Terwilliger Bunts One

by Wayne Terwilliger, Nancy Peterson, Peter Boehm

Through fifty-seven seasons (and counting) in professional baseball, Wayne "Twig" Terwilliger has seen and done it all. He witnessed the "Shot Heard Round the World" at the Polo Grounds in 1951 and Mickey Mantle's mile-long homer at Griffith Stadium in 1953. He got a game-winning single off Satchel Paige and a home run off Whitey Ford. He turned double plays against Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson one season and with them the next. He counted Willie Mays and Roger Maris among his teammates and Ted Williams among his friends. He was part of the Minnesota Twins electrifying World Series win in 1991 - and he ain't finished yet!

Born in Michigan in 1925, Terwilliger was an undersized kid with modest skills and big dreams. As a marine in World War II, he played baseball between air raids and witnessed the raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. In 1949, after only four months of Triple A ball, he became the starting second baseman for the Chicago Cubs - and never looked back. Terwilliger Bunts One is the story of this unlikely hero - a man with all-American values, few regrets, and an unwavering enthusiasm to "play ball".

Genres: Baseball, Sports

311 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite Twins coach details his 60-plus years in baseball as a light-hitting infielder, manager and coach, with one great story after another. The title is taken from Annie Dillard's story in her memoir An American Childhood, in which her mother hears a St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcaster saying "Terwilliger bunts one," evidently walking out of the room before he finishes with the statement. From then on Dillard's mother tested typewriters by typing "Terwilliger bunts one" and used the phrase verbally in almost any situation. Twig fans in Texas, Missouri and Minnesota will love this book.

[Duane Keilstrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. It's wonderful to read as Twig tells his stories as an excited kid who amazingly gets an opportunity to meet, play with, and become friends with famous legendary players, especially Ted Williams. It's fun to read and to learn some inside baseball strategies and things that went on that no outsider would know or imagine. Twig writes from his roles as fan, player, coach, and manager, not to mention also as a patriotic marine! Twig gets my vote for outstanding devotion to baseball and how to share its magic. "Nuf said."

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much better than I expected, largely because Terwilliger was around famous people and played or coached in several big games. His positive attitude and drive led to remaining in the game as a manager or coach until he was about 80. Making yourself useful as a means of staying employed is a major theme of the book. The prototypical "Good field, no hit" infielder in his day, he managed to teach others how to play.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twig, never heard of him. But anybody who spent that much time playing Ball, had to know lots of people I have heard of. This one was recommended to me by a book "Their Backs against the Sea: The Battle of Saipan and the Largest Banzai Attack of World War II" by Bill Sloan. I am very glad to have taken the time to get an interlibrary loan and read about this Marine, who also was a baseball player.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book by a baseball lifer. Twig was present for Iwo Jima, Bobby Thomson and "we'll see you tomorrow night." Fascinating life story. Glad that these are being documented, thank you Lawrence Ritter for getting that ball rolling

[BD Strub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I’m a Twins and Saints fan and have long wondered what was the backstory on long time first base coach Wayne (Twig) Terwilliger. This book is backstory, biography and contains so much awesome baseball history. For example…

“Kirby Puckett is one of my baseball heroes, right along with Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and Ted Williams.” I mean, c’mon! Twig coached Puckett, played with and against Robinson, Mays and Williams. That’s HOF royalty!

Lessons from almost 700 major league games played and 40 years coaching professional baseball:

Hustle. Sign autographs. Look people in the eye and shake hands. When the wind comes from the stockyard to Wrigley Field in Chicago, the flies bite your legs, try newspaper under your socks. In the 50s, infielders left their gloves on the field when batting. Don’t give up on your dream.

If you like baseball, you will like this book. If you love baseball (or the Twins, Saints, Cats, Senators, Millers, Angels, Cubs or any of the other dozen teams Terwilliger coached or played for) you will love this book.