How About That! The Life of Mel Allen (Hardcover)

~ Stephen Borelli (Author) "William Israel was known as "Wolf..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Mel Allen, World Series (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a wonderful book...I knew and loved Mel and Borelli captures him in full measure. You'll love this book." -- Larry King, Host of CNN's Larry King Live

"The narrative of Stephen Borelli is also rich, deep and resonant, above the crowd of contemporary biographies." -- Jim Bohannon, host of The Jim Bohannon Show

"...a wonderful book...I knew and loved Mel and Borelli captures him in full measure. You'll love this book." -- Larry King, Host of CNN's Larry King Live<br /><br />"The narrative of Stephen Borelli is also rich, deep and resonant, above the crowd of contemporary biographies." -- Jim Bohannon, host of The Jim Bohannon Show<br /><br />At last, a definitive look at one of the preeminent broadcasters in history -- Jim Bohannon, Host of The Jim Bohannon Show<br /><br />It's a heck of a book. You'll love it if you're a baseball fan. --John Sterling, New York Yankees broadcaster

At last, a definitive look at one of the preeminent broadcasters in history -- Jim Bohannon, Host of The Jim Bohannon Show

It's a heck of a book. You'll love it if you're a baseball fan. -- John Sterling, New York Yankees broadcaster

Product Description

"There's a fly ball out to right field...that ball is going, going...it is gone!" The voice was unmistakable. From the 1930s until his death in 1996, Mel Allen riveted generations of sports fans with his resonant Southern tones on radio and television. His signature calls of "How about that!" (after a spectacular play) and "Going... going... gone!" (to frame a home run) made him an American icon.

How About That! The Life of Mel Allen is the first biography on perhaps the most famous sports broadcaster. Author Stephen Borelli, who, like his father and grandfather, attentively followed Allen's on-air accounts, traces the announcer from tiny towns in Alabama to the glares of Yankee Stadium and the Rose Bowl. You brush shoulders with legendary college football coach Bear Bryant, famous radio host Ralph Edwards, and a lineup of New York Yankees legends that includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Casey Stengel. Allen had a fan following as frantic as theirs, including legions of female admirers. You experience baseball's glorious radio days, when announcers like Allen and his Brooklyn rival Red Barber gave listeners sight and sound and their depictions made ballplayers seem larger than life. Through Allen's folksy words, you follow a Yankees dynasty at its height, from the intensity on the field during a feverish 1949 pennant race with the Boston Red Sox and numerous "Subway Series" to the camaraderie in the clubhouse and on overnight train rides. You learn about Allen's fade from the national eye after the Yankees mysteriously dismissed him in 1964 and his second broadcasting life in the late 1970s through mid-1990s as host of the groundbreaking television show This Week in Baseball. During this period, a unique friendship with George Steinbrenner allowed Allen to call one last no-hitter as he became the voice of baseball again.

How About That! is the story of the American dream. A boy raised by Russian Jewish immigrants who face Ku Klux Klan persecution and Depression-era hardship rises to national fame with a magical voice and a touch of chance. He stays on top with a relentless drive to succeed that leaves him a lifelong bachelor, though always a devoted family man.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582617333
• ISBN-13: 978-1582617336
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #710,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How about this., August 21, 2005

By	Eugene Phillips (Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a real treat for those of us who grew up listening to Mel Allen call Yankee games on the radio. For those less fortunate youngsters who never heard Mel, it is a meticulously researched history of sports broadcasting and a three-dimensional view of the greatest radio voice. Mel's game imagery remains unmatched. Steve Borelli's book is filled with details gleaned from people and sources that are fast vanishing. Steve's book illustrates what many of us already knew: Mel loved and respected his listening audience--feelings that I find scarce by today's standards. We will hear from Steve again.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed insights into the best there ever was!, September 19, 2005

By	San Diego Reader (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Whether your memories of Mel Allen revolve around This Week in Baseball, his Yankee broadcasts or numerous other sporting events over his long career; this book will shed light on the man behind the microphone, his drive for perfection and his complete devotion to the game he loved so very much.
A must read for every Yankee fan.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He Lived A Full Life, July 10, 2005

By	C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Mel Allen was the voice of the New York Yankees from 1939 through 1964 when he was abruptly dismissed for reasons unknown to him or anyone else. The author states that writer Maury Allen was watching Mel tell stories to a group of writers which really was a one-way conversation with Mel doing all the talking. Ralph Houk couldn't take it any more and stormed out of the room. Between Houk and owner Dan Topping, who also was aware of Allen's gabbiness, it was decided a change would be made. Supposedly Allen's propensity to talk also had something or another to do with sponsor Ballantine beer's drop in sales. Allen had feelings of insecurity regarding his broadcasting abilities despite his national reputation. Irving Berlin shared these same feelings regarding whether he would have the ability to write another hit song. Broadcasting sporting events, the Yankees in particular, was Allen's life, and he was at a loss when his job was taken away. Thankfully, another generation of fans would come to know Mel Allen through his weekly narration of This Week in Baseball. Curt Gowdy asked Allen how he could have himself doing baseball bloopers after once announcing the Yankees and doing the Rose Bowl games. Allen advised Gowdy never to get out of baseball. He'd give anything to get back in it. We often don't fully appreciate something until it is taken away. One of the most memorable moments of Allen's Yankees' career came when he encountered the stricken Lou Gehrig in the dugout prior to a game. Gehrig thanked Mel for doing the broadcasts because Gehrig said hearing the games on the radio kept him going. Allen, understandably touched, excused himself saying he had to get up to the booth and wept as he left. Both Allen and Red Barber had a grudging respect for one another, but there was a definite coolness between the two. There have been several biographies of other baseball announcers, and it is high time this one came out on Mel Allen. It has been worth the wait.