Rocky Colavito: Cleveland's Iconic Slugger

by Mark Sommer

 Iconic ballplayer Rocky Colavito captivated fans during the 1950s and 1960s with his movie-star looks, boyish enthusiasm, powerful bat and cannon-like arm. This biography of "the Rock"--the first in more than half a century--recounts his origins in an Italian immigrant family, his close friendships with Herb Score and Roger Maris, and his rise through the minors to become one of the Cleveland Indians' most beloved players--who retired with the third most home runs by a right-handed AL batter. The author also examines the controversial trade that sent Colavito, the AL's 1959 home run champion, to the Detroit Tigers for batting champion Harvey Kuenn. Colavito's departure was a crushing blow to Indians fans and the team's subsequent 34-year slump was dubbed "the Curse of Colavito."

246 pages, Paperback

Published June 10, 2019

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about Cleveland's baseball hero.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about one of baseball's greats who should be in the Hall of Fame.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific, nostalgic overview of Rocky’s career and life. He was my baseball idol when I was a young boy. I certainly remember how devastated I was as a nine-year-old boy when Rocky was traded by Frank “Trader” Lane (or should I say Frank “Traitor” Lane), the Indians General manager in 1960. It was welcome news when he returned in 1965; even though it was at a high price. That high price was unknown to fans at the time. Cleveland had to trade two of their best prospects to reacquire Rocky. The two prospects, Tommy Agee and Tommy John (the man they named the tendon transplant surgery after). Tommy John went on to win 288 games in his career and Tommy Agee was named Rookie of the Year and he helped the 1969 Miracle Mets win the World Series. But both of those careers were in the future and I was only concerned with the present in 1965. So, I was happy Rocky was back where he belonged. This biography filled in some blanks for me as to Rocky’s career outside of Cleveland as well as his life outside of baseball. It also fills in blanks as to Frank Lane’s career as well as Gabe Paul’ career as General Managers in Cleveland. I didn’t think much of either man’s job performance back in the 1960s, and this bio confirmed my opinion.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well-written and well-researched. If you’re at all interested in baseball from 1950-1970, this book is for you. It spans the MLB time of the color barrier until, mainly, the time when baseball was changing due to expansion and labor issues. Colavito comes off as an extremely decent human being. That’s not to say that the author is a shill for Colavito. Not at all. Colavito is not without his foibles and unfair/slanted opinions. I am neither a fan of the Cleveland Indians nor a worshipper of a Colavito, yet I thoroughly enjoyed this objectively written book.

[John Borell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rocky Colavito was my first Cleveland baseball hero. As Jim Brown was my first Cleveland football hero. The trade crushed me. As I relived the trade through this book I was crushed again. At times this book felt like a push to get Colavito into the Hall of Fame. This is fine but I felt it was overdone.

[Tom Pachuta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rocky was my childhood hero, so this was a special read. The quotes from Colavito are very blunt and give insight into his personality. A good read for any Indians fan in the '50s and '60s.

[Ryan Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about a Cleveland legend.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice history of one of MLBs best home run hitters and Cleveland legends. Blends Rocky's story with surrounding events in MLB and the teams he played on.

[Kathy McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Sommer extensively researched my favorite baseball player of all time. The number of sources presented, the quotations from Rocky and so many others, the "heart" with which Rocky's life was told, equaled a home run of a book. Glad to know that so many others still remember "The Rock" with the same fondness that I do.
So many highlighted passages!

"Number 23. That's the ranking Rocky Colavito was given in The Sporting News Selects the 50 Greatest Sluggers, a glossy, coffee table book published in 2000. Joe DiMaggio, Colavito's idol and role model, was listed one behind him at 24."