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Knuckler: The Phil Niekro Story
A biography of the man who overcame many odds to become a top major league pitcher known for his knuckleball.
138 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Wilfred Binette
1 bookWilfred Binette was born in Biddeford Maine on March 4, 1938, a son of Wilfrid and Exilda Dubuc Binette. He was educated in local schools and graduated from St. Louis High School in 1958, where he served as vice president of his senior class. It was there that he started his sportswriting career, publishing stories for the St. Louis High School newspaper as well as the Biddeford-Saco Journal.
On July 3, 1959, he married Patricia A. Whitlock in St. Mary's Church in Greenville. She died in Florida on Feb. 26, 1996.
Mr. Binette began his career in the daily newspaper industry in 1961 as a sportswriter for the Anderson Independent-Mail. He later was named sports editor for the newspaper and in 1974 was honored by The Associated Press with the ''Best Sports Story of the Year'' award for his recap and photos of Henry Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974, in Atlanta, Ga. He also wrote the 1969 biography ''The Knuckler,'' about the now-Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro.
He remained at the Indepedent-Mail until 1977, when he assumed the same duties for The Sun News, a post he held for more than 12 years until his departure in 1989 to take over the sports editor duties for the Winter Haven, Fla., News Chief. He retired as sports editor in 1999 but remained active in the area by writing community columns for a year.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Sertoma and Rotary International clubs. A steward of his church and community, he single-handedly raised more than $100,000 to help needy people in his community as well as helped raise funds for the American Cancer Society of America by organizing charity events, including dozens of walks. His impact was enormous.
Binette died Saturday, July 5, 2003, at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford after an illness.
On July 3, 1959, he married Patricia A. Whitlock in St. Mary's Church in Greenville. She died in Florida on Feb. 26, 1996.
Mr. Binette began his career in the daily newspaper industry in 1961 as a sportswriter for the Anderson Independent-Mail. He later was named sports editor for the newspaper and in 1974 was honored by The Associated Press with the ''Best Sports Story of the Year'' award for his recap and photos of Henry Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974, in Atlanta, Ga. He also wrote the 1969 biography ''The Knuckler,'' about the now-Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro.
He remained at the Indepedent-Mail until 1977, when he assumed the same duties for The Sun News, a post he held for more than 12 years until his departure in 1989 to take over the sports editor duties for the Winter Haven, Fla., News Chief. He retired as sports editor in 1999 but remained active in the area by writing community columns for a year.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Sertoma and Rotary International clubs. A steward of his church and community, he single-handedly raised more than $100,000 to help needy people in his community as well as helped raise funds for the American Cancer Society of America by organizing charity events, including dozens of walks. His impact was enormous.
Binette died Saturday, July 5, 2003, at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford after an illness.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 7, 2025
I stumbled upon this book in a Goodwill, and as a Braves fan, I couldn't pass on a book about Phil Niekro, arguably the greatest knuckle ball pitcher in baseball history.
Sadly, this book is not what I expected. It is geared towards a kid and written after Niekro's first great season. This book follows the 1969 season which saw Niekro elected to his first All-Star game. The book focuses on Niekro's hard work to make the Major Leagues without an overpowering fastball or speed. It focuses on his ups and downs through the minor leagues his first 5 season before a breakout season in '69. It also points out that Niekro only played street/yard/sandlot ball growing and organized leagues were not available to him as a child.
By looking at this one experience, a story that is remarkable because it is an exception to the rule, the author goes on to tell kids that anyone can be a major league baseball player, even without the traditional skills or availability to resources. If you are good, baseball will find you through your hard work and determination.
Sadly, this book is not what I expected. It is geared towards a kid and written after Niekro's first great season. This book follows the 1969 season which saw Niekro elected to his first All-Star game. The book focuses on Niekro's hard work to make the Major Leagues without an overpowering fastball or speed. It focuses on his ups and downs through the minor leagues his first 5 season before a breakout season in '69. It also points out that Niekro only played street/yard/sandlot ball growing and organized leagues were not available to him as a child.
By looking at this one experience, a story that is remarkable because it is an exception to the rule, the author goes on to tell kids that anyone can be a major league baseball player, even without the traditional skills or availability to resources. If you are good, baseball will find you through your hard work and determination.
July 5, 2019
Earnest but plodding effort by a regional sports writer to capture the exploits of former Atlanta Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro after his initial 20-win season in 1969. Dull, repetitive, and lacking commas and correct capitalization in places, it is a chronological recounting of his then-brief career, plus some praise of him by various teammates and opponents. My estate sale find of the 49-year-old book (as of 2019) is autographed by Niekro and includes two additional autographs.
May 4, 2016
A rare book published locally after both Niekro and the Braves had that great 1969 season. My copy is autographed, which is cool (too bad my name isn't Barbara!). As far as writing quality it is nothing special, a standard sports biography of the era.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews