My Turn at Bat :: English Literature

My Turn at BatBook ReviewMy Turn at Bat The Story of My Life, written in 1969, could be thename of any number of hitters that have played the game of baseb alone.It could even be a allegory for something that doesnt even relate tothe game of baseball. But thats not the case here, this watchword isabout, arguably the greatest hitter to ever play the game. This bookis about the only player to ever hit .400. The only man to be inductedinto seven different hall of fames. This book tells the story of TedWilliams through his eyes, the focus he lived on and off the field. Theauthor John Underwood does a good job in terms of letting the readerget a first somebody point of view when it comes to the keep of thiscapital of Massachusetts Red Sox legend.The book first starts out with Ted Williams stating that, Im gladits oer, he then goes on to explain what he means by this. Williamssays that he is so grateful for what baseball has done for him as aperson but he was glad to be out of the game as a player. He tells thereader through out the book that if he could go back to when he was 18or 19 years of age he wouldnt do it because knowing now what was instore for him. He says that he had to deal with so much physical pain,the weight of the world being on his shoulders, and last but certainlynot least the Boston reporters. At that point in his life, TedWilliams had finished playing Major League Baseball for the Boston RedSox and escaped on to managing the Washington Senators, a move that hewasnt all that comfortable with, but was willing to try. This book isa constant one-way conversation with the reader. It seems that is proficientthe way Williams wanted it to be, just so he could tell the storywithout any interruptions.Williamss talks about how he always wanted to be the greatest hitterof all time through out the book. He says that a man needs to have agoal for a day, a lifetime and his was to hear mountain say, there goesTed Williams the greatest hitter of all time. W illiams also talksabout how his 22 years of playing the game were the best years of hislife but they were also some of the unhappiest. Through out his timeas a professional ball player, he felt that people didnt equivalent him,