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Still Pitching: Musings from the Mound and the Microphone
An autobiography of the record-holding baseball pitcher and announcer for the New York Yankees spans four decades of American baseball and discusses personalities including Pete Rose and current boss George Steinbrenner.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 11, 2017
he played baseball with more hall of famers than he thinks. i’m a big hall guy, and i think there’s room for a guy like him too.
August 3, 2021
There is no doubt that Jim Kaat is one of the greatest pitchers to ever toe the rubber. Not only are his statistics solid, but his longevity is jaw-dropping. The man pitched in Major League Baseball from 1959-1983—that’s from the Eisenhower to the Reagan administration, for perspective! In terms of treasure-troves of baseball information/stories, Kaat sits atop that list.
Many of those stories and informative nuggets are passed along to readers in “Still Pitching”. Kaat discusses his time spent in Washington, Minnesota, Chicago, & St. Louis, giving about even coverage to all those stops. Both on the field and “behind the scenes” (in the clubhouse or out with teammates), Kaat recounts stories that will make Golden Era baseball fans smile.
Somewhat unfortunately, however, Kaat also gives many words of “Still Pitching” over to comparisons with the modern (circa 2003) game. While I wouldn’t necessarily classify Kaat as a “back in my day when men were men” type of person, there are quite a few shades of that philosophy throughout this book. One can’t read more than a few pages at a time without a comparison vibe between his era and the modern one. Though perhaps a matter of personal choice, I tend to not like sports auto-bios that take this approach. I’ve read worse, to be sure, but I would prefer the “old-timers” simply tell their stories, share their wisdom, and let those things speak for themselves without the constant comparisons to an ever-changing sports landscape. Truth be told, I think I just prefer Kaat’s style on the mic in that regard as opposed to with the pen.
Overall, I peg “Still Pitching” as a solid (though not eclipsing that) 3-star auto-bio of an MLB legend. It waffles quite a bit between storytelling tome and era comparison, and takes a non-chronological approach to do it, but there is also enough “fun stuff” to make it an enjoyable-enough read.
Many of those stories and informative nuggets are passed along to readers in “Still Pitching”. Kaat discusses his time spent in Washington, Minnesota, Chicago, & St. Louis, giving about even coverage to all those stops. Both on the field and “behind the scenes” (in the clubhouse or out with teammates), Kaat recounts stories that will make Golden Era baseball fans smile.
Somewhat unfortunately, however, Kaat also gives many words of “Still Pitching” over to comparisons with the modern (circa 2003) game. While I wouldn’t necessarily classify Kaat as a “back in my day when men were men” type of person, there are quite a few shades of that philosophy throughout this book. One can’t read more than a few pages at a time without a comparison vibe between his era and the modern one. Though perhaps a matter of personal choice, I tend to not like sports auto-bios that take this approach. I’ve read worse, to be sure, but I would prefer the “old-timers” simply tell their stories, share their wisdom, and let those things speak for themselves without the constant comparisons to an ever-changing sports landscape. Truth be told, I think I just prefer Kaat’s style on the mic in that regard as opposed to with the pen.
Overall, I peg “Still Pitching” as a solid (though not eclipsing that) 3-star auto-bio of an MLB legend. It waffles quite a bit between storytelling tome and era comparison, and takes a non-chronological approach to do it, but there is also enough “fun stuff” to make it an enjoyable-enough read.
January 10, 2023
Recently I've had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Jim Kaat, and he is as down-to-earth and gentlemanly as he projects to be on our television screens. Thus, reading this book became a little more special, giving me a look into his family background, tracing his pitching career and broadcasting career, and providing me with his perspectives on the game.
I zoomed through it: it's an easy read, 174 pages plus an appendix of selected newspaper articles about him.
The primary take-away for me was that he's always been an honest, dedicated, and hard-working guy. His opinions about the game of baseball, about the business of baseball, and about some of the key people with whom he interacted are insightful and fair-minded. I truly enjoyed the book, and I wouldn't have minded a bit if it were a few chapters longer.
It's more than a head-scratcher as to why Mr. Kaat hadn't been elected to Cooperstown; it's a mistake that thankfully has been corrected.
I zoomed through it: it's an easy read, 174 pages plus an appendix of selected newspaper articles about him.
The primary take-away for me was that he's always been an honest, dedicated, and hard-working guy. His opinions about the game of baseball, about the business of baseball, and about some of the key people with whom he interacted are insightful and fair-minded. I truly enjoyed the book, and I wouldn't have minded a bit if it were a few chapters longer.
It's more than a head-scratcher as to why Mr. Kaat hadn't been elected to Cooperstown; it's a mistake that thankfully has been corrected.
October 15, 2018
Great read...
January 28, 2025
A good baseball book as Kaat talks about his career and broadcasting after playing.
November 4, 2025
The book reads just like Kaat pitched - quick and on target. Story of a totally underrated pitcher.
October 18, 2015
Jim Kaat's 20+ years on the mound translates into a good understanding of pitching which benefits his announcing and his book writing. Instead of wasting time with gossip, he offers solid and concise analysis of baseball, much of it unconventional.
He thinks that pitchers shouldn't be running before ballgames, because they are strengthening the wrong muscles. Pitchers can best get in shape by pitching and conditioning the same muscles they will need when they are working late in a game. He also thinks that pitchers should be throwing everyday to keep those muscles limber. There must be something to it. When Kaat retired, no one had played as many seasons and his only stint on the DL was when he broke his arm sliding into second base.
He also thinks that pitchers get into trouble over-thinking situations. A good example is Mike Mussina, a Stanford graduate. Kaat makes a good case that there is no substitute for throwing strikes. He points out that even the best hitters can't hit every pitch out in batting practice when they know what's coming. Why do pitchers worry that putting it across the plate is going to be disaster? David Wells is his example of a guy who just battles the hitters with his best stuff.
The book is pretty short, because unlike most authors who go on and on about a subject hitting it at the edges, Kaat aims square in the middle and moves on to something else. The publisher's worry about the book's shortness has lead to a bunch of filler material like Kaat's Teammate All-Star teams and greatest catchers he's seen. There's also a section at the end full of newspaper stories written about Kaat during his playing career.
The main body of the book may be short, but the wisdom contained within is worth more than books twice the size. I think Jim Kaat could write a really good book in the style of George Will's MEN AT WORK if some publisher gave him the opportunity.
He thinks that pitchers shouldn't be running before ballgames, because they are strengthening the wrong muscles. Pitchers can best get in shape by pitching and conditioning the same muscles they will need when they are working late in a game. He also thinks that pitchers should be throwing everyday to keep those muscles limber. There must be something to it. When Kaat retired, no one had played as many seasons and his only stint on the DL was when he broke his arm sliding into second base.
He also thinks that pitchers get into trouble over-thinking situations. A good example is Mike Mussina, a Stanford graduate. Kaat makes a good case that there is no substitute for throwing strikes. He points out that even the best hitters can't hit every pitch out in batting practice when they know what's coming. Why do pitchers worry that putting it across the plate is going to be disaster? David Wells is his example of a guy who just battles the hitters with his best stuff.
The book is pretty short, because unlike most authors who go on and on about a subject hitting it at the edges, Kaat aims square in the middle and moves on to something else. The publisher's worry about the book's shortness has lead to a bunch of filler material like Kaat's Teammate All-Star teams and greatest catchers he's seen. There's also a section at the end full of newspaper stories written about Kaat during his playing career.
The main body of the book may be short, but the wisdom contained within is worth more than books twice the size. I think Jim Kaat could write a really good book in the style of George Will's MEN AT WORK if some publisher gave him the opportunity.
July 10, 2010
This is a pretty good book. I don't remember Mr. Kaat as a player, but enjoyed listening to him as an announcer. Not my favorite baseball book, but it has some good stories nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews