| The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer's Inside View |  | Author: Doug Glanville
Publisher: Times Books
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
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Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 6,169
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 0805091599
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.357640973
EAN: 9780805091595
Publication Date: May 11, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An insider's revealing look at the hidden world of major league baseball Doug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it. In The Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars. In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can't-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
 A Unique Perspective on Major League Baseball May 13, 2010
Mark Ahrens (Milford, CT)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
Doug Glanville, ex-Major League player for the Phillies, Cubs, and Rangers, has penned a new book -- The Game From Where I Stand: A Ballplayer's Inside View. Glanville was an outfielder for 9+ seasons in The Show and, with the exception of 1999 when he batted .325, enjoyed a largely workmanlike career (.277 BA). However, Glanville's keen observations of the game, brought out vividly in his new book, are far more impressive.
Glanville was raised in Teaneck, NJ, a diverse and inclusive neighborhood, by parents who taught him respect and integrity. This upbringing gives Glanville a unique vantage point from which to view his baseball experience. It enabled him to deal effectively (if not perfectly) to the celebrity and spoils that come with being a Major Leaguer and to move on to see the game for what it truly is (and is not).
The book is at its best when it brings a fresh perspective to the overheated rhetoric around PEDs. Glanville understands the temptations that players were under and the choices they made, but doesn't condone them. He calls out some of baseball's more iconic players, such as Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, and Clemens but also laments that, at the time, nobody really knew who was using and who wasn't. In the end, he stopped short of eviscertating these superstars; instead taking the reasoned response that he would not have chosen the same road they did.
Glanville's talent for observation also allows him to talk eloquently about baseball minutae such as sign stealing, the process that traded veterans go through to retain their old jersey number, and baseball's infamous kangaroo courts. Not to worry though, these details are enjoyable and eminently entertaining.
"Clubhouse justice makes everyone aware of the possible consequences of brain freezes. Of course, there are some legends of the court who, despite extensive fines and constant trips to the docket, are just absentminded professors dresse in baseball uniforms. These repeat offenders cannot be helped by any system of justice, but they serve the team well by providing comic relief during the marathon of a long season."
Glanville's book is a most satisfying new entrant in a new genre of baseball books that take a humanistic, cerebral view of the game. The Complete Game by Ron Darling and The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst are others of this ilk. These books take a nuanced view of the "game within the game" or explore the human side of ball players. They serve as a welcome counterpoint to the "kiss and tell" or rah, rah pulp found in many of today's sports books.
BookonBaseball Rating: Home Run (gain a new appreciation of the game's subtleties from a keen observer and writer)
Glanville has taken his writing chops to new media outlets as well. He has just ended a run with the New York Times as a columnist and has recently moved to [...]. Below is an excerpt from his most recent ESPN article--on the rising, like the phoenix, of Dback Kelly Johnson.
"There are not many places hotter than Arizona in the summer. The sun is relentless. It's not unusual for bodies to overheat and minds to suffer the kind of delirium that is an incubator for bad decision-making. Even though it was December when the Diamondbacks signed free agent Kelly Johnson to a one-year deal, many fans and pundits wondered whether the team's front office had been in the sun too long. Were the D-backs seeing in him a figment of their imagination, an optical illusion of possibility?"
I thoroughly enjoy Glanville's writing and am looking forward to his [...] column.
Humanizing the people behind the game May 14, 2010
ajw (Central New Jersey, USA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
As someone who watches a lot of baseball but whose own career in the game never made it past Babe Ruth league, I occasionally fantasize about what life might have been like as a professional ball player. After reading Doug Glanville's "The Game from Where I Stand", I feel like I have a much better idea about what that life would have been like. The game is filled with ups and downs, clearly and entertainingly explained by Glanville: from the seems-like-you-can't-miss first round draft pick to the uncertainty and frustration of several years in the minors; from the frustrations with one manager to the strong support of another; from the thrill of some great moments that can never be taken away to the introspection of wondering whether your career was a "success". The writing style is readable and engaging, sprinkled with humor and full of insight. You get a sense of it really still being a "game" -- big kids who compete with each other in life (girlfriends, cars) and on the field (young players trying to take older players jobs) but also a brotherhood of guys trying to support each other at the highest level of competition. I don't think I'll look at a struggling favorite player the same way again. Anyone who loves baseball will appreciate this book. (Disclosure: I played little league with the author nearly 30 years ago and rooted for his success as a pro.)
A Wonderfully Eloquent Inside View May 29, 2010
Larry Underwood (Scottsdale, AZ)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The dream of many kids growing up is to play professional baseball for their favorite team; preferably center field. That's the glamour position; the spot historically patrolled so well by the likes of DiMaggio, Mantle, Mays, and of course, the author of this book - Doug Glanville.
Glanville put together a very solid nine year career in the big leagues, playing a superb defensive center field, while compiling a lifetime .272 batting average. By all accounts, his time in the limelight was somewhat limited, but his recollections are downright fascinating. I couldn't put the book down.
Simply put, Glanville is a terrific writer; his words flow smoothly as he adroitly moves from one topic to the next; and his perspective goes far beyond the usual statistical mumbo-jumbo we're accustomed to reading from retired ex-jocks. This is a thoughtful piece of writing; his observations are honest, at times humorous, but above all else, compelling. He gives the reader a unique perspective about the nuances of the game, unlike anything I've ever read. His stories are honest and for the most part, non-judgmental. The few skirmishes he had with some of the other players he came across during his career were minor and quickly brushed aside. The occasional confrontations with certain overpaid prima donnas were quite amusing, and would probably come as no surprise to most fans.
As Glanville's career was ascending, it was not without a certain degree of anguish and travail. Maintaining a spot on a big league roster year in and year out is a challenging endeavor; sooner or later, the harsh realities catch up with every player, and they must make their reluctant exit from the game; often ill-prepared for dealing with the real world - and disillusioned that the fairy tale came to an end.
One senses that Glanville will be able to cope with these challenges better than most. He's obviously a very bright guy.
Broad insider insight on professional baseball June 1, 2010
Douglas B. Rubin (Princeton, NJ United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've enjoyed Doug Glanville's column in the NYTimes which allowed him to comment on a wide range of issues that affect professional athletes, his experience playing baseball for money, and our perceptions as fans. He now writes for ESPN on what seems to be a narrower range of between-the-lines baseball subjects, which in my opinion is too limiting for his thoughtful perspectives.
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This book is excellent and represents a lot of thought (18 years worth, since he first signed a Minor League contract), excellent preparation (Doug is well-educated, has had broad exposures and seeks/gets help from many directions) and well delivered with a stream-of-thought, cross-referenced organization, solid fact-checking and good editing {I always look for typo's and couldn't find any}.
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I read A LOT of baseball books and this is the best 1st person narrative from a player's perspective I've ever read, barely nudging out the seminal "Long Season" by Brosnan, because of Glanville's introspection, intelligence, breadth of career (not an All-Star, but better than a journeyman) and mostly his perspective as a developing, transforming human being.
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He puts the whole baseball player thing (uncertainty, elation and satisfaction of making "the show"; craftmanship, aura and dedication to "respecting the game", fun, frolics and financial foibles of success as a big-time athlete; tempered by being mostly a singles hitter during the age of the substance-enhanced HomeRun era; and the sadness and acceptance of coming to the end of his career) into a great narrative perspective that I could relate to.
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Like, if I could run, hit, field and throw as well as he could . . . and write as well too, I could have written this book!
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Glanville's career spans an interesting transition time for MLB and his career in both leagues for strong and weak teams, watching all sort of human beings play and watch professional baseball gave him a great view, a Centerfielder's view he would say, on "the show". His perspective as an athlete, and as a man is strong and sensitive (dance lessons!) and his writing is superb.
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I am interested in what he chooses for an encore, because he has several books in him. This is a great read.
Baseball insight from a literate pro May 26, 2010
gfweb (pa USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Doug Glanville had written a graceful generally well-written book that shows how pro ballplayers approach the game. Unlike most sports memoirs this is not filled with ESPN-ish highlights or tales of who got drunk with whom. Rather we see the day to day routines that make up a players lives and glimpse what goes on between their ears. Glanville is a good observer and creates vivid descriptions.
Weaknesses? Some chapters seem a bit brief ane one feels that he must have more to say. Occasionally, as in the section where he tries to develop the metaphor of the curve ball, there is some straining. But overall this is a fine book that elevates baseball writing. No trite cliches or forced cleverness here (are you listening Rick Reilly?).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
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