BALLS (1984) Graig Nettles & Peter Golenbock and 50 similar items

BALLS By Graig Nettles and Peter Golenbock G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN # 0-399-12894-8, Fourth Impression, Copyright 1984 6.25" x 9.25", 232 page hardcover with dustjacket An enjoyable, field-level view of the madness that was Yankees' Baseball in the early 1980's. Chapters alternate between biography of Nettles, and a "journal" of the 1983 season, in which the Bombers finished third behind the World Champion Orioles. Coincidentally, '83 would turn out to be Nettles' "walk year", in which he was playing out the final year of his contract, and amongst the anguish of his larger concern with the team's struggles, there is an undercurrent of anxiety as to how his own performance is going to affect his impending free agency. Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944), nicknamed "Puff", is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1967?1969), Cleveland Indians (1970?1972), New York Yankees (1973?1983), San Diego Padres (1984?1986), Atlanta Braves (1987), and Montreal Expos (1988). Nettles is regarded as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time, winning two Gold Glove Awards in 1977-78. Despite his relatively low career batting average, he was a clutch offensive contributor, particularly with runners in scoring position. In addition, he set an American League record for career home runs by a third baseman. His 68.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is the highest among all players with a batting average of .250 or lower. Nettles was a six-time All-Star player. As a part of four pennant-winning Yankee teams, Nettles enjoyed his best season in 1977 when he won the Gold Glove Award and had career-highs in home runs (37) and runs batted in (107) in leading the Yankees to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The book is complete and in FINE condition with some overall light wear.