Just Call Me Minnie: My Six Decades in Baseball

By Herb Fagen and Minnie Minoso

On May 1, 1951, a legend was born. So was an era. Newly acquired Orestes Minoso, the first Black to play Major League Baseball in the city of Chicago, stepped into the batter's box for his first turn at bat in a Chicago White Sox uniform. On the mound for the New York Yankees that May afternoon was hard-throwing right-hander Vic Raschi, one of baseball's best. With a runner on first and one out, Minoso took Raschi's first pitch, then coolly blasted his second offering 415 feet into the centre field bullpen. The crowd of Comiskey Park faithfuls cheered wildly. Today, more than 40 years later, those cheers can still be heard. The living drama of this six-decade baseball legend is told with a rare blend of candor, insight, and honesty.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0915611902
• ISBN13: 9780915611904
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

JUST CALL THIS BOOK A MUST READ

MINNIE MINOSO FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE OUTFIELDER DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING US HIS LIFE AND CAREER IN AND OUT OF BASEBALL. MINNIE WAS A VERY GOOD AND COLORFUL PLAYER WHO GAVE HIS ALL ON THE FIELD. AS A CHILD I REMEMBER MINNIE AS A MEMEMBER OF THE CLEVELAND INDIANS AND HOW POPULAR AND WELL LIKED HE WAS BY THE FANS AND MEDIA. MOST OF MINNIE'S GLORY DAYS WERE WITH THE WHITE SOX. THERE ARE MANY INTERESTING PARTS INCLUDING LIFE IN CUBA BEFORE AND AFTER CASTRO TOOK POWER AND TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM THE CITIZENS OF CUBA. MINNIE LEFT CUBA AND MOST OF HIS FAMILY REMAINED. MINNIE HAS GONE THRU A DIVORCE AND OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN LIFE. BUT HIS POSITIVE OUTLOOK AND LIKE ABLE PERSONALITY MAKE THIS BOOK A GREAT READ FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO SAW MINNIE PLAY. HIS NAME MAYBE MINNIE BUT THIS BOOK IS MAXI.

A GREAT story about one of baseballs real heros!

What a great book thats interesting and easy to read. You get to look behind the scenes and see the real life of a professional athlete. True life experiences that Minnie remembers vividly from over six decades of experience. From his childhood days in Havana to his present day life with his family in Chicago, this is a wonderful story that can put a lump in your throat one line then have you laughing the next. A book worth adding to your collection!

Memories of My Past

I grew up on the south side of Chicago and remember when I sat in left field thinking how it would be to meet Minnie. My dream came true after reading this book, I felt I knew him all my life. The respect he gave the fans and the respect we gave him is rare in baseball today, this was the thrilling days of "Go Go" when we as fans had a real life hero, and that hero is Minnie Minoso in the past and forever in the future we will never forget him. This book is the type of book that takes you back to the past and the memories of great players. It's the type of book you can read time after time after time.Thank You Minnie

A must read for any "real" baseball fan!

"Just Call Me Minnie" ranks as one the best baseball autobiographies I've read. It's very rare that an individual with such vivid recollections and interesting stories ever gets around to writing them down. Minnie Minoso succeeds in delivering this unique perspective of baseball, from pre-Castro life in Cuba all the way up to his goal to play Major League Baseball at age 70. Minoso gives the reader a glimpse of the sport that is entertaining, exciting, and eclectic. Although only 205 pages, this is not a book to be read in one sitting. Instead, it's easier to read it in "doses", letting the stories fully sink in. The patter is similar to those of Buck O'Neill's and Satchell Paige's, except that Minoso seemingly has never retired! Minoso's first-hand accounts of the Negro Leagues (from a non african-american), Major League Baseball, (remember the "Go-Go" Chicago WhiteSox?) are priceless, especially in the present tense. If you can get past Minoso's constant lobbying for a shot to play MLB in his 70's (the only thing missing is a postcard to send to the commissioner), this is a must read for any "real" baseball fan. Who knows, if he ever gets his chance, you can say you read it in this book first!