Baseball's Best Kept Secret [Hardcover]

Andrew O'Toole (Author), Al Oliver (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

BASEBALL'S BEST KEPT SECRET , written by native Pittsburgher Andy O'Toole, covers the ups and downs of Al Oliver's life before, during and after his remarkable 18-year career with the Pirates, Rangers, Expos, Giants, Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays.

The book reveals many intimate insights into life in the big leagues as Al interacted with greats such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Andre Dawson and many others. He candidly discusses the strengths and weaknesses of his various teams, racism, Cooperstown and the many unique happenings in the baseball world during his playing years.

Al's book first appeared last year during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first season, leading the publisher to appropriately comment, "Al Oliver examines racism in baseball, beginning with the upper management of the game.. to the media covering the sport...down to the fans of the National Pastime. Al has seen and experienced the biting hand of racism." This story stands as "the story of the second generation of African-American baseball players and the hurdles he and his peers encountered."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"BASEBALL'S BEST KEPT SECRET is a thought-provoking work. Was Oliver the victim of racial prejudice as often as he claims or is he simply a whiner who was never able to come to terms with his own inadequacies and limitations on the ballfield and in the clubhouse? You buy the book and be the judge." -- Dan Albaugh, World-Wide Collector's Digest 12/97

"BASEBALL'S BEST KEPT SECRET tells Oliver's story and how he feels he was discriminated against both because he was black and because he was outspoken." -- Lois Thomson, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 10/12/97

"In his book on the Hall of Fame election process, THE POLITICS OF GLORY, Bill James points out that Oliver is the only player with 2,500 hits, 200 homeruns and a career .300 average that is not in the Hall of Fame. Thirteen players without those stats are in the Hall. He(Oliver) would insist, and readers may agree, that he is not a whiner, simply telling it like it was." -- Richard Miller, Sports Collector's Digest 11/7/97

From the Author

"The purpose was just to tell his story. He's frustrated because people don't know him or what he did. They don't know that he left(baseball) by collusion and they can't believe that he only got 19 votes for the Hall of Fame."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 201 pages
• Publisher: City of Champions (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964931168
• ISBN-13: 978-0964931169
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,537,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Baseball Player NOT in the Hall of Fame, November 6, 1999

By 

Paul Cartwright (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball's Best Kept Secret (Hardcover)

Al Oliver is obviously misunderstood by the media. During his career, he was largely ignored by the media; perhaps this is inevitable as the man who played in between legends Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. Yet Oliver excelled in his career. Vada Pinson (with 14 more career hits than Oliver) is the only player with more career hits than Oliver who is NOT in the Cooperstown. In fact, he drew only 19 votes for induction in his first year of eligibility.

Al was the consummate team player; he was always upbeat and positive. Perhaps the media saw this as "too good to be true" and therefore, in their minds, it wasn't true. But the facts show that it is.

"Baseball's Best Kept Secret" is Al's story. He is a confident, proud man who cannot to this day comprehend just how little attention the media paid to him in spite of playing on a World Series winner in '71 and winning the batting title in '82. Read this book and then shake you head about how such a successful, positive team player can have a shadow unjustly thrust over him.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "PENALIZED FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME", June 1, 2000

By 

patty oliver (PORTSMOUTH, OHIO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball's Best Kept Secret (Hardcover)

IN TODAYS SOCIETY, IT IS TO EASY TO SIT BACK AND JUDGE A PERSON, WITHOUT GETTING TO KNOW THEM. DOES ANYONE REALLY KNOW THE REAL AL OLIVER? SPORTS WRITERS, AS WE KNOW THEM, ARE THE ONES WHO VOTE FOR ENTRANTS INTO THE HALL OF FAME....YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT THERE ARE NOT BIASED OPINIONS OUT THERE, AM I BIASED BECAUSE AL OLIVER IS MY BROTHER-IN-LAW? NOT ON YOUR LIFE...HE WAS AND IS A LEGEND LONG BEFORE I CAME IN TO THE FAMILY...BASEBALL'S BEST KEPT SECRET TELLS LIFE IN BASEBALL THE WAY IT TRULY IS. HAD AL NOT BEEN MADE TO LEAVE THE GAME HE TRULY LOVED, HE COULD AND WOULD HAVE MADE THE HALL OF FAME, AND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, LOOK AT HIS STATS, THEY SPEAK FOR THEMSELF. AL IS AN OUTSPOKEN MAN, WHO TALKED TO THE PRESS FREELY ABOUT HOW HE FELT HE SHOULD PLAY EVERY GAME, AND WHY NOT SPEAK UP, THAT'S WHAT HE WAS PAID TO DO, PLAY. IF YOU ARE A TRUE BASEBALL FAN, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. I PERSONALLY HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN BY DIRECTING YOU TO THIS BOOK, ONLY TO LET YOU HAVE AN INSIGHT ON HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS, AND IT WORKS FOR THOSE WHO CAN AND WILL PULL STRINGS FOR SOME OF THE FAVORITES. FACTS, THAT'S WHAT STATS ARE ALL ABOUT....SEE FOR YOURSELF....AL OLIVER SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME!

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Al's Pals, May 8, 2004

By 

Gary Gage (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball's Best Kept Secret (Hardcover)

As a life-long follower of the Texas Rangers, to this day, SCOOP is still my favorite player. In reading Oliver's "Secret" it genuinely angers me that those (baseball writers) who are "supposed" to be experts on the subject overlook not only Al Oliver but Thurman Munson as well, regarding the Hall of Fame.
When Al made his debut as a Ranger in '78 he immediately became one of the most popular at Arlington Stadium, and I for one am proud to have been one of "Al's Pals" in the left field bleacher seats. Thanks for the autograph & the (line-drive) memories SCOOP. # 0 in uniform, #1 in our hearts.