Jocks and Socks : Inside Stories from a Major-League Locker Room [Paperback]

Jim Ksicinski (Author), Tom Flaherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2002

Behind baseball's clubhouse doors, there's a place where players can be themselves without worrying about the scrutiny of fans or the intrusion of reporters. For 31 seasons "Big Jim" Ksicinski was the keeper of such a sanctuary at Milwaukee County Stadium. Managing the visitors' clubhouse, he served as headwaiter, valet, and confidant for hundreds of players and coaches, from Billy Martin to Cal Ripken Jr. From inspiring stories to laugh-out-loud high jinks, Jocks and Socks captures Ksicinski's unique perspective on the national pastime and its players.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Baseball stories from a clubhouse insider that you'll never find on the sports page

A clubhouse is a safe haven where ballplayers can be themselves without worrying about the scrutiny of fans or the intrusion of reporters. From 1966 to 1997, author Jim Ksicinski was the keeper of such a sanctuary at Milwaukee's County Stadium, where he served as headwaiter, valet, and confidant for hundreds of major-league players and coaches.

In Jocks and Socks, Big Jim (as he was affectionately known in baseball circles) opens wide the clubhouse doors and shares some of his most memorable baseball moments: the players, the personalities, and the pranks. His candid stories prove that the action in a big-league clubhouse can sometimes be more interesting than the action on the field.

Jocks and Socks is full of Ksicinski's colorful tales and revealing tidbits about:

• The rowdy and chaotic clubhouse when Billy Martin was in town
• Playing casino with Rod Carew
• Cal Ripken Jr. signing autographs for kids until 2 a.m. on gameday
• Grapes, baseball-shaped chocolate, and other foods that ended up as fodder for clubhouse "batting practice"

Spanning more than thirty years of baseball history, these rare anecdotes will entertain and delight everyone who enjoys the national pastime.

About the Author

Jim Ksicinski managed the visitors' clubhouse at Milwaukee County Stadium from 1966 to 1997.

Tom Flaherty covered major-league baseball for more than twenty-five years with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His writing has appeared in various publications, including The Sporting News.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071395989
• ISBN-13: 978-0071395984
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,185,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just for baseball fans., December 13, 2001

By 

Lawrence W. Prichard "lj-and-me" (Kent, OH, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jocks and Socks : Inside Stories from a Major-League Locker Room (Hardcover)

I like baseball, but am no one's idea of a major fan. I can't quote batting averages, I'm not sure which expansion team is in which league-I did like this book however.Jim Ksicnski had a fascinating career as the manager of the visitor's clubhouse of the Milwaukee Brewers.This is as much a piece of social history as it is a baseball memoir. How baseball players have changed over the years, how American men have changed over the years.This is an interesting, friendly book. Tom Flaherty's contributions are seamless, "Big Jim's" voice remains true.The book closes with several lists of fantasy ball teams.The raunchiest thing about the book is the title. It has nothing in it that a 12-14 year old baseball fan could not handle or comprehend.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A funny book, August 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jocks and Socks : Inside Stories from a Major-League Locker Room (Hardcover)

If you're looking for entertaining baseball books, then this is the one for you. The author gives you and inside look at what baseball players do and say when they're in the clubhouse. There are several hilarious stories in here. Although the book's not as raunchy as some people might expect, it has its share of dirty moments. The male anatomy is mentioned more than a few times, and the best stories in the book deal with that part of the body. I won't go into specifics, but the Brewers had one heck of a kangaroo court one time when Big Jim was lucky enough to overhear the proceedings. There were a few mistakes in the book-for example, he says that George Brett retired after the '92 season when it was actually the '93 season, but overall it was a very entertaining book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Baseball Fans, February 26, 2007

By 

Richard Krull (Lake Mills, WI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jocks and Socks : Inside Stories from a Major-League Locker Room (Paperback)

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a couple of years and just recently got around to reading it. I'm glad that I finally read it, but wish I would have gotten to it sooner.

Jocks and Socks is a great book. The behind the scenes look at the world of baseball was very interesting. It was a great look into life inside the locker room and what really goes on before, during and after a game. Reading about the players of days gone by brought back some great memories.

Given the fact that Ksicinski was a clubhouse manager at County Stadium, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, was especially interesting to me since I'm from Wisconsin. I strongly recommend this book to any and all baseball fans or sports fans in general for that matter.