie Mays, this is about as good a job as one can do, even though it did border on the hagiographic on many occasions (no surprise, since it was written with Mays's cooperation). However, the problem for me (and I feel almost sacreligious saying this) is that Mays himself doesn't come across as that fascinating a guy. Was he perhaps the best player ever? Absolutely. (In fact, if he hadn't missed 1952 and 1953 and hadn't played in Candlestick and the Polo Grounds, there is no telling how many more home runds he would have had.) Does he come across as an extremely hard worker, team player and generous to a fault? Again, yes.
But notwithstanding all that, his talent outweighs his charisma--by alot. This perhaps explains in part why there are comparatively few quotes from Mays himself in the book--he's not that quotable. Contrast this to say, Babe Ruth, who is a MUCH more interesting guy than Mays.
The best parts of the book are from his childhood until 1954 when the Giants won the Series. This part includes his upbringing, how he got to the Majors, the racism he had to endure, his relationship with Durocher, the 1951 season, the 1954 season and of course, The Catch. However, after the Giants won the World Series in 1954 (only his second full year in the majors), Mays didn't experience much team success (except for winning a pennant and losing the World Series in 1962 and 1973). Therefore, there is alot in the book of simply recounting his individual successes year after year, but without ever reaching the team success that he achieved in 1954. In fact from 1954-1973, the only variations from this pattern are discussing the move to San Francisco and then the trade to the Mets.
As I say, I give the book 5 stars because this is about as good a Mays biography as could be written. However, through no fault of the author's, Mays simply does not come across as the most interesting guy. In fact, I know that there is a recent biography of Hank Aaron, and I am hesitant to read it for the same reason. Incredible accomplishments on the field does not guarantee a fascinating biography (although, in fairness to Aaron and that book, I could be completely wrong about that).
 Interesting, at times exciting, but too long. July 17, 2010
hobby fan (Cinnaminson, NJ USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an interesting book, at times exciting, but the book could have been at least 20% shorter. There is some repetitious material which gets boring. But overall it is a good read.
Willie Mays: the real deal July 13, 2010
jlem (Winchester, MA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was one of those kids of the late 50s and early 60s fortunate to grow up in the Bay Area, old enough to be a Giants fan, and lucky enough to have a dad who took me to several games at Candlestick. So I got to see Mays in action numerous times, as well as his amazing teammates of that era: Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Jim Davenport, et al. My dad and I even got to sit in a third base box for the sixth game of the 1962 World Series. I was in heaven, especially when the Giants won.
I was one of those who grew up and into my adulthood thinking that Willie Mays was the best ballplayer of all time. This book confirms that. Now I know for sure that he was. Not only was a genuine, all-around, complete ballplayer, but he was a gentleman, modest, and a very kind man. He was and still is my hero. God Bless Willie Mays. And God Bless James Hirsch for writing this wonderful biography.
Willie Mays Book July 3, 2010
Russell G. Glouse
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first book that was sent was in an envelope, and all of the corners were mangled. I called and was expressed another copy. I was very pleased with the service.
|
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Developmental Toys |
Our Ebay Auctions for Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
Autographed WILLIE MAYS The Life-The Legend CERTIFICATE
3 Sep 2010 at 1:15pm
 US $475.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 11:15:52 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays The Life, Legend by James S. Hirsch (2010)
4 Sep 2010 at 10:19pm
 US $4.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 20:19:52 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list
WILLIE MAYS - The Life The Legend - Audio Book on CD
5 Sep 2010 at 7:53am
 US $9.99 (2 Bids) End Date: Sunday Sep-12-2010 5:53:52 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list
WILLIE MAYS: THE LIFE, THE LEGEND -JAMES HIRSCH *NEW HC
16 May 2010 at 12:47am
 US $42.93 End Date: Sunday Sep-12-2010 22:52:52 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $42.93 Buy it now | Add to watch list
WILLIE MAYS -THE LIFE, THE LEGEND -JAMES HIRSCH -NEW HC
8 Sep 2010 at 12:50pm
 US $9.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-13-2010 10:50:57 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $15.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list
NEW - Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
19 Apr 2010 at 3:41pm
 US $22.62 End Date: Thursday Sep-16-2010 13:46:00 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $22.62 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
22 Apr 2010 at 11:45pm
 US $24.00 End Date: Sunday Sep-19-2010 21:50:19 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $24.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend Hirsch, James S.
24 Aug 2010 at 11:56am
 US $37.34 End Date: Thursday Sep-23-2010 9:56:31 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $37.34 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, James S Hirsch, Good
26 Aug 2010 at 1:19pm
 US $8.65 End Date: Saturday Sep-25-2010 11:19:20 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $8.65 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, James S Hirsch, New
27 Aug 2010 at 3:16pm
 US $6.47 End Date: Sunday Sep-26-2010 13:16:09 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $6.47 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend NEW by James S. Hirsc
29 Jul 2010 at 6:22pm
 US $38.82 End Date: Monday Sep-27-2010 16:27:18 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $38.82 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by James S Hirsch
4 Aug 2010 at 8:32am
 US $21.00 End Date: Sunday Oct-03-2010 6:37:46 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $21.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list
Willie Mays: The Life The Legend - James S Hirsch
5 Aug 2010 at 8:24pm
 US $39.74 End Date: Monday Oct-04-2010 18:29:36 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $39.74 Buy it now | Add to watch list
|
|
|
|
