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Book Review: Munson

Posted on August 2, 2009 at 8:08 AM
Filed Under: General Baseball | New York Yankees
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When I was contacted by the promoter of Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain, I wasn't quite sure what to think.  Obviously, this wasn't quite in the wheelhouse of this Cardinal blog, as Thurman Munson played his whole career in the American League at a time when there was no interleague play (you real youngsters in the audience may gasp at that) and so didn't have much, if any, interaction with St. Louis.

However, I've always wanted to know a little more about Munson.  The only thing I knew about him was that he died in a plane crash on August 2, which sticks out to me because that's also my birthday.  Because of that, and because I will never turn down a free baseball book, I agreed to read through it.

The book is written by Marty Appel, who was the Yankees' PR director for most of the time that Munson played for the Bronx Bombers.  Appel has personal stories and insights to share as well as a narrative account of Munson's growing up and playing days.  He had written a biography with Munson a couple of years before Munson's death and relies somewhat on those interviews as well as extra work and his own memories in constructing this tale.

It was 30 years ago today that Munson died in a crash at the airport in Canton, Ohio.  That was the extent of what I knew about it.  I didn't realize that it wasn't a landing when he was flying in, but an accident when he was just taking a couple of guys up for a spin.  I didn't realize that there were two others in the crash as well, both of whom survived.  Munson also survived the crash, at least initially, but died when the fire engulfed him, as there was no way to remove him from the plane in time.

The details of the crash and of the response from the Yankee teammates and front office, as well as baseball as a whole, were fascinating to me.  As Cardinal fans, we remember the death of Darryl Kile and how things came to a screeching halt for us.  Munson's death was like that, but even bigger due to the large market of New York.  Kile was known in baseball circles and his death was keenly felt.  Munson was known in a wider context and that made his death have even more impact, at least to those at the time.

Munson's life story, though, was compelling enough on its own.  A boy that never earned his father's respect (the stories of his actions after Munson's death and at the funeral will turn your stomach), his life was turned around by being accepted into the family of his high school sweetheart, whom he eventually married.  His toughness and determination helped drive him to the majors, where he became the first captain of the Yankees since Lou Gehrig.

Appel goes to pretty good lengths to help counteract some of the gruffness that is Munson's reputation.  He portrays Munson as a guy that had a good heart, that would take care of people without much fanfare.  Of course, Munson did have his rougher side.  He had a not-so-friendly rivalry with Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk.  He could be difficult to get to know.   Appel makes the case that when you did know him, though, he was as good of a friend as you could ask for.

The book runs over 350 pages, so it's a solid read for anyone with a baseball interest.  Whether you know much about Thurmon Munson or if you know about what I knew going into it, you'll find interesting stories as well as the names that you know from the Bronx Zoo days of the Yankees.  You can find it on Amazon (link above) or, I'm sure, in a local bookstore.  It's worth the time to give it a shot.


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Heroes
Matt Carpenter (4)
Matt Holliday (4)
Carlos Beltran (3)
Rafael Furcal (3)
Jon Jay (3)
Kyle Lohse (3)
Lance Lynn (3)
David Freese (2)
Jaime Garcia (2)
Yadier Molina (2)
Adam Wainwright (2)
Allen Craig (1)
Shane Robinson (1)
Fernando Salas (1)
Jake Westbrook (1)

2011 Top Hero: Lance Berkman (24)
2010 Top Heroes: Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols (24)
2009 Top Hero: Albert Pujols (28)
2008 Top Hero: Albert Pujols (25)

Goats
Matt Holliday (4)
Carlos Beltran (3)
Jaime Garcia (3)
Adam Wainwright (3)
David Freese (2)
Rafael Furcal (2)
Tyler Greene (2)
Jason Motte (2)
J.C. Romero (2)
Marc Rzepczynski (2)
Mitchell Boggs (1)
Matt Carpenter (1)
Tony Cruz (1)
Daniel Descalso (1)
Jon Jay (1)
Erik Komatsu (1)
Kyle Lohse (1)
Victor Marte (1)
Fernando Salas (1)
Jake Westbrook (1)

2011 Top Goat: Ryan Theriot (12)
2010 Top Goat: Brendan Ryan (14)
2009 Top Goats: Rick Ankiel and Todd Wellemeyer (13)
2008 Top Goat: Troy Glaus (13)

2012 Happy Flights
Happy Flights: 7
Happy Flight Opportunities: 10
Happy Flight %: 70%

Through 5/15

    Cardinal Nation Approval Ratings (March 2012)
    Adam Wainwright 91.9% (down 2.8%)
    Chris Carpenter 90.1% (up 3.2%)
    Lance Berkman 88.6%
    Tony La Russa 88.2% (up 17.4%)
    Yadier Molina 87.4% (up 3.7%)
    Matt Holliday 87.3% (down 3.8%)
    David Freese 85.5%
    John Mozeliak 85.4% (up 13.3%)
    Mike Shannon 85.3% (up 0.4%)
    Jose Oquendo 84.7%
    Derrick Goold 82.8% (down 5.0%)
    Mark McGwire 82.6% (up 20.1%)
    John Rooney 81.5% (down 2.8%)
    Mike Matheny 81.1%
    Bill DeWitt 79.8% (up 8.8%)
    United Cardinal Bloggers 78.9%
    Skip Schumaker 73.3% (up 9.2%)
    Jim Hayes 71.9% (down 4.2%)
    Jon Jay 71.1%
    B.J. Rains 69.5% (down 0.9%)
    Kyle Lohse 68.9% (up 13.8%)
    Dan McLaughlin 68.0%
    Joe Strauss 67.7% (up 10.2%)
    Ricky Horton 67.5% (down 1.6%)
    Al Hrabosky 66.4% (up 3.2%)
    Albert Pujols 54.9% (down 45.5%)
    Colby Rasmus 46.5% (down 35.3%)

    2011
    Dave Duncan 87.9% (up 0.9%)
    Matthew Leach 85.5%
    Pop Warner 76.7%
    Ryan Franklin 72.8% (up 3.1%)
    John Vuch 68.9%
    Jeff Luhnow 66.4%
    Dan Lozano 58.7%

    2009
    Rick Ankiel 83.9%
    Chris Duncan 69.1%


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