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Winfield: A Players Life
Shares the story of the New York Yankees superstar, from his beginnings in St. Paul's striving black community to his twenty-three million dollar contract with the Yankees that made him the symbol of 1980s baseball
290 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 26, 2020
Very good book ... A great quick read with the background of Winfield life
November 9, 2025
Written in 1988, while he was ending his controversial stint with the Yankees, this is the story of David Mark Winfield as he could best tell it as simply as possible, and at times condescendingly talking down to the audience.
He is the only person to have been drafted by the NFL, MLB and NBA after a storied career at the University of Minnesota, he is somewhat underappreciated as a baseball player. Over 3000 hits, 10 All-Star game appearances, 2 rings, a hall of fame enshrinement and one of the first million dollar contracts in major league baseball history when he signed a $2.3 million dollar deal with George Steinbrenner and the Yankees, which was a deal marred by dirty dealings and attempted character assassinations by The Boss, who actually hired gangsters to dig up dirt on Winfield.
The best part of this book was the stuff where he talks about the guys he played with, mentioning names like Mike Pagliarulo, Bobby Meachem, Nate Colbert, Ron Guidry and Butch Wynegar among so many others. He had good relationships with most of his managers, including Billy Martin and as a Players Union rep, he discussed a lot of what was going on behind the scenes during collective bargaining agreements. He also did a lot to keep kids off drugs through his foundation and partnership with Nancy Reagan.
It seemed to me at times that he kept mentioning how he played through nagging injuries and death threats, more as a way to pat himself on the back and look for credit than it was for any other purpose.
It's a "C-" book, there were a lot of spelling and editing errors and he would start certain stories and never seem to finish them in any satisfactory way.
An interesting look at a successful, black baseball player and businessman in a time which that was not necessarily the perception.
Not a bad book, but you can do better for sure.
He is the only person to have been drafted by the NFL, MLB and NBA after a storied career at the University of Minnesota, he is somewhat underappreciated as a baseball player. Over 3000 hits, 10 All-Star game appearances, 2 rings, a hall of fame enshrinement and one of the first million dollar contracts in major league baseball history when he signed a $2.3 million dollar deal with George Steinbrenner and the Yankees, which was a deal marred by dirty dealings and attempted character assassinations by The Boss, who actually hired gangsters to dig up dirt on Winfield.
The best part of this book was the stuff where he talks about the guys he played with, mentioning names like Mike Pagliarulo, Bobby Meachem, Nate Colbert, Ron Guidry and Butch Wynegar among so many others. He had good relationships with most of his managers, including Billy Martin and as a Players Union rep, he discussed a lot of what was going on behind the scenes during collective bargaining agreements. He also did a lot to keep kids off drugs through his foundation and partnership with Nancy Reagan.
It seemed to me at times that he kept mentioning how he played through nagging injuries and death threats, more as a way to pat himself on the back and look for credit than it was for any other purpose.
It's a "C-" book, there were a lot of spelling and editing errors and he would start certain stories and never seem to finish them in any satisfactory way.
An interesting look at a successful, black baseball player and businessman in a time which that was not necessarily the perception.
Not a bad book, but you can do better for sure.
January 29, 2026
Fun little read! It’s pretty funny that this was written well before Winfield’s time in Toronto, meaning the only substantial Jays mention was related to….the seagull. The best part of this book was the emphasis on the negative impact George Steinbrenner had on the Yankees, between the bullying, manipulation, and just overall lack of self-awareness it’s no wonder that the team only returned to winning once he took a step back. More players need to start writing these mid-career books again!
November 29, 2025
Good book about Winfield's life and career.
April 18, 2016
Best baseball player. His book is very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews