Rupert Murdoch: Ringmaster of the Information Circus

Book Description

Now available for the first time in years, My Turn at Bat is Ted Williams' own story of his spectacular life and baseball career.

An acclaimed best-seller, My Turn at Bat now features new photographs and, for the first time, Ted's reflections on his managing career and the state of baseball as it is played in the 1980s. It's all here in this brilliant, honest and sometimes angry autobiography -- Williams' childhood days in San Diego, his military service, his unforgettable major league baseball debut and ensuing Hall of Fame career that included two Triple Crowns, two Most Valuable Player awards, six batting championships, five Sporting News awards as Major League Player of the Year, 521 lifetime homeruns and a .344 career batting average. And Williams tells his side of the controversies, from his battles with sportswriters and Boston fans to his single World Series performance and his career with the declining Red Sox of the 1950s.

My Turn at Bat belongs in the library of everyone who loves Ted Williams, baseball, or great life stories well-told.

Red Barber proclaimed My Turn at Bat to be: "One of the best baseball books I've ever read." John Leonard of The New York Times said My Turn at Bat was "unbuttoned and wholly engaging...the portrait of an original who is unrepentant about being better than anyone else."

Customer Reviews:

From the hip.......2007-05-14

In his autobiography, legendary Ted Williams details his illustrious career in baseball with a wide spectrum of human emotions. From passion to disparity, Williams tells it like it is.
He blasts sports writers for their one sidedness's and fabrications, talks highly and respectful of many managers, players and close friends, and above all he talks baseball...especially hitting.
Losing nearly six years to military service and injuries, there is a strong possibility that Williams would have set even more incredible records.
A strong-willed reflection of his life in his own words. It's as if you have Ted right there in your own home and listening directly to the greatest hitter of all time.

Good Hot Stove League.......2005-12-17

"My Turn at Bat" is a biography of the late Ted Williams, slugging left fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1939-1960. MYB is very pleasant and easy reading. The tone is conversational, as if there were no ghostwriter. The reader might almost believe Ted is present in the room. There are few surprises. The tale unfolds in linear fashion from TWs childhood through his career-ending homer against young Jack Fisher of the Orioles. The reader of "a certain age" will be reintroduced to some old friends both on the Bosox and other teams: Del Baker, Joe Cronin, Lou Boudreau, Dom Di Maggio, Bobby Doerr, Billy Goodman, Pinky Higgins, Jim Tabor and TWs favorite manager, Marse Joe McCarthy are all here. TW makes his love for fishing quite clear. Those salmon in New Brunswick's Miramichi River must be wonderful! There are some negatives: The spacing of the paragraphs makes reading a challenge and the chapters are oddly sequenced. MTB has a patched together undertone. These flaws are not fatal; they are listed here for the record. There is also a sense of melancholy to MTB. This reviewer always thought TW gave that vibe in his final years. It seemed TW would leave a game early for no apparent reason. In fact TW lost the 1954 and 1955 batting titles due to insufficient times at bat and he never did achieve 3,000 hits. Something was going on there. Perhaps it was the 5 (!) seasons lost to military service. If TW had those seasons back, he would own the record book. The final word on MTB remains positive. The only major warning label might be that the potential audience is limited. Fans with little curiosity concerning the TW era may be disappointed. Hardcore Bosox fans or those who remember Ted from the good old days should pounce.

My Turn at Bat!!!!.......2005-08-12

My turn at bat!!!!
by:TED WILLIAMS....

This book refers to a kid whose dreams were to become a ballplayer.As any kid he always kept the hope that one day he would have made his dreams come true. One of his opportunities came while he was playing ball with his friends in a field near to his house. He used to play baseball almost every single day.
He was told by his friend that he had a lot of abilities at bat. From that day he thought that becoming a famous player could be easier than he thought. He spoke to his father that he wanted to be a ballplayer. That's how he started getting into this sport.

He played for his school team by couples of times and then he joined one of the major national baseball leagues. After becoming a famous ballplayer it was not easier than he thought. He went through a lot of difficulties ,but he never gave up on his dreams. He could count on his father who helped him as much as he could to realize his son's dreams.

This story is very similar to story of Roberto Clemente,who was a legendary figure as a player.Both of them played the game with passion.
I would like to recommend this book to someone who thinks that dreams do not come true. Because i do belive if you put effort on something that you do love, and are interested in, it would make you change your mind, because it would help you to believe in yourself and keep your hopes and never and ever stpo thinking that you are not able to do it, Also ages between 15 and 20 could read this book,it contains a good vocabulary for those who are taking English as a second languaje...

A Hall of Fame book by one of the greatest Hall of Famers.......2003-03-28

The story is an entertaining look at Williams' career as a ballplayer, fisherman and ex ball player. It talks about his strange career with the Red Sox fans that would boo him in spite of his brilliant hitting. His study of the game, especially batting and dedication to being a near perfect hitter is a pretty good insight into why the booing bothered him so much and led to some bad displays of resentment by him to the fans. The spitting incidents and the time he accidentally threw a bat into the stands and hit a lady spectator on the head are well covered. His resentment toward most sportswriters is a continuation of his reaction to the reception he received in Boston. It's a large contrast to the welcome given to Joe DiMaggio in New York and the rivalry between Williams and DiMaggio is covered too. In later years, Williams mellowed and so did the fans so that their relationship was a good one. One wonders what kind of statistics Williams would have had if he had not missed five years in the military service, being a pilot in World War II and in Korea. One of his statistics that I don't often see mentioned is the fact that he is one of only two players to win the Triple Crown twice.

Besides being a "Hall of Fame" ball player, Ted Williams was also a hall of fame fisherman and there is a lot of fishing talked about in the book.

Ted Williams was definitely one of Baseball's greatest hitters and an individualist, plus being quite a character. This book gives a good insight into these things in his "own words". It should be a must for any baseball fan.

Complex personality.......2003-03-13

First, a quick qualifier: the four stars is for "My Turn at Bat" as a baseball book. Unlike "The Boys of Summer," for example, it is not also a literary gem, nor, I suspect, was it intended to be.

That said, Williams and his collaborator, the fine writer John Underwood, achieve a peppery tone in the book that one certainly heard in Williams's voice when he spoke out after his baseball life. Williams's language is rich and funny and-especially when he speaks about baseball writers-sometimes bitter.

The book paints a vivid picture of Williams's childhood in San Diego which, he says, included countless hours playing ball in backyards and city parks. Ted is at pains later in the book to point out that his enormous success as a hitter came from this constant practice, not as a result of his keen eyesight, which was the subject of much legend.

The book also brings to life the storied Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, which of course produced a lopsided advantage in favor of the New Yorkers during Williams's career. You feel his frustration when he discusses the final-game loss to the Yankees in 1949 that ended the Red Sox season and the team's subsequent decline over the remainder of his career. That loss came after his poor showing in the 1946 World Series-the only one of his career-and a season-ending playoff loss to the Indians in 1948.

These frustrations and his vicious battles with the press bring out the human side of Ted, important because as a hitter he seemed to most in a world of his own. To his credit, he doesn't dwell unduly on his achievements, but to ignore the magnitude of them is impossible: only one season below .300, 521 career home runs, an incredible on-base percentage, and so on. The humanity is also revealed in his description of his final at-bat (which resulted in a home run). Despite his emotion, he was unable, he says, to acknowledge the crowd (famously commented on in an essay by John Updike) despite its clamoring and the urging of his teammates to take an extra turn in the spotlight. Not my way, the Splendid Splinter says.

A final section of the book is also very interesting for Williams's comments on the secrets of hitting and his recommendations for improving the game. Some of the latter are timely for the game today: he urges hitters and pitchers to work more quickly, and he advocated before its adoption the use of a designated hitter. Personally I don't find that to have been one of baseball's shining ideas, but he certainly was foresighted.

If you're looking for much on Ted's personal life, look elsewhere, but as a fine read for the student of baseball, "My Turn at a Bat" should get a turn with the reader.

Average customer rating:
My Turn at Bat The Story of My Life
TED WILLIAMS
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PNCYHE

Average customer rating:
MY TURN AT BAT, THE STORY OF MY LIFE, AS TOLD TO JOHN UNDERWOOD

Manufacturer: Pocket Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IF8CRU

Average customer rating:
My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life
Ted [as Told to John underwood] Wiliams
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RL6Q2S

Average customer rating:
MY TURN AT BAT: THE STORY OF MY LIFE

Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HJRCBO

Average customer rating:
My Turn At Bat: The Story of My Life
Ted Willliams
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000US8UPY

Average customer rating:
My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000H0UO5Y

Product Description

With 48 pages of black-and-white photos, a chronicle of Williams boyhood days in San Diego, through his incredible performance with the Boston Red Sox, to his job as manager of the Washington Senators

Average customer rating:

My Turn at Bat: the Story of My Life.
Ted. Williams
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L1MENE

MY TURN AT THE BAT: THE STORY OF MY LIFE

Average customer rating:

MY TURN AT THE BAT: THE STORY OF MY LIFE
Ted, Photo Illustrated Williams
Manufacturer: New York: Pocket, 1969
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QA5MSY

Selected from My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life (Writer's Voices)

Average customer rating:

Selected from My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life (Writer's Voices)
Ted Williams
Manufacturer: Signal Hill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0929631579

Book Description

From Richard Wagner and George Lucas to Alfred Hitchcock and Maria Callas, Schroeder provides a fascinating account of the entire absorbing history of the interdependence of opera and film, demonstrating how opera can be found lurking in the background of a wide range of films.

The allure of opera to cinema early in the century held up through the silent era, into sound films, through the golden age of movies, and into the most recent approaches to moviemaking. Cinema's Illusions, Opera's Allure explores the numerous ways - some predictable, some unexpected, and some bizarre - that this has happened.

Book Description

They fought the Mouse and the Mouse (eventually) won—but it was a battle that left everyone bloodied... During a time of unprecedented political, social, and cultural upheaval in U.S. history, one of the fiercest battles was ignited by a comic book. In 1963, the San Francisco Chronicle made 21-year-old Dan O'Neill the youngest syndicated cartoonist in American newspaper history. As O'Neill delved deeper into the emerging counterculture, his strip, Odd Bodkins, became stranger and stranger and more and more provocative, until the papers in the syndicate dropped it and the Chronicle let him go. The lesson that O'Neill drew from this was that what America most needed was the destruction of Walt Disney. O'Neill assembled a band of rogue cartoonists called the Air Pirates (after a group of villains who had bedeviled Mickey Mouse in comic books and cartoons). They lived communally in a San Francisco warehouse owned by Francis Ford Coppola and put out a comic book, Air Pirates Funnies, that featured Disney characters participating in very un-Disneylike behavior, provoking a mammoth lawsuit for copyright and trademark infringements and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. Disney was represented by one of San Francisco's top corporate law firms and the Pirates by the cream of the counterculture bar. The lawsuit raged for 10 years, from the trial court to the US Supreme Court and back again.

The novelist and essayist Bob Levin recounts this rollicking saga with humor, wit, intelligence, and skill, bringing alive the times, the issues, the absurdities, the personalities, the changes wrought within them and us all. Includes never-before seen art from the Air Pirates archives! Two excerpted chapters of this book in The Comics Journal in 2001 proved to be one of the magazine's most popular features in recent memory. Black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting topic...bad book.......2006-01-07

The topic of this book certainly sounded interesting, especially since I was taking a Media Laws course at the time I read it. However, this book was bogged down with too many problems for me to recommend it.

First of all, the book is full of small errors that make it seem like it was hastily thrown together and shoved onto the shelves. The author is listed as "Bob Levin" on the front cover, but as "Bob Levine" on the spine. A citation on the back page quotes an editor as calling the book "The definitive history of this wonderful, mad (and, I believe, signficant) episode in Amercan [sic] popular culture." And one of the illustrations and comics in the book are listed as being from 1971, even though Levin later says (correctly) that they were from the mid 90s.

Aside from these annoying but ultimately forgivable problems, the author just doesn't have a very fluid or gripping writing style. Some of his sentences so grossly overuse punctuation marks that they may discuss three different topics in a single sentence. I will admit that he does a passable job describing copyright laws, but that was just one part of this book. His footnotes also tend to be places for him to get in his two cents rather than truly informative additions. And he ultimately fails to make the characters endearing to the audience, which is frustrating since he admits in the book that each author is trying to sell a story or viewpoint to the reader. It may be more objective to paint the Air Pirates as nothing more than a bunch of stoned twenty-somethings following an even more-stoned thirty-something, but it sure didn't sell to me that we should be rooting for them.

The ending of the book also let me down. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that after discussing a series of lawsuits brought against the Air Pirates, the story ends very abruptly, without describing the final decision in any great detail. This should have been the climax of the narrative, and it just fizzles out.

So while I appreciate Bob Levin pointing out this interesting case that has apparently gotten very little recognition, I wish that he would have discovered it, and then turned it over to a better author.

Too bad.......2005-08-12

The history outlined in THE PIRATES AND THE MOUSE is essential reading. Unfortunately, Mr. Levin has foreclosed the chances that a *great* history, as opposed to a good one, of the Air Pirates controversy will ever be written.

As a researcher, Mr. Levin is fearless and gratifyingly thorough. As a prose stylist, however, he cakes on the pretension as if imitating--poorly--the academic and cultural-studies historical texts with which both his subject and his approach prompt comparison. He injects himself needlessly (as a participant in the counterculture, as a "wit," as an eloquent commentator, &c.) into the history wherever he can, and rarely uses one adjective or adverb when he can stack three or four atop each other like cords of wood.

I'm perplexed that Groth and Thompson--two critical writers I've admired since I was a teenager, both of whom are enviably well-read in multiple genres--could let THE PIRATES AND THE MOUSE slip through their editorial fingers in this state. It's a beautifully designed book loaded with information and images that can scarcely be found anywhere else, but I can't read even three pages of it at a time without craving another kind of prose: matter-of-fact, eloquent, and focused. This ain't hairsplitting. The greatest archive in the world will reach no one if the text that mediates between archive and public keeps jerking the spotlight back upon itself.

Dan O' Neill Gets His Due.......2004-10-29

bob levin's writing style aside, this book is an extremely informative expose of the first amendment with regards to copyright infringement and parody. the champion here (or protagonist if you will) is the enlightened dan o' neill. even though the "air pirates" was a collective effort by london, richards, halgren, and flenniken, o'neill was the one who braved this whole mess out with humor, wit, and defiant intellect. the famous phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" underestimates the relentlessness and ruthlessness of the disney empire against an intellectual threat that put the "disney intellect" to shame; i am again refering to o' neill.
a fine prep in copyright law, the beginings of the underground comics, disney's wrath, and an american champion of free speech: "they should have known he was irish" dan o' neill. you will have more than a few chuckles during your reading....thank you bob levin, dan o' neill, and the rest of the "pirates". you are not forgotten!!!

An Important Episode in American Popular Cultural History.......2004-06-18

According to Bob Levin, copyright law has become a way by which big corporations screw the public trust. Back in 1971, a group of artists calling themselves the Air Pirates put out an unauthorized Mickey Mouse comic book that was heavily pornographic in nature. The ensuing battle lasted for about a decade until Disney finally won.

This book rates 3 stars out of 5 due to the fact that it is mostly bogged down in all sorts of highly legalistic language and is hard to read by someone who, like this writer, does not have a law school education.

For all who are fed up with corporate media.......2003-11-01

An hilarious blow-by-blow account of Disney's war on independent culture. A look back at the late 60s and early 70s that's all too disturbingly relevant today.

Customer Reviews:

For any Stephen King lover.......2000-03-26

This is a wonderful trivia item for anyone who loves Stephen King. there are 100 quizzes, and over 1000 questions about King's works. It's a great way to test your true knowledge of the 'King' of horror fiction!

Quiz Book.......2000-03-26

The stuff in this book makes for a great party game! Test your knowledge, even avid King fans will get stumped on some of the questions!

The Ultimate Unauthorized Stephen King Trivia Challenge: Hundreds of Brainteasing Questions on Minute Details and Little-Known Facts About the World's Leading Horror Writer and His Work

Average customer rating:

Lots of mistakes
All King fans should read this review
A must for big-time Stephen King fans
If your a Stephen King fan, read this!

The Ultimate Unauthorized Stephen King Trivia Challenge: Hundreds of Brainteasing Questions on Minute Details and Little-Known Facts About the World's Leading Horror Writer and His Work
Robert W. Bly
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Trivia | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Trivia | Fun Facts | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1575662280

Customer Reviews:

Lots of mistakes.......2001-12-13

As the other reviewer said, there are too many mistakes in this quiz book to make the book of any value. This biggest mistake is that it describes Morgan Sloat as Jack's father's Twinner in the Territories (The Talisman). I would guess nobody bothered to check his answers or proofread his work.

All King fans should read this review.......2001-08-29

This man has obviously not read a single one of Stephen King's books with any attention to detail or storyline. There are so many errors in this quiz book that I wonder exactly how many books he actually cracked the cover on! Just a few examples are: in the The Dark Tower III quiz, "What is the name of Jake's pet dog?" This book takes place in a fictional world & Jake's pet is a fictional animal called a billy bumbler....a far cry from a canine. In the same quiz "What are the first 4 lines in Jack's school essay..." JACK? Who the heck is Jack?!? He just finished calling the boy by his correct name, JAKE, in three previous questions! In the "IT" quiz "How many teenage children originally confront It in Derry, Maine?" First of all, they're either teenagers or they're children....not both. Secondly, the characters in question were 11-years-old...hardly teenagers. In fact, that is the whole point of the novel...that only CHILDREN can conquer the beast because of their ability to believe. Finally, in "The Stand" quiz, "What song does Tim Cullen sing after he opens his Christmas gifts from Stu?" TIM Cullen?!?!? Even people who've only seen the movie can remember that the man's name is Tom Cullen. He says it repeatedly. These are just a few of the numerous mistakes in this book. All in all, this is a [sad] excuse for a quiz book and should only be read by true King fans if they're looking for a few painful laughing fits. If you're looking for an authentic Stephen King quiz book, I suggest trying one of Steve Spignesi's quiz books....now THERE'S a man who knows the master!

A must for big-time Stephen King fans.......2001-01-10

If you are fanatical about Stephen King then I suggest you buy this book. It's a far more productive outlet for your obsession than stalking the man, abducting him, breaking his legs and keeping him holed up in a shack in the woods over the winter, sedated by drugs while forcing him to write a novel for you.

If your a Stephen King fan, read this!.......2000-04-07

Ahhhh, Stephen King, what's not to like. If you think you know everything about King, then this is for you. A book of trivia about the Master of Macabre is the perfect thing for any Avid King collector.

Average customer rating:

The Stephen King Quiz Book

Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9992885580

Average customer rating:

The Stephen King Quiz Book
Stephen Spignesi
Manufacturer: New Amer Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000QCZ2Z0

Book Description

BradyGames Final Fantasy IX Official Strategy Guide features a detailed walkthrough, support and action abilities, equipment lists and statistics, comprehensive weapons list, bestiary data and side quests. Using this printed guide along with Squaresoft's online guide at PlayOnline.com will enable players to access additional resources for this epic adventure.

Customer Reviews:

I thought I was buying a strategy guide, not a hyperlink........2007-06-09

I have pretty much the same gripes as everyone else. Although the Internet is faster, more widespread, and more reliable than when this guide was first released, I still don't approve of essentially half of the guide being on PlayOnline. It's a nuisance to have to stop in the course of a game, and it takes the information away from your fingertips. Aren't you entitled to have the full guide in front of you at all times, seeing as you paid for it? I think so.

The bestiary is also very lacking, so much that I don't even refer to it. The descriptions of boss battles seem thrown together at the last minute, and they don't really offer much insight. There is a wealth of information about the game in here, so the guide isn't worthless, but I still would have liked a much better one.

This is supposed to be a guide?!.......2007-06-05

Almost everywhere you look in this book, it basically tells you "Go to this website blah blah blah to know this secret"...
What a rip-off!

KeyCode Online?!?! .......2007-05-12

I usually like play the Final Fantasy more than once. I had to restart some of Final Fantasy games because, I missed a lot of items or some of side-quests. I bought the guide book for Final Fantasy VI and I was able to follow through it without any trouble. However; I bought the guide Book for Final Fantasy IX Well, I can't believe you HAVE TO go ONLINE every TIME you want to find out more about the items or side-quest and you have to go online and type the stupid keywords to find out, Which is complete waste of time! The problem is here, when you DO go online The FF9 keyword Or even the FF9 site itself isn't on there anymore! So, it was kind of pointless of buying this book. Since you are better off with Gamefaqs or Rpgclassic walkthrough.

good.......2007-03-19

this is good. and helpful, though yes, it could be much better. and i wish they did just that! make it better but its still good

Final Fantasy IX.......2007-03-08

Not much of a helper. Youd be better off just looking things up online. Besides, thats what I did after I bought the guide. Refers to a website that no longer exist without intensly searching google with the right criteria.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books