Confessions of a Baseball Purist: Whats Right and Wrong with Baseball As Seen from the Best Seat in the House [Hardcover]

Jon Miller (Author), Mark Hyman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 1998

The greatest baseball broadcasters are storytellers, word painters, philosophers, and keepers of the flame. By wide consensus, today's heir to the mantle of such commentators as Red Barber, Mel Allen, and Vin Scully is Jon Miller -- whom USA Today rates the best play-by-play man in the game.

Miller loves the sport, knows its history, and is not afraid to speak his mind. He has argued baseball with Reggie Jackson, described the follies of Charlie Finley, shared a mike with George Bush and Bill Clinton, and described Cal Ripken's record-breaking streak to a nation desperate for heroes.

Whether he is decrying interleague play; rating the best and worst owners, players, ballparks, and broadcasters; sharing arcane secrets of the broadcaster's art; or revealing -- for the first time -- his side of his unhappy departure from the Orioles' broadcast booth, Miller displays the unique wit and vision that prompted Larry King to judge him "maybe the best baseball broadcaster -- ever".

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Broadcaster Jon Miller didn't know he was a baseball "purist" until acting commissioner Bud Selig accosted him with the moniker on national TV in 1993. "At one time," writes Miller in retrospect, "the label 'baseball purist' could've been worn as a badge of honor. Any legitimate fan would've been pleased to be thought of as a purist. But I suppose that to Mr. Selig, a purist was a lonely old man hunched over a windup Victrola, thumbing through a 1929 Who's Who in Baseball, fretting that the game just hasn't been the same since the Babe retired." In Confessions Miller admits to being a purist--loosely defined by him not as a forlorn fan stuck in a period-piece movie but as a fan knowledgeable enough to realize that baseball evolves for the good of the game--despite what myopic owners might try to perpetrate in the short term. In a chapter titled "The Good Old Days Are Now," Miller reminds die-hards of the old adage about things changing and staying the same. To wit, here's Ty Cobb in 1925: "The great trouble with baseball today is that most of the players are in the game for the money." Miller goes on to suggest that the 1990s will be remembered in 20 years as a "golden age" of hitting and that accusations of juiced balls, watered-down pitching, smaller ballparks, and expansion still cannot account for this decade's abundance of outstanding batters. The voice of the San Francisco Giants (and formerly the Baltimore Orioles) holds forth on everything from interleague play (it's good for the game but messy) to traveling with Cal Ripken (a game of Strat-O-Matic baseball reveals just how competitive the Iron Man really is). Occasionally he whiffs--as when he suggests that ballparks install 20-second time clocks to keep pitchers hurling at a reasonable pace. But ultimately what comes through the anecdotes and arguments is his tremendous love for the game and a generous capacity for recognizing the quality of the present and not just the past. --Langdon Cook

From Library Journal

Miller, ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" announcer and former voice of the Baltimore Orioles, is one of the top TV broadcasters in baseball. Fans will enjoy Miller's insights on Cal Ripken's work ethic and his recounting of the incidents surrounding his own dismissal by impulsive Orioles owner Peter Angelos. Miller remains optimistic about the future of baseball. Because of his national presence this book should circulate well in most libraries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st ed edition (April 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684845180
• ISBN-13: 978-0684845180
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > Sports Broadcasting

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars wise, rueful, funny and thoroughly enjoyable, May 12, 1998

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Stephanie V "loves books and music" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Confessions of a Baseball Purist: Whats Right and Wrong with Baseball As Seen from the Best Seat in the House (Hardcover)

OK, OK, so I'm an Oriole fan, and still grieving Jon Miller's departure for points west. I admit it. Still, I think I can objectively say: this is a terrific read. Miller is smart, opinionated, and articulate, and he *loves* baseball. Moreover, he is acutely conscious of the game's history, and the lessons and perspectives to be gleaned from it. More important, he exhibits a fine sense of humor that doesn't stop at his own doorstep. Any serious baseball fan, anywhere, should enjoy this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny memoir, August 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Confessions of a Baseball Purist: Whats Right and Wrong with Baseball As Seen from the Best Seat in the House (Hardcover)

More of a memoir than anything else, the book is unflaggingly interesting and funny, especially if one can imagine Miller himself reading it. An audiocassette version of this book might well be the ultimate way to experience it. In any case, it just breezes by, leaving you with a warm feeling and a greater desire to hear more Miller broadcasts afterward.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Man Who Loves Baseball, March 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Confessions of a Baseball Purist: Whats Right and Wrong with Baseball As Seen from the Best Seat in the House (Hardcover)

A wonderful book from a man who loves his baseball, not to mention being one of the finest announcers in the game today. This is must reading for baseball lovers and Major League Baseball Executives!