Denny Matthews's Tales from the Royals Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Stories Ever Told [Hardcover]

Denny Matthews (Author), Matt Fulks (Author), Frank White (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Amos Otis, Frank White, George Brett, Hal McRae, Dan Quisenberry, Bret Saberhagen, Paul Splittorff. One mention of any of those names can bring about visions of great baseball, determination, hard-nosed, and winning. However, one vision out-weighs all others: the boys in blue & the Kansas City Royals. The Kansas City Royals, an expansion club in the American League in 1969, struggled during their early existence. It didn't take long, however, before the Royals established themselves as one of the most successful franchises in baseball. That success culminated with the winning of the 1985 World Series. Since 1969, the Royals have developed great players that have had fun. Along the way, they also have developed a winning tradition. Although the Royals have received the "small-market" tag in recent years, the organization still boasts a proud heritage. In Denny Matthews' Tales from the Royals Dugout, longtime Royals radio broadcaster Denny Matthews relives the clu! b's great moments and proud tradition. Sit back and enjoy never-before-told anecdotes, including from the team's great rivalries with the New York Yankees, Oakland A's, and the remarkable players who have helped form the legend of the Kansas City Royals.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Denny Matthews has been with the Kansas City Royals as a radio announcer since the clubÂ’s first season, 1969. He teamed with Buddy Blattner until 1975, then became the teamÂ’s number one announcer, working for 25 years with Fred White, who joined the Royals in 1973. Besides working for the Royals, Matthews has worked games for the CBS Radio Network. He is one of a few broadcasters in baseball who has broadcast exclusively for the same team, without interruption, in five different decades. After the 2003 season, the Royals selected Matthews for the clubÂ’s Hall of Fame. Matthews, a 1966 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan, lettered in baseball and football for three years and finished eighth in the nation in the NAIA for pass receiving in 1965. In 1999, along with Fred White and Matt Fulks, Matthews coauthored Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio. Matthews is an avid golfer and hockey player. He resides in the Kansas City area.

Matt Fulks started his journalism career while attending Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., after his baseball career was cut short by a lack of ability. Since then he has worked in every form of the media and now spends his time as a freelance writer, editor and author. He is a regular contributor to various publications, including The Kansas City Star newspaper. He is the author/coauthor of eight other books, including Behind the Stats: TennesseeÂ’s Coaching Legends, Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio, The Road to Canton, coauthored with NFL Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen, and Good as Gold: Techniques for Fundamental Baseball with Royals legend Frank White. Fulks lives in the Kansas City area with his wife, Libby, their children, Helen and Charlie, and their Doberman retriever.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582617260
• ISBN-13: 978-1582617268
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,740,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and interesting read, November 25, 2004

By 

Harrison Scott - See all my reviews

This review is from: Denny Matthews's Tales from the Royals Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Stories Ever Told (Hardcover)

As a Royals fan since the moving to Kansas City in 1973, I've been a huge admirer of Denny Matthews (and his long-time partner Fred White). Besides the book that Matthews and White co-wrote a few years ago, Play by Play, this most recent collection of stories is the funniest and most interesting "inside" look at the Royals I've ever seen.

Although a few of the stories were also in Play by Play, Matthews reveals a ton of behind the scenes recollections from his days of hanging out with the players. Matthews has a dry sense of humor in the book that we don't really sense listening to him on the air. Some of the funniest stories revolve around things that happened away from the field (i.e. a late night with Jim York and flight attendants, going to dinner with Amos Otis, and a night out with White, Marty Pattin and John Wathan).

Matthews also offers wonderful insight of the managers, general managers and owners with whom he's worked. Even though I think Matthews is a great storyteller, one of my favorite parts of the book was stories scattered throughout the book from former players, managers and general managers. For instance, Amos Otis talks about getting under Vida Blue's skin and Herk Robinson admits that he made a mistake by firing Hal McRae.

Tales from the Royals Dugout is a reason to celebrate the Royals again. Undoubtedly, this book should be on the shelf of every Royals fan!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Could have been so much more, November 6, 2004

By 

A. Bresette (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Denny Matthews's Tales from the Royals Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Stories Ever Told (Hardcover)

There are a lot of stories in this book; unfortunately most of them are boring. Matthews routinely says that a person was a good person, good baseball man or an interesting character...and that's about the entire depth the reader gains from someone on the "inside" over the past few decades.

Many stories read that such-and-such person said many interesting things, was really funny or told great stories. Then there is no detail or backup!! What interesting things did the person say? What was something funny said or done? Recount one of the great stories...please! There was a funny story about John Mayberry, but the rest of the stories are dry, humorless and uninteresting.

Matthews also makes it a point to brag on himself (knocking down another player's son in a touch football game, knocking down George Brett in a pickup hockey game, etc.). Apparently Matthews was more than just an announcer with the team, he was the resident tough guy too.

On the bright side, there are a few (as in maybe three) interesting stories in the book where there is a point to the story. It was also nice to see a sports book where it doesn't turn into an expose with flashbacks to the days of sex, drugs and spoiled jocks.

In conclusion though, don't waste your money buying this book for yourself or for a gift. There are not enough interesting or funny stories to make it worthwhile.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It could've been better., March 2, 2005

By 

Darrel Drumm "Darrel the librarian" (Bunch, OK United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Denny Matthews's Tales from the Royals Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Stories Ever Told (Hardcover)

I expected more from Tales from the Royals. As a Royal fan, I'm glad I bought it, but there just weren't that many behind the scenes anecdotes. I didn't expect Matthews to dish out dirt, he doesn't come across that way in his broadcasts, but would have been nice to have more stories like the one about Sweet Lou, his helmet and a toilet.