Catfish: My Life in Baseball [Hardcover]

Jim "Catfish" Hunter (Author), Armen Keteyian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1988

Catfish: My Life In Baseball by Hunter, Jim "Catfish" And Armen

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hunter is as much at home traipsing through woods and streams on a hunting or fishing expedition or planting a soybean crop as he is pitching a major-league victory. In this warm reminiscence, written with Sports Illustrated staffer Keteyian, he covers his brilliant teenage baseball career in North Carolina, his years with the Oakland A's and then the Yankees. The book is particularly interesting about Hunter's stint with the three-time world-champion aggregation put together and torn apart by Charley Finleyand observes that there may have been better players, but there were few teams better than the A's. Then the authors progress to the furious bidding that took place when Hunter became a free agent and his stint with the Yankees at a time when Billy Martin was the off-again, on-again manager and the egos of Martin, Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner were in constant collision. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As baseball's first free agent, Hunter went from the Oakland A's to the New York Yankees, helping both teams to win several World Series in the 1970s. Those expecting a juicy and irreverent collection of anecdotes similar to Sparky Lyle's Bronx Zoo or Graig Nettles's Balls will be disappointed. Hunter is now a gentleman farmer with the accent on "gentleman." This is a warm reminiscence of his years on both teams, his relationships with his teammates, especially the late Thurmon Munson, as well as a sensitive evocation of his life in North Carolina before and after his baseball career. "Catfish" is a nickname manufactured by Charlie Finley; this is Jim Hunter's story.Jo DeLapo, Queens Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill; 1St Edition edition (April 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070313717
• ISBN-13: 978-0070313712
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,924,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Summary on the life of Catfish, October 26, 2010

By 

Bill W "Bill W" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Catfish (Paperback)

I have been admirer of James 'Catfish' Hunter my entire life and grew up watching him pitch. I must say that this book lays it all out on the line about him, the good and all of the bad- and to be honest it changed my opinion a lot about him. The book is a little choppy, mostly a lot of narrative from Catfish and those who knew him, but it was well worth the read, especially if you are an Oakland A's or New York Yankees fan. A lot of detail is given about those two teams during the 70's.

3.0 out of 5 stars Kinda Hokey, July 15, 2008

By 

Jeffrey C. Bullock - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Catfish: My Life in Baseball (Hardcover)

I was a big A's fan when i was a young teen in the early Seventies so i had to get this book many years ago - don't expect any great revelations and anything of importance from this book - do expect the typical hokey quick read baseball book and do expect to find Catfish at the center of everything important that ever happened with the A's and the Yankees then - only an A's/Yankees fan should really consider buying this book. But God rest his soul, too.

4.0 out of 5 stars CATFISH CAUGHT ME HOOK LINE AND SINKER, January 18, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Catfish: My Life in Baseball (Hardcover)

THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK, WRITTEN BY ONE OF THE BEST PITCHERS IN THE 1970'S. CATFISH TELLS OF HIS DAYS AS A CHILD AND THRU TO HIS DAYS AS A YANKEE. HIS STORIES OF THE A'S AND THE BRONX ZOO ARE THE HIGH LIGHT OF THIS BOOK. I THINK HE WAS A VERY DOWN TO EARTH AND HUMBLE PERSON. I WAS VERY SADDENDED BY HIS RECENT DEATH. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS. WELL WORTH IT.