Customer Reviews

Heat: My Life on and Off the Diamond

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1995 baseball pitcher Dwight Gooden's no-hit game put himback on top of the baseball world when, just earlier that same season,he looked washed up. A biographical picture was supposed to be made but, as I write this, it has yet to materialize.

HEAT: MY LIFE ON AND OFF THE DIAMOND, Doc's 1998 autobiography, vividly tells about his numerous highs and lows, professional and personal. He skims over the spring training and cab driver controversies that long-time fans will remember but otherwise proves admirably honest about the troubles he brought on himself. The lost opportunities depicted in HEAT saddened me. But Gooden's determination to redeem himself defines the difference between losing and quitting.

And HEAT is not without its share of funny moments and bet-you-didn't-know-that anecdotes. Among the best stories is a prank Doc played on one of the premier sluggers of the game.

While Gooden admits the fears that cost him so much, he is not afraid to name names in HEAT. If Doc finds himself alone in an elevator with ex-manager Dallas Green or ex-teammate Kevin Mitchell, I don't want to be there when the doors open.

It is interesting to note that Gooden does not hold Major League Baseball and his union accountable for helping out-of-control players before they hurt either someone or themselves.

Today (Nov. '99) Dwight Gooden's without a team, having been released after an injury-filled season with the Cleveland Indians. His will to prove himself could land him a chance elsewhere - and with the pathetic state of major league pitching, he could make it to another club and even win some games for them. He's come back from the edge before.

Anyway, a movie of Dwight Gooden's life, should it match the drama conveyed in HEAT, would be as gripping as a no-hitter. For now, read HEAT.

From his early days as a young man learning the craft of pitching to the highs of winning a World Series to the lows of addiction this book offers insight to the price of fame. This is an entertaining and honest story of a great baseball player who has become an even greater husband and father. Not just for basdeball fans, I reccomend this book for everyone who enjoys the story of surviving and growing.

HEAT, by Dwight Gooden, has the feel of a between-seasons quickie book. It's still worth picking up, especially if you read between the lines.

Released the winter of 1999, HEAT came out just before Gooden's baseball pitching career went downhill. The previous season at Cleveland had been Gooden's best since 1990. But injuries ruined his 1999 performance and the Indians released him.

In 2000 Houston and Tampa Bay dismissed Doc after he struggled with each team. Later that season Gooden managed to join the Yankees and actually pitched very well, including an incredible July start against the Mets at Shea Stadium.

But age marched ahead and Dwight Gooden did not make the 2001 Yankees. He retired just before the start of the 2001 season.

Covering the Gooden retirement story, the New York papers barely mentioned the pitcher's alcholism, only stressing his cocaine addiction. They should have read HEAT.

Like I said, it's overall a quickie book, not to dismiss its many interesting stories. But what makes HEAT truly worth reading is Dwight Gooden's drinking stories. Cocaine only came into play when he was drinking. The coke is what cost him close to two years' worth of playing time. But alcohol, which Major League Baseball and the newspapers gladly advertise, was the root cause of Gooden's troubles.

This book has it all! It made me laugh it made me cry. Dwight Gooden was honest and he showed how human he really is. Being one of Doc's biggest fans it was a very easy read, the thing that surprised me is that is wasn't really about baseball. It was about family, struggle and overcoming a horrible illness, drug abuse. He was recently released from Tampa Bay and I am hoping he signs with another team soon. He has nothing left to prove I just enjoy watching him pitch.

Doc honestly looks back on everything he has done in his career, right and wrong. He is willing to tell all that has transpired, no matter how painful it is to relay. He has come to terms with his past and hopefully, young stars will understand the dangers of having too much too fast.

I really enjoyed the inside look at being a baseball player in today's major leagues. The book also conveys the desperation that comes with an addiction and how hard it is to overcome. I must say that while I sympathized with the struggles that Gooden has gone through in his life, I still feel he has a tendency to blame others for some of his problems which is a concern for his continued recovery.

This book is excellent not only with baseball content, but with a revealing account of Gooden's life. Very unlike the traditional baseball autobiography (Ryne Sandberg's comes to mind) that reveals nothing new and simply rehashes a career. This book chronicles Gooden from his early days when he dominated with the Mets to his downward spiral into addiction and subsequent recovery. There was also an extremely disturbing story about his Mets teammate Kevin Mitchell that left me speechless.

Klapisch again successfully takes his readers on a major league adventure that few actually ever experience. He offers us insight to the world behind the spotlight of a major league athlete and delivers a very human and likeable Dwight Gooden. The author goes well beyond the standard 'ra-ra' sports book - he leaves no holes barred. A must read for any sports and baseball fan

I enjoyed the book. Dwight gave great details and I felt he told the truth. However, I didn't like the way he skipped around with the dates. I like to read from the beginning to the end. He started with the beginning, went to the ending, then to the middle, back to the beginning and so on. It could run you insane trying to keep up with the dates and where he was in the book.

The information was great but I felt he could have told more of what he did during his week-ends doing coke. He probably didn't want his wife to know that women were involved also.

I'm not a baseball fan so the technical terms, I didn't understand. I wanted to know how such a great baseball player messed up his life like he did. There's no need for me to understand because I never will.

Purchase the book. You will enjoy it!

I bought this book wanting to know the real Dwight Gooden.

I was very satisfied with the read. I never liked Dwight because

he entirely screwed his life and career with drugs and the book

sadly tells all about it.

I recommend this book.