Dick Bremer: Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins

by Dick Bremer, Jim Bruton

Dick Bremer’s distinctive baritone has served as the soundtrack of Minnesota Twins baseball for over three decades. Millions of fans have enjoyed Bremer’s observations, insight, and magical storytelling on television broadcasts. Now, in this striking memoir, the Minnesota native and lifelong Twins fan takes fans behind the mic, into the clubhouse, and beyond as only he can. Told through 108 unique anecdotes–one for each stitch in a baseball–Bremer weaves the tale of a lifetime, from childhood memories of the ballfield in remote Dumont, Minnesota, to his early radio days as the “Duke in the Dark,” to champagne soaked clubhouses in 1987 and 1991, and his encounters with Twins legends ranging from Calvin Griffith and Harmon Killebrew, to Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek, to Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Game Used gives fans a rare seat alongside Bremer and his broadcast partners, including Killebrew, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Jim Kaat, Tom Kelly, and other Twins legends.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Baseball, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2020

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dick Bremer has been the primary voice of Minnesota Twins telecasts since 1983. In those 37 seasons, he has been able to collect a lot of memorable stories about the team, broadcast partners, adventures on the road and even some about his personal life. He shares 108 of them in this memoir – 108 to match the number of stitches on a baseball.

The book is a walk through Bremer's life, from his childhood when he was raised in rural western Minnesota by adoptive parents, to their move to Missouri and back to the Midwest. The reader will also learn about Bremer's early adventures into broadcasting when he was getting his early experience in college and smaller games. Through them all, he shares his stories with equal parts of humor and fondness at the memories.

Anybody who is a fan of not only the Twins, but of Minnesota sports will recognize Bremer's deep baritone voice as he has done not only the Twins games, but has also broadcast games for the Minnesota North Stars (hockey) and University of Minnesota (football and basketball) as well as provide coverage for many other sports as well. But it is clear to the reader that Bremer's first love is baseball, especially with his stories about watching Twins games before he became their broadcaster.

The humor Bremer is noted for in the broadcast booth is clearly evident in his broadcasting and baseball stories as well. One of the funniest stories in the book is when he feared that when trying to pull a prank on his long-time booth partner Bert Blyleven, he lost Blyleven's wedding ring. Another great story involves Blyleven as Bremer tried to explain that the cheeks of a walleye are the best tasting part of the fish. He invited former Twins player Kent Hrbek, who had retired for several years when this took place, to join them. When Bremer had the food that he had earlier prepared brought to the booth, Hrbek thought they were all for him and he gobbled them up leaving none for Bremer to share with Blyleven. While this may not sound so funny, to read it in the book (especially to imagine Bremer's voice while reading) is hilarious.

The baseball memories Bremer shares are excellent as well. Twins fans will love to read about the championship seasons of 1987 and 1991 with a special fondness for the unexpected rally for the 1987 team when they returned to Minnesota after winning the American League pennant in Detroit. The struggles of the team in the early '80s and mid '90s are also shared, in sharp contrast to the good memories of the teams in the 2000's that won several divisions but just couldn't go farther in the postseason. Issues affecting the team off the field, such as two different threats to move the team, contraction talk in 2001 by the Commissioner and finally the opening of Target Field and some of the better memories of games there complete Bremer's thoughts on the team and his career.

If the reader is a Twins fan, as this reviewer has been his entire life, then this book is one that must be added to the bookshelves It is an excellent reflection of not only Twins baseball, but the man who has been the voice of the team for almost four decades.

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[Bernie Ideker · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a long time Twins fan, you’ll enjoy the fond memories of Twin players & team that Dick Bremer writes about. It also gives insight in the life of a professional broadcaster.

[Jeff Koeppen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think any Twins fan will agree with me that this book is fantastic! While technically a memoir full of anecdotes going back to his childhood in rural Minnesota, Dick focuses the book (about 250 pages of 291) on his life and times during his career with the Twins, since 1981. He became their primary play-by-play guy in 1983 and still is. I arrived in the Twin Cities in the fall of 1983 and have been a Twins fan ever since, so his voice has been a part of my life you could say. In the 1980s he also did play by play for University of Minnesota basketball, football, and hockey. In 2013, he was elected in to the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

The book is fittingly divided in to nine innings (sections) with each anecdote labeled as a stitch on a baseball. Baseballs have 108 stiches so there are 108 stories. I own the updated 2021 second edition which contains an epilogue in which he talks about working during the MLB shortened COVID season. The book is peppered with some of his personal black and white photos.

Dick is a top notch play-by-play announcer with a great sense of humor and a quick wit, and an unmatched knowledge of Twins history. He and the recently retired from broadcasting Bert Blyleven (who wrote the forward to this book) were a highly entertaining combo in the boot as Blyleven was equally as funny and didn't hold back or sugar coat his opinions. His color guy is now a rotation of several former Twins but the broadcasts remain highly entertaining, even when the Twins aren't.

In addition to the plethora of behind-the-scenes Twins stories, he also tells how he got to the big stage, and relates some personal stories which ran the gamut of emotions. You'll laugh, you'll cry. Most of the Twins stories will be known to Twins fans, but Dick offers a unique perspective and is a great storyteller as fans of his broadcasts already know. One of his personal stories was particularly interesting story to me - about the Minnesota tornados of July 1997. He lives not far from me, in a rural area one town over, and went through what my family went through with widespread damage, downed trees on our property, and no power for four days.

On a personal note, in the early 2000s Dick's son and my youngest son were in the same boy's choir for a year and being the fan that I was and am, I always made it a point for my wife and I to sit at the same table as he and his wife during choir functions. I got to know him a little on a personal level. He's as funny, gracious, and down-to-earth as he comes across on broadcasts and in interviews. He and his wife do a lot of charity work and are just excellent people. Dick's son, Erik, is now a broadcaster himself for a MLB AA team.

I can't recommend this one highly enough to any Minnesota Twins fan out there. It will bring back a lot of memories.

[Sara Rieland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It told the story of my love of the Twins from when I was born, from stories about the old Met stadium to the Metrodome where I was fortunate to have been to many games, including one World Series game), as a kid! So many of the games he mentions I remember well…. Or saw in person! A must read for any Twins fan!!

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to an interview with the author on the Minnesota Twins podcast "Get to Know 'Em" March 14, 2020.

[Jan J · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's a good guy and brought back lots of baseball memories!

[Nate Solberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff. I dare you to pick up this book and not hear Dick’s voice reading the stories to you. I love these stories, because it’s really hard to not love baseball guys and the stories they tell. Fun read.

[Grant Hoogendoorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Game Used” by Dick Bremer is an all inclusive story about his times in sports broadcasting, radio news announcing, and experiences with legendary members of the MLB such as Kirby Puckett, Hank Aaron, and many others. Dick Bremer’s biography soars above other sports biographies because his storytelling personality shines brightly through his book and his stories’ details excel beyond alternative works.
Being a sports analyst, announcer, and color commentator for the past 38 years for the Minnesota Twins through 2 different stadiums, 2 World Series runs in which they won both, 7 Hall of Fame careers and several different broadcast partners. He takes 108 chapters or anecdotes (one for each stitch on a baseball’s seams) to show all the experiences he has been a part of. Many stories come from the legendary players and coaches he has met in years. The first and most memorable Twins legend he had met was the first baseman, Kent Hrbek. After his rookie season he was asked to do an interview with Dick about his incredible season and his father’s illness and later death. They combined work and fun by having this segment while going goose hunting in northern Minnesota. After the interview was done Kent did something that Mr. Bremer would never forget. “... Hrbek snapped to attention and drew up on the flock. One shot was all it took.” He later continues “Without saying a word but with a big smile on his face, Kent took off for the goose that had come to earth about 75 feet from our blind. When Kent got about 15 feet from the goose the honker got up and started running for its life, weaving around the other blinds and hunters who watched in amazement as this big, bulking hunter in a royal-blue warm-up suit carrying a shotgun gave chase.” He shows his voice and personality through this segment perfectly and made it an hilarious chapter to read.
His other stories stretch more towards his time with his coworkers and his family. His partner in crime for 25 years, Bert Blyleven is key in many of these tales. Dick tells the story of a prank on him that was later returned years later. Dick was with Bert while watching a Detroit Tigers game while in town for a series and needed to go to the bathroom so they stopped by a nearby porta-potty. While he was inside, Bert kicked the outside of it and shook the entire thing and sprayed the contents everywhere on Dick. Dick then said he would get revenge later. He 10 years later was rooming with Bert and placed his pants at the top of flagpole at the spring training camp stadium in 2007.
His storytelling throughout the entire book was spectacular. Mr. Bremer uses his skills from his decades of experience in announcing in his book and it truly showed. “Game Used” was a book well written and worth a read to get an insider's view on the MLB from one of the most renown, respected and successful broadcasters in the business.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not your father’s Oldsmobile. (If you are old enough to remember the car and their ad campaign!) This is not even your grandfather’s Oldsmobile. “Game Used” is not your typical sports biography or autobiography.

First, this memoir covers the life and times of someone who covered the life and times of athletes on the field. This is the story of someone who was never a professional athlete but one who stood on the sidelines or in the press box his entire professional career, watching professional athletes compete on the diamond, gridiron, ice rink or court.

Secondly, “Game Used” is not organized like a typical sports biography. Each chapter is numbered according to the number of innings in a regulation baseball game. Within each of the nine “innings,” (chapters), there are sub-chapters called “stitches,” a total of 108 stitches in all, (one for each stitch in a baseball.) While “Game Used” focuses predominantly on Dick Bremer’s lengthy tenure as a baseball play-by-play announcer, the reader may be surprised to learn that Bremer also broadcast football, basketball and hockey games during his years behind the microphone.

Spoiler alert. It also may be surprising to the reader to learn that Bremer was adopted into a preacher’s family and for a time, even served himself as a church youth director. In his role as the voice of the Minnesota Twins, Bremer interacted with many veteran baseball all stars of the past, including Ernie Banks, Billy Martin and Ted Williams. Incidentally, on page 167, Bremer recaps a ten-minute, spontaneous interview he had with Williams during the 1992 All-Star game in San Diego in which the former Boston slugger liberally dropped the F-bomb multiple times. Bremer learned “he swore like a sailor.”

Definite highlights for Minnesota Twins fans who will read this sports journal will be Bremer’s memories while covering the team’s 1987 and 1991 world championship seasons. In his forward to “Game Used,” Bremer’s color commentator and broadcast partner for many years, Bert Blyleven wrote, “This book will bring back so many Twins memories and exciting moments in Twins history.” In the words of the late Larry King, this is “a page turner.”

In an October 31, 2023, article for Puckett’s Pond, Josh Hill reported that Dick Bremer was pushed out after 40 years as the Twins announcer. According to Hill at the time, “It sounds like the decision for Dick Bremer to step aside was not a mutual one.” Was Bremer retired or fired? Too bad he could not make his memoir go into extra innings and add a tenth chapter to explain the truth behind his sudden disappearance from the broadcast booth.

[Zach Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I began watching Minnesota Twins baseball in the mid-1990s, Dick Bremer has been the voice of it on television. One could quite literally say he is the "voice of the Twins" for fans of my age. He's had a front row seat for an extraordinary amount of Twins moments/history, and "Game Used" does a good job of conveying that.

Organized around the principle that a baseball contains 108 stitches, "Game Used" features exactly that many Bremer anecdotes. The stories stretch back from his formative years rooting for the Met Stadium Twins to his entry into sports journalism, and finally being officially hired by the Twins as play-by-play broadcaster.

Bremer's stories run the gamut from comedic to emotional, history to very personal experiences. Because of the book's quick-hitting nature (no anecdote lasts more than 3 pages), it makes for the perfect summer read. Or, in the case of summer 2020, the perfect read while a pandemic staves off real baseball for the time being. Upon cracking the cover, I had "Game Used" finished in less 2-3 days.

About the only criticism I have of the book is that I wish more of Bremer's personal observations or struggles would have been included, and not so much boilerplate Twins history. This is a very "clean", no mud-slinging book, in which there is of course a certain type of dignity. But one gets the sense that there are also plenty of more "colorful" stories brimming just below the surface.

Overall, though, Bremer's "Game Used" is a fun read that will appeal to Twins fans of multiple generations (as Bremer has had Twins baseball in his blood since the team came to MN in 1961). Even though the stories are glossy and upbeat perhaps to a fault, you'll have this one finished in no time due to its anecdotal nature and breezy composure.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dick Bremer provides stories much in the same way he has provided play by play for the Twins for 30+ years - smoothly with some humble charm and a few laughs, but also with a deliberate effort at being non-controversial. There's a feeling that he's holding back some of his more entertaining stories due to their less savory or more private content, which keeps this collection from reaching the heights of other baseball memoirs like Don Zimmer and Dirk Hayhurst. He doesn't provide much detail behind the technical side of broadcasting, which may not be of interest to most fans but would be something unique to his perspective. Twins fans will enjoy this but I don't see much appeal for baseball fans in general.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually gifted this book to my dad, who (along with my grandpa) is responsible for my love of the game of baseball. Then I borrowed it from him and read it very slowly...not because I didn't enjoy it but because I was mostly reading at bed time and then I use my ereader. So - I checked it out from the library and finished it quick as can be!

I loved this book. It brought back so many memories from me, both baseball and current events related. I cried a few times. I laughed a lot. I enjoyed hearing Dick's perspective and also learning a little about his family.

I'm using this for this 2023 BYL Reading challenge prompt because I do love going to games and the Twins opening Target Field in 2010 was very exciting:
Set at your favorite outdoor place

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long time Twins TV play by play announcer walks us through his life and then career. He breaks the book up into nine innings and 108 chapters (one for each stitch of a baseball). It is a little cliché, but it fits his personality well. Each chapter tells a different story, and Dick has a lot of interesting ones that I enjoyed as a live long Twins fan. Dick also spent time as a Big Ten and Gopher basketball announcer which also leads to more stories. Most of the stories center around the Twins in the 80’s and 90’s. I wish there would have been a little more from 200 on. The book is far from a hard hitting or a deep expose, but if you are a Twins fan it is the perfect read.

[Tom Gase · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while visiting Minneapolis and Target Field, so it was a really good cliff notes version of the last 30 years or so of Minnesota Twins baseball. The parts about his life I didn't really care about that much, although they were interesting. I was kind of hoping for more information on Target Field, since the book came out almost a decade after its debut, but no dice really. That being said, I'm glad I read this book while in town, a fun read about players such as Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaeitti, Bert Byleven, but I needed more info on guys like Justin Morneu, Joe Mauer, Tori Hunter, Johan Santana, etc.

[Pete Gasperlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories, many of which I had attended including the Thunder No Blunder game in Arlington TX from 2012. Thoroughly entertaining with numerous LOL moments. Recommended read for any baseball fan, Hall of Famer, or Pete Wards of the world. Ha!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! It was great reliving a lot of Twins history from the persepective of someone who was so close to all of it. Wonderful way to get through the lull of not having a regular baseball season this year!

[Mary Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting.

This brought back so many memories of the twins players of the past.
I can hear in my head Dick Bremers voice reading it.
If you are a Mn. Twins can you will enjoy this book to the fullest.

[Jonathan D Kopplin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bremer tells short vignettes and anecdotes from his career as a broadcaster. The vast majority of it with the Minnesota Twins. The book is a very entertaining read for a sports fan from the Upper Midwest.

[Rachel Kleppen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong Twins fan, it's hard to think about watching baseball without hearing Dick Bremer calling the play-by-play. Loved reading all of his stories and have recommended it to all my Twins-loving friends!!

[Matt Zar-Lieberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun and quick read from the longtime play-by-play voice of the Twins. Composed of 108 short chapters which helps everything proceed at a brisk pace. The writing is fine and it hits all of the key points you'd expect (childhood, rise up the broadcasting ranks, amusing anecdotes). If you're a Twins fan this is definitely worth the time.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased because I'm a lifelong Twins fan and enjoy reading almost any other fan's account, but I learned a lot about Dick and the history of the Twins in his book. His style of writing was easy to read and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys major league baseball, Twins fan or not.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Minnesota Twins baseball like I do, this book is pure pleasure. From well before the Twins came to Bloomington, in and out of the Dome, and thru 9 seasons at great Target Field, this gathering of 108 anecdotes and remembrances is very well done.

[Luke Koran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longtime Minnesota Twins announcer Dick Bremer shares a fun collection of tales from his life and career calling sports through Twins Territory in this 2020 book. Though not every season or iconic Twins moment is recalled, Bremer hits the nostalgia button for Twins fans with behind-the-scenes stories only he would know. You’ll enjoy his memories working beside Bert Blyleven in the broadcast booth, of course, but Bremer’s personal relationships with Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett combined with his comedic chops makes this a delightful page-turner.

[Mary Buss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for a Minnesota Twins fan, and baseball in general.

[Daniel Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Twins fan I loved this! Bremer weaves a history of the Twins and himself that is captivating. The 108 stories are all fun, sad, to the point, and easy to digest. Great sports book!

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting

If you are a twins can or just a baseball game in general you definitely need to read this book!!!

[Alex Tibbetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for any Twins fan. The "stitches" anecdote structure really works well to keep it entertaining.

[Reed Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Twins fan, how could I not love this book.

[BJ Kellogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in Minnesota this was a walk down memory lane. All of my childhood heroes and the stories that were told. I really liked this book

[Jim Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for a Twins fan!