Leo Mazzone's Tales from the Mound [Paperback]

Leo Mazzone (Author), Scott Freeman (Author), John Smoltz (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Tales | Publication Date: March 1, 2006

These unique tales, including an entire chapter of new ones, describe Leo Mazzone's ascent through the minor leagues to the dugout of the Atlanta Braves, where he was the named the best pitching coach in baseball in a player´s poll conducted by Sports Illustrated. Though he is widely known for nervously rocking in the dugout during close games, Mazzone's pitching staff in Atlanta either led or was second in the major leagues in earned-run average in all but one year between 1992-2005.

Mazzone also coached six Cy Young Award winners - more than any other active coach - and the core group of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz anchored what some consider the greatest pitching staff ever assembled on a major league roster. He developed pitchers at various levels of the Braves organization beginning in 1979, and in 2006 takes his talents to the Baltimore Orioles as their new pitching coach. Nothing gave him more satisfaction in Atlanta, however, than the 14 consecutive seasons of the team's extraordinary run of division championships.

The updated softcover edition of Leo Mazzone's Tales from the Braves Mound reveals his coaching philosophies and provides insight into his relationships with Braves pitchers, ranging from such future Hall of Famers as Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, to the combustible (and controversial) John Rocker, and on to the underdog 2005 division championship team that beat all the odds. An assortment of stories and memories from the coach´s time on the Braves bench makes Leo Mazzone's Tales from the Braves Mound a must-read for any Braves fan - as well as for baseball fans across the country.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott Freeman is executive editor of Indianapolis Monthly and the former executive editor of Atlanta Magazine, where he covered the Atlanta Braves. A native of Carrollton, Georgia, he is also the author of Midnight Riders, the critically acclaimed biography of the Allman Brothers Band, and Otis! The Otis Redding Story. Freeman also worked as a staff writer for The Providence Journal-Bulletin and the Macon Telegraph & News. In 1999, the Football Writers Association of America honored one of his stories as the Best Feature Story in the nation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing; Revised edition (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596700386
• ISBN-13: 978-1596700383
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #962,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mazzone holds court, October 13, 2005

By 

Leo Lim (Collierville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leo Mazzone's Tales from the Braves Mound (Hardcover)

Of the many factors influencing the Braves' stupendous run of 13 straight Division Championships, none of it is more prominent than its emphasis on pitching anchored by Leo Mazzone.

"Tales from the Braves Mound" contains anecdotes in Mazzone's career from his pitching days to his forays in the minor leagues and finally to his elevation to pitching coach with Bobby Cox as the manager of the Atlanta Braves.

The anecdotes provide some interesting tidbits such as Maddux's request to give him a mound visit because "it's lonely out there" and even Glavine's reluctance to hit a batter after his teammate was beaned by the opposing pitcher. Also, Mazzone defends his coaching philosophies which include the practice of throwing in between starts, getting the pitcher's input on how long he stays in the game, his aversion to the "wild card" format and emphasis on pitch location rather than raw power. Of course, the good coach in him refuses to dwell on the Braves' postseason failures but instead celebrates the team's successes.

Having said that, I would have liked him to make the book just a little bit longer by rating the current aces (Randy Johnson, Bartolo Colon) and sluggers (Barry Bonds, David Ortiz) and of course another chapter on the post-Maddux, Glavine era would have made the book perfect.

Even if pundits scoff at his team's postseason failures, I do believe real baseball enthusiasts including opposing players and coaches have a healthy respect for his and Cox's ability to mold a staff and in effect a team.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention True Baseball Fans, May 30, 2003

By 

Kenneth P Miller "paulread" (Carrollton, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leo Mazzone's Tales from the Braves Mound (Hardcover)

I have been a Brave's fan since the late eighties watching the young guns loose close games by one or two runs, especially in 89 and 90. Scott and Leo team up to give us a highly entertaining behind the scenes look of a decade and more of one of the best pitching staff's in the history of baseball. This book is well written and is a must for any true baseball fan, particularly Brave's fans. Great book Scott and Leo!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mazzone and the Braves, October 27, 2005

By 

Guy F. Verney (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leo Mazzone's Tales from the Braves Mound (Hardcover)

We bought this book as a gift for an ardent Atlanta (nee Boston, nee Milwaukee!) Braves fan. We had looked for some time to find an appropriate book, and this was a winner! Mazzone has been linked with Bobby Cox, the Braves manager, for several years and their results together have been recordbreaking. So much of the success of the Braves has had to do with the consistently high level of perfromance of their pitching staff, and Leo Mazzone has been the constant during all that time, despite turnover of the pitchers themselves. It was interesting to hear from the man himself, and the book makes excellent reading for a real baseball fan. It will be interesting to see how long the Braves maintain their pitching excellence, now that Leo Mazzone will be wearing a Baltimore uniform!