and Every Pitcher Tells a Story: Letters Gathered by a Devoted Baseball Fan (1999)

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The book itself is remarkable and you do not have to be a baseball fan to appreciate it. It is filled with thick, glossy pages of pictures and letters. The letters are reproductions of the actual correspondence received by Swirsky. They are filled with private thoughts and personal anecdotes from a variety of personalities: baseball players, broadcasters, musicians and politicians. Many of the letters are handwritten and Swirsky thought of everything – even providing transcripts at the end of the book just in case the reader has difficulty deciphering anything.

Each letter invokes many memories and feelings and is almost a story in and of itself. There are letters from Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson describing the “shot heard ‘round the world”, as well as a letter from the young man that actually recorded the radio broadcast of Russ Hodge’s infamous homerun call, “The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant! I don’t believe it…the whole place is going crazy.”

The letters also give the reader an insight into who these players are. One of the letters is from Oakland A’s ace, Barry Zito. Swirsky asked him to compare his favorite hobby with his profession and Barry replied with a letter about how surfing helps him with his pitching. Also included is also a touching letter from Paul LoDuca describing how his mother was such a large influence in his life, taking off work to drive him to the batting cages and throwing pitches to him until his hands bled.

Some of the letters are amusing, such as Gaylord Perry’s letter. Perry tells Swirsky that Alvin Dark told him “a man will land on the moon before Gaylord Perry hits a homerun”. Sure enough, the astronauts landed on the moon and Perry hit his first homerun about 30 minutes later.

Other letters are touching: Senator Edward Kennedy reminiscing about the day his brother Bobby met Mickey Mantle and Margaret Chapman, the sister of Ray Chapman (the Indian’s shortstop that was hit in the head by a pitch and died) describing the kind of man that her brother was.

Every letter and picture is special and I highly recommend this book. Whether you are a baseball fan, a collector or simply love books, this book is definitely something to write home about.

give this book 3.5 of 4 balls.

Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.