Tom Seaver: A Terrific Life

by Bill Madden

An authoritative, “must-read” (Keith Hernandez) biography of Hall of Fame pitching legend Tom Seaver, still the greatest player ever to wear a Mets jersey, by a journalist who knew him well.

He was called Tom Terrific for a reason. Tom Seaver is “among the greatest pitchers of all time” (Bob Costas). He is one of only two pitchers with 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, and an ERA under 3.00. He was a three-time Cy Young award winner, twelve-time All Star, and was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame with the highest percentage ever at the time. Popular among players and fans, Seaver was fiercely competitive but always put team success ahead of personal glory.

Born in Fresno, California, Seaver signed with the New York Mets in 1967, leading them to their stunning 1969 World Series victory. After a legendarily lopsided trade, he joined the Cincinnati Reds, then later played for the White Sox and the Red Sox before ending his career following the 1986 season. After his playing days, Seaver retired back to California to establish a successful vineyard. The in 2013, a recurrence of Lyme disease severely affected his memory, which Madden was the first to report. In 2019, Seaver’s family announced that he had been diagnosed with dementia and was withdrawing from public life. Tom Seaver died on August 31, 2020.

Madden began following Seaver’s career in the 1980s. Seaver came to trust Madden so completely that, eager to return to New York from Chicago, he asked Madden to explore a possible trade to the Yankees which never materialized. Drawing in part on their long relationship, Madden “has crafted a biography as terrific as the subject” (Jane Leavy, New York Times bestselling author of Sandy A Lefty’s Legacy).

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2020

Reviews

[Dan Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because the book is about Tom Seaver; Four stars on the writing of it, because, while the author sufficiently covers the breadth of Tom Terrific's career, author Bill Madden could have, and should have, included more details, at times. For instance, in referring to Tommy Agee making a great catch to help Gary Gentry win the third game of the 1969 World Series, Madden neglected to mention both great catches Agee made that game, although the two plays were among the best ever in World Series history. Saying Tommy Agee made a "sensational saving catch" is, in my mind, akin to simply saying Tom Seaver "pitched brilliantly" against the Cubs on the evening of July 9, 1969. A minor complaint, surely, but I felt cheated at different points in the book; even if I couldn't always say why. Still, I very much enjoyed "Tom Seaver: A Terrific Life" and congratulate Bill Madden on his efforts to try to put to paper such a talented and complicated individual as was The Francise, my NY Mets team's Best Player Ever, the late, great Tom Seaver.

[Gerard Tarpey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong NY Mets fan I was totally absorbed by Bill Madden’s wonderful book about Tom Seaver. Seaver was an exceptional athlete, a thinking man’s treasure on the mound, and one of the most intense competitors NY baseball fans have ever known. Tom Seaver was in many ways a hero. Not just to the little boys who watched every game he played but to any baseball fan who cared about the Mets. But, as anyone who has read the ancient tales of Greek heroes is aware there’s always more to the story. Mr. Madden details for us the hard work needed to rise to glory, the euphoria of climbing and reaching the summit, the petty jealousy of those not as gifted, and the inevitable heartbreak of a once strong solid man reduced to a shell of himself by a mere tick.

With my fan connection to the NY Mets I’m well acquainted with many of Seaver’s exploits. The near perfect game against the Cubs. The wonder and joy of the entire 1969 season when the Mets shocked the baseball world. The game against the Padres when Seaver struck out 19 (10 consecutively). His no-hitter and his 300th victory (as well as his 301st!). These and other baseball feats are all well publicized but Madden shares many more, a number of them of a much more personal level. To read how Rizzuto and Seaver, broadcast partners for Yankees (!) games, teamed up to send an audiotaped message to Seaver’s boyhood friend who was very, very ill in a hospital bed will pull at your heart strings. The book is also rife with examples of the incredible professional Tom Seaver was. In a extremely stupid move the Mets, in early 1984, left Seaver unprotected in the free-agent compensation draft where he was chosen by the Chicago White Sox. Forced to learn a new team, city, and league was difficult. As was pitching under a new manager. Tony LaRussa was far from old school and had a different set of beliefs about how a pitcher should be handled during a game. When he decided it was time, the pitcher was removed from the game no questions asked. After being yanked very early in one of Seaver’s first games the two had words and they agreed that in the future LaRussa would act differently with Seaver on the mound.

LaRussa relates a story about a game later in that ‘84 season. It’s late in the game, Seaver is up by a single run when the opposing team gets runners on second and third with two out and a dangerous left-handed hitter coming to bat. “I had a left-handed reliever warming up,” LaRussa said, “but I’m thinking, ‘No, I’ll go and ask Tom.’ I go out to the mound, and he says, ‘Don’t worry, I got this guy.’ So I turn around and start heading back to the dugout, and Tom says, ‘But just so you know, I’m gonna fall behind in the count on purpose, make my pitch, and he’ll pop up to the left side.’ ”
Shaking his head, LaRussa walked back to the dugout and watched Seaver fall behind 3-1 in the count. “I could see the hitter on his front foot looking for the fastball,” LaRussa said, “and instead Tom throws him a changeup, which he pops up to the third baseman. When he came off the field, he winked at me. That was Tom.”

Any baseball fan will enjoy this book. ALL NY Mets fans will also. If you fall into those categories do yourself a favor and read this Terrific tale of Tom.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me preface this brief review by saying I am biased. I grew up a Mets fan, a Tom Seaver fan, and I have read Bill Madden almost daily as a columnist for the New York Daily News.

This book chronicles the life of Tom Seaver, "The Franchise", Hall-of Fame pitcher and all around good guy. It touches on his childhood, his time as a Marine Reserve, pitching for USC and then his professional baseball life. It does of course cover his post playing life, giving us a view of time as a broadcaster and then a vintner.

Tom Seaver: A Terrific Life is more of an overview touching on highlights such as winning the World Series, throwing a no-hitter and win number 300 (and 301). This book also gives us the lowlights as well, detailing the acrimony between Seaver and Mets management (M. Donald Grant along with sportswriter Dick Young) that led to his trade to the Cincinnati Reds. It also touches on his slide into the effects of Lyme Disease.

Bill Madden is a sportswriter and had befriended Seaver, and this is told as one friend would casually tell another. Many of the stories included in the book I knew about already. I was most impressed with learning of Seaver's life prior to Major League baseball. I only give four stars, for I wished there was more about his life inside baseball. If you are a casual fan, you will enjoy this book, if you are a serious fan, you will enjoy it, and enjoy that it is a quick read.

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why, but I seem to have a fondness for reading Mets-centric books at this stage of my life (well, going back to when I had a summer job at Clemson's university library and spent a lot of time reading sports books on the clock, one of them being "The Bad Guys Won!"). And this is certainly another one of those, a biography of "Tom Terrific," "The Franchise," Tom Seaver. It's pretty good.

Seaver was the first Mets player to actually give a damn, in a lot of ways; drafted in 1966 after an earlier attempt to sign with the Braves was ruled invalid, he arrived at a time when the Mets were the joke of baseball. Soon Seaver changed the narrative for the team, alongside battery mates like Jerry Koosman and teammates like Bud Harrelson and Cleon Jones, not to mention manager Gil Hodges. In 1969, the Mets stunned the arrogant Baltimore Orioles (and much of baseball's establishment) by winning the World Series. Seaver would have many ups and downs over the next eight years with the Mets, culminating in his trade in 1977 to the Reds, where he did well. He would finally retire in the late 80's after pitching once again for the Mets, then the White Sox and the Red Sox (he was on Boston's bench when his old team, the Mets, once again won the World Series in 1986).

This is a pretty good look at Seaver's life both on the mound and off it, where it turns out that he was far from the typical athlete (though as someone who'd read his book with Dick Schaap, I already had a sense that Seaver was more than a "dumb jock"). A firm advocate for players' rights, he also opposed the war in Vietnam at a time when athletes weren't expected to speak up on social issues (and if they did, they were to conform to baseball's and the sports world in general's more conservative point of view). Dementia as a result of Lyme's disease affected his memory, and he would pass away in August of 2020 from a combination of dementia and COVID-19. But Tom Seaver will always hold a place in the hearts of Mets fans and baseball fans in general.

[Michael Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think a David Maraniss quality book on Tom Seaver would be an incredible read (or Jane Leavy). Although Bill Madden had the advantage of years of friendship with Tom, this read like a very long newspaper article.

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Seaver, the Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Mets nicknamed “Tom Terrific,” passed away at the end of August after years of struggling with Lewy body dementia, the result of the Lyme disease he contracted decades ago in Greenwich, Connecticut. Given what he meant to the team and its devotees, it is not surprising that a couple of books came out towards the end of his life: TOM SEAVER AND ME by Pat Jordan, a professional ballplayer-cum-writer, and more recently, TOM SEAVER: A Terrific Life by Bill Madden, a veteran sportswriter for the New York Daily News.

Madden seems like an obvious choice to publish what must be considered the definitive work on Seaver to this point. (TOM SEAVER AND ME is more of a reminiscence of the friendship between Jordan and Seaver as opposed to a full-fledged biography.) As a Big Apple journalist, he was in a unique position to observe Seaver not only on the field as the leader of the heretofore lovable losers in 1967, but as a representative of the new generation of athletes who weren’t afraid to share their thoughts on the state of the game and the world. An ex-Marine, Seaver opposed the war in Vietnam, yet objected to the anti-war movement’s attempt to hijack him as a spokesman.

Seaver enjoyed the finer things in life, such as art, gardening and wine. In his post-baseball life, he moved to California where he became a serious vintner. And, as Madden frequently recounts, he enjoyed doing The New York Times crossword puzzle. I mention this last point because it reminded me of a scene in the movie Bull Durham, in which Max Patkin, the clown mascot of the team, talks up Crash Davis to Annie Savoy: “Helluva guy --- real different... I actually saw him read a book without pictures once.”

Needless to say, Seaver was super, as his statistics attest. When he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992, it was by the highest percentage of votes (99.8) until Ken Griffey Jr. beat the mark in 2016 (99.3; Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection three years later). However, not everything in Seaver’s universe was perfect. There was jealousy from teammates who were annoyed by his charmed life, including his perfect marriage. There was animosity from some in the Mets’ front office who believed he was getting too big for his britches. There was the famous battle with Madden’s Daily News colleague, the legendary columnist Dick Young, who essentially drove Seaver out of town in 1977 by bringing his wife into a story about contract negotiations, resulting in the pitcher’s demand to be traded (one of the worst in Mets history for a number of reasons).

After a few great seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, the Mets brought Seaver back but lost him again on a calculated gamble when they left him off a list of protected players. Sure enough, the man known as “The Franchise” was claimed by the Chicago White Sox, with whom he won his 300th game --- in New York (but against the Yankees). And the disappointment with his first team didn’t end there; Seaver and his family were always somewhat bitter that he was not included in more of the programs that marked their historical high points.

The individual games and accomplishments by Seaver and the Mets are well documented in dozens of other books. Where Madden excels is in Seaver’s pre- and post-Major League life. His dedication to the sport began when he was a little leaguer, too small to even make the local team at first. But he was determined and supported by a loving nuclear family to whom he was equally devoted; the description of his relationship with his older brother, Charles Jr., is truly touching. After high school, where Seaver had a good but not outstanding career, he chose to join the Marine reserves rather than enter college, figuring it would build his body and make him more physically and mentally disciplined. The results were obvious.

Fast forward: After a few years in the broadcast booth, for both the Yankees and Mets, Seaver moved on to the next chapter in his retirement by relocating to the West Coast where he built a notable wine business. It was there that he began developing increasingly alarming signs of his disease. I was surprised to learn that, like many of his teammates who played in an era before third-string infielders were pulling down multi-million-dollar salaries, Seaver earned extra money via the memorabilia industry. It was during some of these events that his symptoms really began to exhibit themselves. Afraid to learn that he had some dire medical issue, he declined to seek treatment early on and was almost relieved with the diagnosis, not understanding what would follow. Madden shares the heartbreak of the realization that our childhood heroes are mere mortals. To borrow from Shakespeare’s Shylock, they are “fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer.”

Madden has long been considered one of the best at his craft. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 as the recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, the highest honor for writers covering the national pastime. Among his previous baseball books are STEINBRENNER: The Last Lion of Baseball; 1954: The Year Willie Mays and the First Generation of Black Superstars Changed Major League Baseball Forever; and PRIDE OF OCTOBER: What It Was to Be Young and a Yankee. But aside from the factual, I’m wondering how difficult this particular project was for him, given his own connection with Seaver. Journalists are supposed to be professionally objective, but the personal has to creep in somewhere, especially when presenting the end of a legend’s life.

There’s an aphorism: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” That’s most applicable to baseball fans’ feelings for A TERRIFIC LIFE, and endless thanks must go to Madden for this memorable gift.

Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book by author Bill Madden on the career of Tom Seaver, the legendary pitcher for the New York Mets and later Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. The author focuses on Seaver's time with the Mets and the 1967-1973 years take up the bulk of the book. That being said, the author does a good job of telling about Seaver's first departure from the Mets and how he fit in with the Reds, as well as the day he was taken by the White Sox in a free agency draft. The last chapter is a little tough to read as Seaver gets dementia, but overall the book is basically just what I wanted. Good stuff on "Tom Terrific."

[Salvatore DiMartino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Mets fan for over 50 years. The first game I ever attended in person, Tom Seaver was the starting pitcher. That was it for me. To the Mets organization he was the franchise. The one player who turned them from lovable losers into World Series champions. To me and many others, he was and will always be Tom Terrific. I have read every biography written about him. Bill Madden has written the definitive story of Seaver's life and career. His book is insightful, thorough and heavy on the details. Once i started reading it I couldn't out it down.

[Mike Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Madden wrote a book that I feel is the definitive biography on one Baseball 's all time great pitchers, Tom Seaver. Before I read this book, I knew almost nothing about him, except for the games I was lucky enough to have watched him pitch & in his time as both a Yankees & Mets announcer. I very much enjoyed reading about Seaver's life and career as a pitcher. Aside from what I feel are glossing over certain moments in his career, I still feel that Madden does a good job writing about Tom Seaver & would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Tom Terrific.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this biography of the person who was my childhood sports hero. But, it was a little depressing to be reminded of all of the unnecessary sadness between Tom Seaver and the Mets organization.

[Elan DeCarlo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paint by numbers biography. There is a stats contextualization at the end that frames Seaver, rightfully, as one of the greatest pitchers of the 20th century

[John Kelleher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Made me sad the Mets are such an inept organization and brought tears to my eye again at the death of one of my heroes. Madden couldve done more but he is a newspaper reporter and writes like one

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Seaver was my favorite baseball player growing up so this was a must-read. The book is a solid outing but certainly cannot call it brilliant. To put it in baseball terms, about like a starting pitcher going 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6Ks, 2 BB. He take us through the many ups and downs of Seaver's superb career with balance and sympathy. An anecdote: I actually met Tom Seaver in 1972 (I was 17) and he had been my hero since 1967 when he joined the Mets. Seaver lived next-door to a friend of mine (where are you Bill Griffin?) in Greenwich, CT. In December of that year my friend (well his Dad I suppose) invited me to join them and Seaver in attending the New York Giants v. Miami Dolphins (the 17-0 season) football game in Yankee Stadium that year. I remember little of the game which was near the end (week 13) of the Dolphins perfect season (but Wikipedia has it all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Mi.... We drove in to NYC in my friend's Dad's car and tailgated, sitting in fairly modest seats. Sadly, I can say that I remember almost nothing of the conversation. My overall impression remains however: of a friendly and humble man who was not above normal conversation with a starry-eyed teenager, and he was only 28 at the time! It remains one of my fondest 'memories', even though I cannot recall a word of it! Anyway, for a Mets fan or really any baseball fan, this book is well-worth reading, even the painful memories and the sad ending. Tom Seaver reached a pinnacle rarely achieved but time is the great leveler.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid review that covers Tom's life in and out of baseball. Lovingly describes the Met years, leaves underexplained some negative aspects of this franchise legend.

The early years were well covered, including his famous split rookie card with Bill Denehy. A later "rookie stars" card had Seaver and Nolan Ryan - a lucky draw for the Mets. Probably the best aspect of this section was Tom's personal drive to win and move beyond the earlier paradigm of "lovable losers".

I enjoyed reading about his later years, standing up for the players, and his move into wine growing in California. Each of these pieces were a little sparse - the strikes, lock-outs and free agency, the later franchise appearances, and the wine competitions. Small controversies with the press or over salary are completely glossed over. The ending of the book was very quick

In the end, Tom Seaver was a great pitcher and decent human being - this book captures him well.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite my relatively dismal rating, this is a readable book about a guy who likely won't have a long line of biographers wanting to tell this story.

Madden clearly was close to Seaver and had a lot of existing interviews that he could turn into a book with a few hours at Baseball Reference to fill in the gaps.

This is a thin book not because of the length, but because the author used a handful of existing books, his own interviews and perhaps some articles at the Dailys News. It's not the tip of the iceberg, but a grazing of the tip of the iceberg. A lot is mentioned in passing like his high school and college years, the time after retirement and a lot of the middling years between accomplishments and big games.

Furthermore, because the author is so close to Seaver personally, it's a glaze job. Any moments of contention are told from Seaver's side and if you were against Seaver, then you were just an idiot. All of the interviews used were from 2017 onward. Time softens a lot of attitudes and opinions. As does a former player or coach saying anything remotely negative about a guy that, at the time, was dealing with dementia and complications of Lyme disease.

Thoughts:
1. Perhaps more than any Hall of Fame pitcher, Seaver's career stats, particularly, wins, were hampered by playing on bad teams. Trying to find his record in one-run or games where he allowed less than three, I couldn't find anything concrete (without delving into game logs), but I'd guess with a better hitting teams, he'd get around 350+ career wins and maybe the 1971 Cy Young award. It's also funny that he changed teams three times and each time to what was considered a good squad only to find they were past their prime (Reds, White Sox, Red Sox).

2. Contrary to attitudes in the book, Seaver was not as good or better than Bob Gibson in 1968 nor did he deserve the 1981 Cy Young over Fernando Valenzuela. In fact, Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton have better arguments.

3. Including Little League stats and game recaps is pretty dumb.

4. What was in the water in Fresno? Why was everyone a D1 college athlete or MLB ballplayer?

5. I was unaware of the Secondary Phase of the MLB Draft in the 1960s, but I wish the author researched why the Dodgers drafted Seaver in the 10th round and offered $8,000 bonus in June and the Braves drafted him 20th overall in January offering him $55,000. And then the bananas bidding after the Atlanta deal was deemed null and void, and why the Dodgers weren't interested at that point. Also, how different could that have shifted the fates of the Dodgers and Braves had they gotten Seaver. That 1969 Braves team in the NLCS and a Dodgers team that just lost Sandy Koufax and would quickly be relevant again in the early 1970s.

6. Seaver putting his World Series ring on the finger of his buddy in a coma. The most robust of eyerolls.

7. I felt uncomfortable with the author mentioning Seaver as a "marine" particularly because Vietnam was happening and then having him and Gil Hodges talking shop like old war buddies. Hodges earned a Bronze Star in Okinawa. Seaver served a year in the Marine Reserves in California.

8. Did the Kingston Trio steal "Scotch and Soda" from an unknown composer?

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of the ground that Bill Madden covers in this concise biography of the man whom some consider the greatest Met of all time will be familiar to most diehard fans of the blue and orange—Seaver’s storied upbringing in Fresno, his career as a college athlete, his abortive signing with the Atlanta Braves, the Mets’ supreme luck in obtaining him, his rapid development to emerge as the heart and soul of the Mets’ improbable World Series championship in 1969, his devotion and esteem for Gil Hodges, the indefatigable work ethic that earned him 311 career victories, 3000+ strikeouts, 3 Cy Young Awards, and a guaranteed election to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot. All amazing. All terrific. Like the man himself.

Madden also provides clear insight to the dark underbelly of Seaver’s career—not anything that Seaver himself did, but the ham-handed manner in which the Mets as an organization mismanaged their relationship with the player who was instrumental in transforming the worst baseball team in the history of MLB into not only contenders but champs. The money they refused to pay him. The well-earned respect that M. Donald Grant stubbornly refused to afford him. The indignity of being cast aside in the middle of the 1977 season as part of one of the worst trades in Mets history. And again in 1984, the ineptitude of Mets management in failing to protect Seaver from the free agent compensation draft, resulting in his second ignominious departure from the team, this time to the White Sox.

Although two of the greatest milestones of Seaver’s brilliant career occurred while he was not wearing a Mets uniform (his no-hitter as a member of the Reds and his 300th victory as a member of the White Sox), he will always and forever be remembered as Tom Terrific, the Franchise, #41—the very embodiment of the New York Mets.

[Brett Van Gaasbeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Terrific was the greatest Met to ever play the game and Bill Madden does the man justice in this biography of the player and the person. Tom was a bulldog of a competitor on the mound and his accomplishments are readily known to most baseball fans. He is a 3-time Cy Young Award winner, a member of the 300 win and 3,000 K club of pitchers, and was a member and leader of the 1969 Miracle Mets. Madden, of course, devotes space to all of this in his work, but he also spends time on who Seaver was as a family man, an important member of the players union, and his life after baseball as a broadcaster, vineyard owner, and an ambassador of the game. Madden evens delves into every Met fan's fury about the organizations continued bungling of how they "honor" their club's history (or lack thereof), especially in their failure to embrace the man we affectionately call "The Franchise." This book is a must-read for any Mets (or Reds) fan and any serious student of the game. Also, this is an excellent way for the generation that grew up with Seaver to link him to the generation currently watching the dominance and frustration of DeGrom.

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a page turner! I read most of it in one sitting. I think even if I wasn't a Mets fan, I would be happy with this read. I was surprised at how much happened in Seaver's life. After they won the World Series I wondered how the book would keep my attention but it does, convincingly so. Tragedy hits hard and Seaver is just trying to navigate pain through his arm on the mound and it is poetry. The craft by Author Bill Madden brings me into the world and it makes me feel like I was there. This is the definitive biography about Tom Seaver. And like it says on the Hard Cover, Tom is Terrific. He lived a terrific life. He is also more controversial than I was expecting, leaving the reader to make up their minds about what they think of Tom. It is a great subject for a biography. The final chapter and the epilogue are stand out sections of the book so make sure to read this one to the end. Really liked this book for its unflinching look at a legend that built Shea Stadium into an immortal place. I give it a 4.5 on my personal scale.

[Chickens McShitterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my first packs of baseball cards that I bought at the PX at Langley Air Force base included a Tom Seaver card. He was in a White Sox uniform, though the significance of that was lost on me. I remember thinking how old he looked, and the numbers on the back of the card still held no significance to me, though in my neophyte brain, I knew the last few years listed were nothing special. Those final tallies of 300 wins, over 3000 strikeouts, and a sub 3 ERA were also completely lost on me. There’s something kind of sad about that being my introduction to Tom Terrific over 35 years ago.

This is a loving biography of a man who was not an easy subject. Madden clearly feels strongly about him, and while he covers some of Seaver’s warts, he does tend to sugarcoat them. There is no doubting Seaver’s impact and dominance, and his deterioration at the end of his life is truly saddening.

A very enjoyable, compulsively readable biography.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bio by Bill Madden on one of the greatest pitchers of all time. From start to finish Tom Seaver: A Terrific Life is a fast read. From winning a world series, finally getting a no-hitter and winning his 300th game and then his 301st to his Lyme disease and sadly his pulling away from public life just before the 50th anniversary of the Mets 1969 World Series win there's never a dull moment in this book. And Bill Madden didn't gloss over anything either in relation to Seaver's ego or when dementia sadly started to kick in and his handlers needed to walk him out of a function when he started slinging profanity.
Whether you're a Met fan or not you'll enjoy the story of Tom Terrific!

[Bob Melia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up idolizing Tom Seaver. I first saw him pitch in person on Opening Day 1969, the first game for the expansion Expos. It wasn’t one of Tom’s best but still a thrill for this 14 year old. So much documented in the book I remember first hand, such as the return of Willie Mays to NY via the Mets and hitting the game winning home run which I called watching the game on TV with my Dad! So, thanks for stirring so many memories, mostly good, for me.

If you are a Mets fan, this is a must read. I wish Madden had gone a bit deeper in all chapters, but I guess it couldn’t be a 600 page book.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quickly read overview on Seaver’s life and career focusing on his greatest moments. Most seasons are glossed over in a page or two with exception of 1969, 1973, and 1977. Though Madden thanks his “meticulous copy editor” there are several errors in the book. Denny McLain’s last name was misspelled, Reds trades of Foster and Griffey stated as occurring in wrong year, Bob Dernier identified as a catcher. Probably nitpicky but Madden used modern baseball jargon to describe roles (closer) and events (walkoff) from the 60s and 70s.

[Mark Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give a longtime highly-successful reporter access to an all-time great, his family and friends and you're going to get something pretty good. I liked this book a lot.

Bill writes in an easy-to-read style. He collects very solid anecdotes (some of which might admittedly be exaggerated over time). He diligently documents. I'm sure he could have done a 400-page book and there were a few things that could have been told more comprehensively, but I liked that it was a manageable 280-ish pages.

Definitely recommend to Mets fans and baseball history buffs alike.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Episode 285: “Tom Seaver” BASEBALL BY THE BOOK podcast DEC 14, 2020 ⋅ 59:02 For generations of fans, Tom Seaver was the Mets: A charismatic superstar pitcher who led the franchise to the heights of glory. Despite that, the Hall of Famer had a strained relationship with the team that twice let him go under controversial circumstances. Veteran journalist Bill Madden joins us to discuss the remarkable life of the man called Tom Terrific. 

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and informative sports biography of one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. The book made me appreciate that Seaver was actually better than his statistical Hall-of-Fame numbers would indicate. With better run support, he would have had 400 wins. The book makes it clear how the Mets really blew it by losing him ... twice! With intellect and savvy, Tom was truly terrific on the mound. This book is a must-read for any baseball fan.

[Ron Lottermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a Tom Seaver fan since I was a kid. Much of what was in the book I had already heard or read elsewhere, but that didn't diminish the interest in the book. There were some things that I didn't know about, which I was happy to read. This is a must read for Tom Seaver fans or just fans of baseball.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most recent comprehensive biography of the great New York Mets pitcher covers the usual ground of his upbringing and career but doesn’t gloss over his aloofness, his love-hate relationship with the Mets, his feelings about trades and his California years as a vintner and his final debilitating illnesses. Especially good read if you know nothing about Seaver; a good update if you do.

[Bryan Carley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex,

I wouldn’t suggest this book to you unless you’ve changed since you have moved south. A well written story of Seaver career and his relationships with the Mets, the author Bill Madden, and his former teammates. I love the Mets and care to learn more about their history therefore I enjoyed this book. If you care about the Mets and/or baseball history, you’ll enjoy this book.

[Cornholio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written and comprehensive bio of Tom Seaver’s overall career. Wished it would have had a little more about him growing up than it did. He was such a decent man that his bio lacked some of stories that players with less admirable traits tend to have. Enjoyed learning more about an all time great in this quick read.

[Robert Tansey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great biography of in my opinion the greatest pitcher that ever took the mound. He wasn't a perfect man, but when he pitched he WAS perfection. The most amazing thing to happen in 1969? Man lands on the moon? Mets wining the World Series? Not even close..... RIP Tommy. You truly were terrific.