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Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain

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When I was a youngster, I was a huge fan of Thurman Munson.

To this day, if I close my eyes, I can quickly remember the feeling of sitting in Yankee Stadium, as a 13-year old, with my father, watching the Yankees play with Munson at bat and runners on base.

During these moments, my heart would race - where it felt like it was about to jump out of my chest (because it was beating so hard and fast). Why? Because I wanted Thurman to come through...as he was "my guy."

And, more times than not, Munson did the job.

It's been so many years, but, in this memory, I can still see Munson slapping a line drive into right field, as if he was picking the ball out of opposing catcher's mitt with his bat, waiting until the last minute to go the other way with the pitch, with Yankees runners rounding third and coming home to score...man, talk about pure exhilaration...that was it.

Being such a Munson fan, I was (and still am) very interested in learning more about him. And, for the last three decades or so, I've been waiting for the ultimate book covering the entire story of Thurman Munson.

Now, thanks to Marty Appel, with his new book "Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain," we have what I have been waiting for...all these years. With this book Appel provides us with the complete account of Thurman Munson's life and untimely passing...with no holds barred.

With this work, we get to see the many facets of Munson's life: Thurman as a ball player, a friend, the family man and a real estate entrepreneur. And, we get to see the good and the bad sides of the man. This includes getting to see Thurman as the everyday likeable guy who eats Oreos and milk for breakfast, watches the Three Stooges, sings commercial jingles to himself, has a terrible sense of fashion, and who would go out of his way to help people (with no fanfare whatsoever). But, we also get to see Thurman as someone who was somewhat insecure at times, cursed at sportswriters, gave the fans "the finger" during a game, cut many of the dysfunctional family members out of his life, and who once fired a gun in the Yankee Stadium parking lot.

Also, with this biography, Appel provides a superior account of the complete Thurman Munson timeline - bringing us from Munson's youth, through his time with the Yankees, to covering his tragic death in terms of the event itself and the impact it had on many (both inside and outside the Munson circle).

But, what I enjoyed most about "Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain" is how the story is told. In the book, Appel uses his own voice as well as those of many others who knew Thurman - including his teammates and friends. And, many of these sources are people who most were never aware (until now) as being a big part of Munson's life or parties that you would not expect to have some insight on the Munson story.

In summary, I would offer that "Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain" is a must read for any Yankees fan over the age of forty, a highly recommended read for Yankees fans of any age, and a recommended read for anyone interested in baseball and a very well-done story about one of more notable players from the last half-century of the game's history.

This book will engross, entertain, enlighten and "touch" you all at the same time. It's too bad that we had to wait 30 years for a book like this on Thurman Munson. But, now that its here, I cannot imagine a better one ever being done compared to the job Marty Appel did with "Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain."

This is author Marty Appel's second Thurman Munson biography. The first biography was written in 1977 two years before Munson's tragic death... and Munson's verbal response to the original proposal was: "Who writes a biography when you're twenty-nine-years-old?" After Munson was laid to rest... his wonderful wife Diane thanked Marty for what turned out to be such a special keepsake for the family for years to come. As we approach the thirtieth anniversary of the August 2, 1979 crash of Thurman's personal jet that he himself was piloting... the author felt it was time to unseal the mysterious pieces to the puzzle that was Munson... that wasn't covered in the first biography. There were boundaries in the original biography that the author wasn't allowed to cross or investigate. Most baseball fans when they thought of Munson as a person... saw a scruffy... stocky... moody... walrus mustachioed... distant personality... who hated and mostly ignored the media. They also saw a guy that represented the everyday hardworking average American Joe. Not your handsome... strapping... Mickey Mantle type image. And as a player... any baseball fan that knew which end of a baseball bat was up... saw... a player that would never quit... a player that was the leader on the field... one of the best clutch hitters of his era... one of the best fielding catchers in the big leagues until injuries starting tearing him down. Nowadays these multi-million-dollar players sit out a game with a hang nail. All the Yankee players knew that if Thurman could hobble... he would play... so they knew they couldn't wimp out. When Munson heard a teammate complain about an injury he would say... "SO, RETIRE!" That's what defines a leader... and because of those qualities... Thurman was named the first Yankee team captain since Lou Gehrig.

The author investigates Munson's family life and uncovers an awful relationship with his Father Darrell Munson... which helps explain why Thurman on the surface was so grumpy. When Thurman married Diane... he found in Diane's family... the love that he didn't know could really exist in a family. At the time of Thurman's death... Father and son had not seen each other nor communicated in years. The picture that the author paints of Munson's Father can be summarized by what transpired at the cemetery at Thurman's gravesite: "DARRELL MUNSON APPROACHED THE COFFIN AND SAID, "YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE TOO BIG FOR THIS WORLD. WELL, YOU WEREN'T!"... "LOOK WHO'S STILL STANDING, YOU S.O.B.!"

Yet despite this "lack" of a Father-Son relationship... the most important thing in Thurman's life was his family. In fact the importance Thurman put on his family... can easily be seen as what ultimately led to his death. He started learning how to fly in order to be able to get home quicker... and more frequently... for the sole purpose of spending more time with his family. Then he upgraded to larger and faster planes... perhaps too quickly... without enough flying experience... to cut time off of the flights home. In fact the final accident report on his fatal plane crash that was released by the NTSB in September 1979 stated that "STARTLING MISTAKES" BY THURMAN CAUSED THE CRASH.

This book also shares in intimate... precise... detail... the excruciating days before... during... and after the funeral. It also imparts the deep love and friendship that teammates shared with Thurman... especially with Lou Piniella... Bobby Murcer... Catfish Hunter... and manager Billy Martin. Not all fans may be aware that there were two survivors on Munson's final flight... and one survivor who hadn't talked about those final minutes for a quarter-of-a-century... discusses the crash and the final words that Thurman Munson would ever speak. This is a well written... excellently detailed commentary on the fabled Yankee Captain.

Much has been written about the turbulent period of New York Yankees baseball that many have referred to as the Reggie Jackson Era. While Jackson was the self-proclaimed "straw that stirs the Yankees drink", Thurman Munson may well have been the cocktail napkin that kept the drink from making a mess on that nice coffee table. He was the much needed quiet, stablizing force on the field and in the clubhouse; he didn't like disruption. He didn't like Jackson or George Steinbrenner, for that matter. Thurman Munson just wanted to play ball; forget the soap opera that was Yankees baseball. Just play the game the way it was meant to be played - hard.

It's been over thirty years since Thurman Munson died in that plane crash, and not much has been written about him that reveals very much about his personality, probably since he made it a point to speak rarely, while carrying a steady stick. Nothing much stands out about his demeanor that would cause much of a stir; especially three decades after his passing. Marty Appel provides a thorough, workman-like perspective on this blue collar Yankees captain.

In the end, Munson played the game hard; the way it was meant to be played. While others grabbed the headlines, he grabbed his gear and his bat, and went about his business of keeping his team on top of their game. Whatever he did worked quite well for over a decade. That's not a bad legacy for such a quiet man.

Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee CaptainI loved the book. As a Yankee fan since the 1950's you will get the inside accounts of the events that shaped Yankee history. It also has personal meaning since my younger brother was in the Army with Thurman at Ft. Dix, NJ. Here is part of a letter I sent to Mr. Appel, the Author. " My younger brother was drafted in the late 60's, a bad time for him because he just got married. He was a young soldier at Ft. Dix in the same Company as Thurman. They were both clerks and became good friends. They played softball and my brother was having a hard time as his new wife was difficult (maybe more so her family). I guess Thurman took him under his wing and since neither had a lot to do, they would play catch. My brother said Thurman often complained, "Can't you throw any harder"? They both had to type out the weekend passes (clerks job) and my brother could type, so as a favor, he typed all of Thurman's passes too. "Thurmy" as my brother called him would leave Ft.Dix and travel up the NJ turnpike on his pass to go to Yankee stadium to practice or go upstate NY to play on the farm team. He used to drop my brother off in Milltown off exit 9 from his Buick Riviera and continue back on the turnpike". I could not put the book down and suspect any Yankee fan that loved Thurman will get heart felt satisfaction reading the book. Barry R., Annandale, NJ

As a NY Yankee fan for many years, and being that Thurman Munson was my favorite player I was very interested in this book. The book was an easy read and an enjoyable journey through Thurman's life, both personal and professional. It showed great insight by his fellow teammates and friends and family on his life. It is a book that can be enjoyed by any baseball fan

"That's your hero?" my mom said with more than a touch of concern in her voice as I showed her my 1976 Topps card of the Yankee captain. "He's fat and clearly doesn't shave regularly." It's hard to explain to moms when you aren't quite a teen yet that what really mattered is that Munson "plays hard." Moms aren't quite sure what the phrase "plays hard" means anyway, unless of course they are baseball fans and my mother emphatically was not. Following his death in 1979 (I saved the issue of Time Magazine with his corner cover story for over a decade) I read Munson's biography co-written by Appel. It confirmed what I already knew: that Munson did play hard and loved baseball and his family. I did not, however, recognize how much was missing from that biography. Munson the man was more than simply the most feared clutch hitter in baseball (according to a SI poll of managers in the 1970s); he was a man who struggled through a horribly abusive childhood, was determined to break the cycle, and in the process helped others in ways that cannot be measured. This book, published on the 30th anniversary of his death, tells the full story.

It is not always a pretty story. Appel chronicles Munson's moodiness and sometimes abrasive relationship with the press. His relationship with rival Carlton Fisk bordered on outright hostility. But Munson was also very conscious of his role as a ballplayer and a leader on the Yankees. He had immense talent, but his body was not that of a natural athlete and he worked very hard to become a top competitor. This same determination made him successful outside of sports as well. He was a solid real estate investor and a talented pilot, a skill and passion that ultimately led to his demise in a tragic accident. These skills and his own personal determination are part of the reason Munson was able to escape the damaging effects of his own childhood, but they are only part of the reason.

What this book reveals (and the older Munson biography does not) is the extent to which Thurman was really saved by the love of his wife, Diana, whom he met when he was only 12. Her family was a lot more stable than the Munson family and they and Thurman adopted each other even before the marriage. The story of "Diane" (as Thurman called her) and Munson is one of the great love stories in baseball, and Thurman was able to use Diane's support to stop the multi generation cycle of abuse that went on in his own family. He was a loving father and also extended that love to others. Unknown to the press (and deliberately so) he would attend local schools on reading days and work with children. He supported little league ball and gave far more of himself to his youngest fans than most people knew. I suspect I and literally thousands of other kids sensed that in the 1970s, even if our mothers did not see it. Munson will never be inducted to the Hall of Fame. His career was cut short and the numbers seem rather small in the modern steroid era. But,as this masterful biography makes clear, he is still a worthy hero.

With any biography of a deceased celebrity, you pretty well know how it will begin, how it will end, and if they were a celebrity that meant something to you, you know you'll be emotional by book's end. Marty Appel covers in great detail the life and times of my all time favorite Yankee, Thurman Lee Munson. For every fact I knew about the Captain, there were 20 other facts that I had never known.

The gripping interview with Thurm's passenger on the ill-fated flight of 8-02-79 was equal parts riveting and painful to read.

This book is a MUST READ for any member of Yankees Univers, past, present, or future.

Author Marty Appel worked in the front office of the New York Yankees during most of Thurman Munson's career and has done a masterful job in covering the career of the former great catcher. The author delves into the difficult home life the Munson children lived with while growing up in a home with a difficult father. Thurman found his escape in the family of his future wife's parents. Munson often displayed a crusty personality to those around him, but hid a more sensitive side. Later in his career Munson expressed a desire to play for the Cleveland Indians so he could remain closer to his Canton, Ohio, home. In addition to enabling him to spend more time at home flying an airplane made it possible for him to be free of questions from annoying reporters and other distractions a baseball player had to deal with.

The part of the book dealing with the crash of Munson's new jet airplane is unique in that Jerry Anderson, one of the survivors, was able to give a thorough explanation of the details of the crash of the jet plane during the practice sessions of landings and takeoffs. Had the plane not been caught on a stump the other two occupants may have been able to remove Munson from the plane who survived the initial crash. Thurman suffered a broken neck and would have spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair had he lived.

I well remember the Monday Night Baseball game between the Orioles and Yankees after the team returned from Munson's funeral in which close friend and teammate Bobby Murcer led the Yankees to victory.

I found two typos the author may want to correct for a paperback edition. Near the top of page 120 the words "double-knit plaid plants" is used when it should read "double-knit plaid pants." Also, on Page 342 there is a misspelling of the word captain in quoting the words on Munson's plaque in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium. In quoting the words on the plaque are "Our Captian and Leader Has Left Us." I assume the word on the plaque is spelled "Captain."

This is an outstanding biography of one of the premier baseball players of the 1970s who died on my 36th birthday 30 years ago today.

I was born in 1970 and my first lasting memories were rooting for the Yankees in 1976. Thurman Munson was the player who became my instant favorite and my first Yankee shirt, bought at Game 3 of the 1978 World Series in Yankee Stadium was of #15. I can vividly recall being in my parents bedroom on 8/2/1979 when the local NY ABC News came on and the news about Munson's plane crash and death was announced.

Marty Appel's second book on Munson, the first was an authorized biography written with Munson before he died, is eminently readable and provides a thorough look at Munson, from his childhood in Canton to his days leading a Yankee franchise back to prominence after the lean years following their 1964 World Series loss to the Cardinals.

Some of the most interesting parts of the book were those I was least familiar. The childhood of Munson and his strained relationship with his father were quite revealing. It was quite clear his father was an SOB and his reaction to Thurman's death and subsequent interview with a local Tucson, AZ reporter contrast with what an utterly different father and husband Thurman ultimately became. While Appel certainly doesn't suggest that Thurman's early experiences resulted in him becoming such a family man, the implication is clear.

Appel covers the plane crash in detail and every page is depressing, not just because you know the tragic outcome, but because Appel (1) makes a convincing argument that Munson should not have been flying the powerful Cessna jet so soon after beginning flying lessons and getting his pilot's license and (2) reveals all the errors Munson made during his final flight that led to his untimely death, errors that were preventable and likely driven by Munson's inexperience as a pilot and with his new jet. It is pretty harrowing to read the interviews from the two survivor's of the crash -- many folks assume Munson was flying alone that day -- and their intimate sharing of what it was like to go through the crash, the last seconds with Munson and how they have lived with the tragedy over the course of their lives.

My main reason for giving the book four stars and not five is because Appel made some assertions that were patently incorrect and reflected his bias (he served as a Yankee PR man during much of Munson's Yankee tenure) for his time with the Yankee's. Specifically, Appel mentions that there was not much of a Yankee/Red Sox rivalry until the early 1970's, fueled by the catching All-Star's from each team, Munson and Fisk. From a non-baseball insider, this might be excusable, but Appel certainly should have brushed up on the deep and bitter rivalry that existed in the 40's and 50's between Dimaggio and Mantle's Yankees and William's Red Sox. These types of assertions left me always second-guessing Appel and while I finally got over it, it does prevent me from ranking this at 5 stars.

If you are a Yankee fan, and certainly one who followed them in the 1970's, this is definitely a must read.

The challenge of writing this book is the need to acknowledge Munson's disturbingly high j.q. -- jerk quotient. Much like another Yankee hero, Mickey Mantle, Munson behaved quite badly and selfishly at times. He failed to keep his promised appearances; he was surly with the press; he had a negative sense of humor that grated; and the first impression of even his early team-mates was that he was a jerk. On the other hand, it is clear that Munson became a great team-mate and had a profoundly positive influence on veterans as well as rookies. He was much like Mantle in this respect and emerges, on the whole, as a positive and loveable figure.

Appel worked with Munson as team P.R. man and knew him very well. He liked Munson despite himself and in this respect Munson has been favored with a perfect biographer. It is clear that Munson's upbringing was grim, and his father is an angry hurt man himself. His resulting insecurities and negativity are not surprising.

This is a very honest biography as baseball books go and ultimately preserves Munson's reputation as a great Yankee. It reads fast and well.

On the other hand, Appel passes up the opportunity to explore more specifics about Munson's baseball career and influence as well as the changes in the game that Munson saw.