Behind the Plate: A Catcher's View of the Braves Dynasty

by Javy Lopez, Gary Caruso

Popular Atlanta Braves catcher Javier “Javy” Lopez opens up in this autobiography to tell his amazing story, from learning to play baseball on a neighborhood basketball court to his record of 42 home runs in a season by a catcher. The product of a lower-middle-class background in Puerto Rico, Javy had to overcome numerous hardships—not the least of which was a language barrier—to fulfill his destiny as one of the most accomplished catchers of the modern era. He tells of bumps along the way to success, including why he overstated his signing bonus as well as the time in the minors when he cried during an all-night meltdown due to his struggles on the field. But he went on to be named MVP of the 1996 National League Championship Series, and played on 12 of the Atlanta Braves’ unprecedented 14 straight division-winning teams of the 1990s and 2000s. From his relationship with great teammates such as Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, to his failed comeback attempt with the Braves in 2008, this autobiography tells all about the handsome, warm, engaging Lopez and how he became one of baseball’s most popular players.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Memoir

197 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Tim Chavel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book because I am a Braves fan. Also I am a Javy Lopez fan. The book details a lot about Javy growing up and some interesting behind scenes look at baseball especially in the Braves clubhouse. The book is a little choppy probably because English is a second language for Javy. He is very clear he loved playing for the Braves and looked forward to retiring with them. Unfortunately, this did not happen. He broke the single season record for home runs hit by a catcher. He also is in the top ten in 12 categories on the Atlanta Braves Career Leaderboard. He is tied for first for Grand Slams for the Braves; he hit seven in his career. He also is tied for first in two homer games in a season for the Braves and is tied for third for homers at home in a season for the Braves with 26. If you are a Braves fan or a Javy Lopez fan you will enjoy this book!

[Mike Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Javy's autobiography was co-authored by Gary Caruso, an experienced baseball writer and a good friend. "Co-authored" is probably the wrong term- it seems to me Gary allowed Javy to speak in his own voice. I think Gary mainly edited and organized Javy's story while allowing him to speak for himself.
I remember well the Braves teams that Javy played on. What's especially interesting are his impressions of his teammates - David Justice as a respected team leader, how easy it was to catch John Smoltz, what great teammates Fred McGriff and Andreas Galarraga were, etc.

[John Stinebaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a fun stroll down memory lane it is a tough read due to the difficulty of the writing. Apparently the co author did not change or polish the raw thoughts at all. Interesting but not great.

[Jennifer Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off... 3.5 stars. I'm a lifelong Braves fan and used to watch Javy during the amazing "dynasty" he was a part of. I love the baseball references and the "behind the scenes" stuff. I lost track of him after he left Atlanta and this was a nice recap.

With that said... This is a painful book to read. English isn't his first language and he's not a professional writer. I get that. But I feel Gary Caruso could have a done a lot more to make this less choppy and more readable. This would be a great book report book for a middle-school kid.

[Sel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a big fan of the Braves when Javy was on the team, I knew I had to check this book out. I've always had a soft spot for him and looked forward to reading more about him. I really enjoyed the material - learning about Javy's childhood and how he came to the Braves as well as some "behind the scenes" baseball stuff. However, I found the writing to be choppy. I know that English is not Javy's first language, but I feel like it could have been cleaned up a bit. Overall, a great read.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall, but I did not like the writing style. It read like it was written verbatim from the interviews Javy Lopez gave to Gary Caruso, with supporting stats thrown in.

Some interesting tidbits about the Braves and Javy that I did not know. I was surprised to hear Javy voicing such strong disagreement to some of the things that happened during his time as a player.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of nice memories of the Braves, but written like it was aimed more at kids, and then translated into English. Either Javy wrote this with very minimal input from Gary Caruso, or Caruso is not much of a writer. However, reading Javy's explanation of why he didn't catch Maddux and his relationships with some of the other players made it worth reading for fans of the Braves teams of the 90s.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you were a Braves fan in the 90s. Lots of good memories!

[Dan Bowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read for a Braves fan of that time period.