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Jack Buck: "That's a Winner!"
In his forthright and honest autobiography, St. Louis Cardinal, World Series, and Super Bowl broadcaster Jack Buck entertains all of his fans once more in a different setting. Jack Buck: "That's a Winner!" does more than entertain, however. It provides readers with an inside look at a man they have listened to so often, they consider him part of the family.
220 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 12, 2019
I cried at the end. I miss Jack Buck! Today’s broadcasters don’t measure up.
December 21, 2022
I first learned about Jack Buck's impact on people when I saw John O'Leary speak at our conference a few years back (please read "On Fire" if you haven't already). I recently read Joe Buck's book "Lucky Bastard" (another must-read). This is a great story of perseverance and taking the positives out of the situations life gives you.
July 3, 2018
Very straightforward and somewhat dry. Still worth reading for any baseball fans, especially Cardinals fans.
January 2, 2022
Intriguing stories from a one-of-a-kind figure in the world of sports broadcasting.
February 21, 2023
A nice, short autobiography of one of the best baseball announcers of all time. Good stories, amusing anecdotes, and a bunch of self-congratulations for having had a good life. Not bad at all.
January 2, 2019
This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, Jack Buck's life took him to a lot of interesting places, and some of the most interesting parts of the book relate to his experiences in World War II. The authors have translated Buck's conversational, storytelling style to the page, and while it's comforting in a way, as the book skims through the events of his life telling one 60-second story after another, I grew a bit dissatisfied. When Buck got to the Cardinals teams of the Whitey Herzog era, he spoke briefly about Whitey's genius, but mostly spoke about the team's drug problem while telling readers that he really didn't know anything about it first-hand. For a guy who spent as much time around those teams as Buck did, he must have left some of the most interesting stories out of the book.
Some of Buck's stories don't exactly paint him in the best light -- in perhaps the most egregious example, during his Army days he moves into an apartment in Germany, and on his first night a pregnant woman knocks on his door and asks where the soldier who used to live there is. Buck tells her this soldier -- a former major league player, he tells us -- went back to the United States. The woman faints right in the hallway, and Buck closes the door and leaves her lying there.
Just as Buck is careful not to share the name of that former major league player, he also leaves out plenty of details from his own life. There really aren't any personal stories about his family life after he grows up, and while he mentions marrying both his wives, he doesn't go anywhere near explaining what happened to his first marriage. That's his right, I suppose, but the way the book is laid out, telling one semi-random story after another, left me with more questions than answers.
He also digresses into a number of rants about how society has changed and people don't have the same morals. After hearing his story about leaving a pregnant woman lying on the floor, that was a bit confusing. He also criticized the Cardinals teams on the '70s for their haircuts, clothes, jewelry, and general manners, but at the same time, he indicated that he knew Vern Rapp wouldn't work out after the brief-tenured Cardinals manager criticized Bake McBride's appearance. These seeming contradictions left me a bit confused.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book, and fans who want to read a book that capture's Buck's conversational storytelling style will almost certainly be pleased. I was looking for more details and more of the behind-the-scenes perspective Buck garnered through his years around professional sports, but it never quite delved into the depths I was looking for.
Some of Buck's stories don't exactly paint him in the best light -- in perhaps the most egregious example, during his Army days he moves into an apartment in Germany, and on his first night a pregnant woman knocks on his door and asks where the soldier who used to live there is. Buck tells her this soldier -- a former major league player, he tells us -- went back to the United States. The woman faints right in the hallway, and Buck closes the door and leaves her lying there.
Just as Buck is careful not to share the name of that former major league player, he also leaves out plenty of details from his own life. There really aren't any personal stories about his family life after he grows up, and while he mentions marrying both his wives, he doesn't go anywhere near explaining what happened to his first marriage. That's his right, I suppose, but the way the book is laid out, telling one semi-random story after another, left me with more questions than answers.
He also digresses into a number of rants about how society has changed and people don't have the same morals. After hearing his story about leaving a pregnant woman lying on the floor, that was a bit confusing. He also criticized the Cardinals teams on the '70s for their haircuts, clothes, jewelry, and general manners, but at the same time, he indicated that he knew Vern Rapp wouldn't work out after the brief-tenured Cardinals manager criticized Bake McBride's appearance. These seeming contradictions left me a bit confused.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book, and fans who want to read a book that capture's Buck's conversational storytelling style will almost certainly be pleased. I was looking for more details and more of the behind-the-scenes perspective Buck garnered through his years around professional sports, but it never quite delved into the depths I was looking for.
November 12, 2016
A fairly straightforward account of his life. He is opinionated at times, which gives great insight into the thought process for those of that generation. He is complimentary of others and recognizes much of his good luck that brought him to the level of success he got. It was an enjoyable look behind the scenes of St. Louis Cardinals baseball as well as other sports broadcasts. I always enjoy hearing stories of those who lived through the Great Depression and World War 2. This was no different.
I don't know that everyone would enjoy it, but a Cardinals fan definitely would.
I don't know that everyone would enjoy it, but a Cardinals fan definitely would.
May 30, 2017
Trip back in time.
Interesting to discover a bit about the man I first remember listening to at age 7. A generational view of 50 years in the sports business and has it has evolved, for better or worse.
Interesting to discover a bit about the man I first remember listening to at age 7. A generational view of 50 years in the sports business and has it has evolved, for better or worse.
May 19, 2012
Loved the man and loved the book. There is more to Jack Buck than the great voice. Worth the read!
November 24, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13717211
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13717211
May 23, 2016
A fun and interesting biography of Jack Buck. A long time announcer he has several interesting observations. He focuses on the good points but does point out many of the ills of big time sports.
April 6, 2020
Brilliant
A beautiful, poignant walk down memory lane with the best ever to hold a microphone. Mr. Buck, it is you, sir, who are the winner!
A beautiful, poignant walk down memory lane with the best ever to hold a microphone. Mr. Buck, it is you, sir, who are the winner!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews