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Jerry Coleman: WS MVP, War Hero, HOF Broadcaster... and Author?

Voices of Padres poised for spring.  This article has a lot of information on the radio broadcasts.  It tells us the broadcaster's schedules, contracts, obligations and even insults Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton.  It's got it all.  The most intriguing news is that Jerry Coleman has an autobiography coming out.  It'll be out April 28th.

Amazon: An American Journey: My Life on the Field, in the Air, and on the Air

Book Description
The second baseman on some of the greatest teams in baseball history and a six-time World Series champion. A highly decorated Marine Corps dive-bomber and fighter pilot who served during both World War II and the Korean War. A major league manager. A Hall of Fame broadcaster with more than four decades of experience. Had Jerry Coleman been just one of these things, his life would still be remarkable. The fact that he is all of them has made him a legend to millions of baseball fans across the country. In An American Journey, Coleman, along with The New York Times's Richard Goldstein, writes for the first time about the family violence and hardship he endured as a child, his memories of serving in two armed conflicts, and what it was like playing with Yogi, Mickey, and DiMaggio. Coleman is also unflinchingly honest about his short managing career and provides a behind-the-scenes look at his many years in the broadcast booth. An American Journey is an inspiring, enlightening, and often humorous look back at the life of one of the game's greatest treasures. As Coleman himself might say, "You can hang a star on that!"

I can't wait to get my hands on this book. I'm gonna grab a fist full of highlighters in assorted colors, a deck of 3x5 cards and I'm going to dig into it. I'm not going to keep it pretty either. First thing I do, I'm gonna rip the dust jacket off and put it in the garbage. I'm probably going to be eating greasy potato chips while I thumb through the pages. I'm going to dog ear the pages that really hit me in the ol' ticker. I'm going to use and abuse this thing. After I'm done I'm going to loan it to a group of buddies and let them all take the ride. This should be the first book in the Gaslamp Ball book club.

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GLB Book Club
I think this is a great idea.

by Drama on Feb 29, 2008 9:43 AM PST reply actions  

I was going to buy mine online
but I'll bet he'll do some book signings around town.  I should wait until then.

by jbox on Feb 29, 2008 9:47 AM PST up reply actions  

No doubt.
It would be cool to have an autographed copy from the Colonel.

by Drama on Feb 29, 2008 10:05 AM PST up reply actions  

Sad...
They just don't make dudes like the Colonel anymore...

Yah, fighter-pilot, pro-baseball player...

... I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn he also flies around fighting crime by night.

The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.

by Axion on Feb 29, 2008 10:46 AM PST reply actions  

Good point...
Because he tells us what he does during the day (or at least he used to), but never about what goes on when the sun goes down.

by pjbno4 on Feb 29, 2008 11:11 AM PST up reply actions  

That'll be a good book
His stories from Summer of 49 (by Halberstam) were great.  Having a book cover his life should be very entertaining and interesting.

by thenerdhater on Feb 29, 2008 11:45 AM PST reply actions  

Baseball's Greatest Quotations
I was looking through this book the other day at Borders.

http://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Greatest-Quotations-Rev-Ed/dp/0061260606/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8& ;s=books&qid=1204320004&sr=8-3

There are 2 pages devoted to Classic Colemanisms.  Some classic ones in there ("Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen", "Winfield hits his head on the wall, and it falls off...") along with some ones I had not heard ("Tony Gwynn, the fat batter, waits on deck behind Finley").

by WillyBilliams on Feb 29, 2008 1:25 PM PST reply actions  

Another great book by a Padres HOFer
was Winfield's first one. At least it was awesome to me when I read it when I was eleven. That's how I found out about my favorite team's history outside of just the numbers back in those prehistoric days.
www.PadsAndEnds.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev

by TheThirdGonzalez on Feb 29, 2008 6:43 PM PST reply actions  

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