What do you think?
Rate this book
Throwing Hard Easy: Reflections on a Life in Baseball
With a seemingly effortless motion, pinpoint control, a blazing, dancing fastball, and an unequaled competitive spirit, Robin Roberts enjoyed one of the most celebrated careers in baseball history. He made his Major League debut in the summer of 1948 and became one of the most notable sports figures of the fifties. His many accomplishments on the mound helped to make him one of the more distinguished residents of Cooperstown, and he will always be remembered as the most dominant National League pitcher of his time.
In addition, Roberts was as impressive a storyteller as he was an athlete, and his experiences and encounters leading up to, throughout, and following his incredible nineteen-year career made for an extraordinary life. Throwing Hard Easy is Roberts’s own account, recalling his childhood, his playing days, and life after baseball. This edition features new photographs and a new foreword by his son, James Roberts, as well as a new introduction by his coauthor and lifelong fan, C. Paul Rogers III.
In addition, Roberts was as impressive a storyteller as he was an athlete, and his experiences and encounters leading up to, throughout, and following his incredible nineteen-year career made for an extraordinary life. Throwing Hard Easy is Roberts’s own account, recalling his childhood, his playing days, and life after baseball. This edition features new photographs and a new foreword by his son, James Roberts, as well as a new introduction by his coauthor and lifelong fan, C. Paul Rogers III.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2014
4 people want to read
About the author
Robin Roberts
66 books85 followersThere is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.
Robin René Roberts (born November 23, 1960) is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the anchor of ABC's morning show Good Morning America. After growing up in Mississippi and attending Southeastern Louisiana University, Roberts was a sports anchor for local TV and radio stations. Roberts was a sportscaster on ESPN for 15 years (1990–2005). She became co-anchor on Good Morning America in 2005. She has been treated for breast cancer and for myelodysplastic syndrome.
Though born in Alabama, Roberts grew up in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where she played basketball and tennis, among other sports. She attended Pass Christian High School and graduated as the class of 1979 salutatorian. She is the daughter of Lucimarian Tolliver and Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts. In a 2006 presentation to the assembled student body at Abilene Christian University, Roberts credited her parents as cultivating the "three 'D's: Discipline, Determination, and 'De Lord'." She is the youngest of four, following siblings Sally-Ann, Lawrence, Jr. (nicknamed Butch), and Dorothy. Her father was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen.
Roberts attended Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, graduating cum laude in 1983 with a degree in communication. She followed in the footsteps of her older sister Sally-Ann Roberts, an anchor at the CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans.
She joined ESPN as a sportscaster in February 1990, where she stayed until 2005. She became well known on Sportscenter for her catchphrase, "Go on with your bad self!" Roberts began to work for ABC News, specifically as a featured reporter, for Good Morning America in June 1995. In 2001, Roberts received the Mel Greenberg Media Award, presented by the WBCA. For many years, Roberts worked at both ESPN and Good Morning America, contributing to both programs. During that time, she served primarily as the news anchor at GMA. In 2005, Roberts was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America. In December 2009, Roberts was joined by George Stephanopoulos as co-anchor of GMA after Diane Sawyer left to anchor ABC World News. Under their partnership, the Roberts-Stephanopoulos team led Good Morning America back to the top of the ratings; the program became the number-one morning show again in April 2012, beating NBC's Today, which had held the top spot for the previous 16 years.
Roberts is a practicing Christian. In 2007, Roberts was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. She underwent surgery on August 3, and by January 2008 had completed eight chemotherapy treatments, followed by 61⁄2 weeks of radiation treatment.
In 2012, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease of the bone marrow. Be the Match Registry, a nonprofit organization run by the National Marrow Donor Program, experienced a 1,800% spike in donors the day Roberts went public with her illness. She took a leave from GMA to get a bone marrow transplant, and went home in October 2012. She returned to GMA on February 20, 2013. Roberts received a 2012 Peabody Award for the program. The Peabody citation credits her for "allowing her network to document and build a public service campaign around her battle with rare disease" and "inspir[ing] hundreds of potential bone marrow donors to register and heighten[ing] awareness of the need for even more donors." ESPN awarded its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Robin Roberts at the 2013 ESPYs.
Robin René Roberts (born November 23, 1960) is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the anchor of ABC's morning show Good Morning America. After growing up in Mississippi and attending Southeastern Louisiana University, Roberts was a sports anchor for local TV and radio stations. Roberts was a sportscaster on ESPN for 15 years (1990–2005). She became co-anchor on Good Morning America in 2005. She has been treated for breast cancer and for myelodysplastic syndrome.
Though born in Alabama, Roberts grew up in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where she played basketball and tennis, among other sports. She attended Pass Christian High School and graduated as the class of 1979 salutatorian. She is the daughter of Lucimarian Tolliver and Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts. In a 2006 presentation to the assembled student body at Abilene Christian University, Roberts credited her parents as cultivating the "three 'D's: Discipline, Determination, and 'De Lord'." She is the youngest of four, following siblings Sally-Ann, Lawrence, Jr. (nicknamed Butch), and Dorothy. Her father was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen.
Roberts attended Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, graduating cum laude in 1983 with a degree in communication. She followed in the footsteps of her older sister Sally-Ann Roberts, an anchor at the CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans.
She joined ESPN as a sportscaster in February 1990, where she stayed until 2005. She became well known on Sportscenter for her catchphrase, "Go on with your bad self!" Roberts began to work for ABC News, specifically as a featured reporter, for Good Morning America in June 1995. In 2001, Roberts received the Mel Greenberg Media Award, presented by the WBCA. For many years, Roberts worked at both ESPN and Good Morning America, contributing to both programs. During that time, she served primarily as the news anchor at GMA. In 2005, Roberts was promoted to co-anchor of Good Morning America. In December 2009, Roberts was joined by George Stephanopoulos as co-anchor of GMA after Diane Sawyer left to anchor ABC World News. Under their partnership, the Roberts-Stephanopoulos team led Good Morning America back to the top of the ratings; the program became the number-one morning show again in April 2012, beating NBC's Today, which had held the top spot for the previous 16 years.
Roberts is a practicing Christian. In 2007, Roberts was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. She underwent surgery on August 3, and by January 2008 had completed eight chemotherapy treatments, followed by 61⁄2 weeks of radiation treatment.
In 2012, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease of the bone marrow. Be the Match Registry, a nonprofit organization run by the National Marrow Donor Program, experienced a 1,800% spike in donors the day Roberts went public with her illness. She took a leave from GMA to get a bone marrow transplant, and went home in October 2012. She returned to GMA on February 20, 2013. Roberts received a 2012 Peabody Award for the program. The Peabody citation credits her for "allowing her network to document and build a public service campaign around her battle with rare disease" and "inspir[ing] hundreds of potential bone marrow donors to register and heighten[ing] awareness of the need for even more donors." ESPN awarded its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Robin Roberts at the 2013 ESPYs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 6, 2022
For a baseball fan of my generation, "Throwing Hard Easy" was fun to read, and one cannot help but marvel at Robin Roberts' ability to remember details from the games in which he played throughout his long career.
I was born in NY in 1952 and became a lifelong fan in 1958, playing baseball, watching Yankees games on TV, and collecting baseball cards. Robin Roberts' career was peaking at that time, and I have memories of him and many of the ballplayers of that era of the late fifties and early sixties. Seeing the names of players like Bill Bruton, Clay Dalrymple, George Altman, and Smokey Burgess brought me back to the days when the Yankees were the only NY team and when Mickey Mantle was my hero.
I also enjoyed reading about Roberts' experiences before my time: his first years with the Phillies and winning his only pennant with the 1950 Whiz Kids, beating the Dodgers at the wire.
As I was reading, I was struck by both the modesty and the work ethic of this dominating pitcher who was one of the best (if not the best) of his era. Robin Roberts also was an honorable man. When he took the responsibility of Player Representative to negotiate on behalf of the MLBPA with ownership, he expected the Commissioners to adhere to his credo: to uphold the best interests of the game and its fans.
Baseball and the world today certainly could benefit from more people who have a moral compass like the one that Robin Roberts had.
I was born in NY in 1952 and became a lifelong fan in 1958, playing baseball, watching Yankees games on TV, and collecting baseball cards. Robin Roberts' career was peaking at that time, and I have memories of him and many of the ballplayers of that era of the late fifties and early sixties. Seeing the names of players like Bill Bruton, Clay Dalrymple, George Altman, and Smokey Burgess brought me back to the days when the Yankees were the only NY team and when Mickey Mantle was my hero.
I also enjoyed reading about Roberts' experiences before my time: his first years with the Phillies and winning his only pennant with the 1950 Whiz Kids, beating the Dodgers at the wire.
As I was reading, I was struck by both the modesty and the work ethic of this dominating pitcher who was one of the best (if not the best) of his era. Robin Roberts also was an honorable man. When he took the responsibility of Player Representative to negotiate on behalf of the MLBPA with ownership, he expected the Commissioners to adhere to his credo: to uphold the best interests of the game and its fans.
Baseball and the world today certainly could benefit from more people who have a moral compass like the one that Robin Roberts had.
Displaying 1 of 1 review