Zusatztext A ringing defense of the traditional view of baseball! the one that knows clutch when it sees it. The New York Times "[A] sparkling conversation." St. Louis Post-Dispatch Even a heady baseball fan will learn something from Sixty Feet! Six Inches .Bill Gallo! New York Daily News Gibby and Reggie finally share their perspectives as two of the fiercest competitors who ever played the game. Trust meIt's a great read.-- Joe Torre "A unique look inside the game for any fan and a gold mine of information for a young player. In fact! it ought to be required reading for any aspiring player."-- Baseball America "If you want to understand baseball's game inside the game between the pitcher and the hitter! this is it. Two of the greats have written a classic." --Willie Mays Fans will come away from this discussion between greats with even greater understanding and appreciation for the game. Publishers Weekly Two giants of baseball discussing the game they love. This is a fun book!--Joe Morgan Love it. Two of the most dominating personalities in the game! one from each side of the plate. . . . This is a fun read. I recommend this book to all. --Johnny Bench Informationen zum Autor Bob Gibson & Reggie Jackson with Lonnie Wheeler Klappentext Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson offer a candid and unfiltered look at America's pastime, discussing the art of pitching, the art of hitting, and all things baseball. Full of brush-backs, walk-off homeruns, high stakes, cold stares, epic battles, and a little chin music here and there, Sixty Feet, Six Inches is a baseball fan's dream come true, a go to guide for how the game should be played. There is no part of the sport that these two titans do not discuss at length: big picture issues like how steroids have affected the game and handling the pressure of stardom, right next to exact descriptions of the mechanics of pitching and hitting. Filled with one-of-a-kind insider stories that recall a who's who of baseball nobility, including Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Billy Martin, and Joe Torre, it is an unforgettable baseball history by two of the game's greatest superstars. Chapter One--The Pitched Battle Any Little Edge Reggie Jackson: "When I stepped into the box, I felt the at-bat belonged to me. Everybody else was there for my convenience. The pitcher was there to throw me a ball to hit. The catcher was there to throw it back to him if he didn't give me what I wanted the first time. And the umpire was lucky that he was close enough to watch. Gibson was the same way. That's why people thought he was mean. And that's the attitude you've got to have. When I hit, I felt I was in control of the home-plate area, and it was important that I felt that way. If I let the pitcher control it, it would give him an advantage. There are at least three kinds of advantages that the pitcher and batter contest. There's the physical advantage, the strategic advantage, and also the psychological advantage. I didn' t want two out of three. I wanted them all. The pitcher has the ball, and nothing happens until he lets go of it. So, as the batter, I felt I had to fight for any bit of control I could get. I expected the umpire, the catcher, and the pitcher to wait on me. I wanted to get ready on my time. I'd call time or pause or do something that wasn't too annoying but at least would get the pitcher off his pace. If I could disrupt his rhythm a little bit, just for a second or two, the advantage swung to me. But I didn't want to create an ire, some kind of anger to make him bear down harder. I didn't want a guy to step back and grit his teeth. Being a jerk about it just doesn't work. There's a fine line between annoying somebody just a little bit and angering him to the point where you may get drilled in the back." ...

ldquo;A ringing defense of the traditional view of baseball, the one that knows clutch when it sees it.”—The New York Times
 
"[A] sparkling conversation."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“Even a heady baseball fan will learn something from Sixty Feet, Six Inches.”—Bill Gallo, New York Daily News

“Gibby and Reggie finally share their perspectives as two of the fiercest competitors who ever played the game. Trust me…It’s a great read.”-- Joe Torre

"A unique look inside the game for any fan and a gold mine of information for a young player. In fact, it ought to be required reading for any aspiring player."--Baseball America

"If you want to understand baseball’s game inside the game between the pitcher and the hitter, this is it. Two of the greats have written a classic." --Willie Mays

“Fans will come away from this discussion between greats with even greater understanding and appreciation for the game.”—Publishers Weekly

“Two giants of baseball discussing the game they love. This is a fun book!”--Joe Morgan

“Love it. Two of the most dominating personalities in the game, one from each side of the plate. . . . This is a fun read. I recommend this book to all.” --Johnny Bench

Autorentext

Bob Gibson & Reggie Jackson with Lonnie Wheeler

Klappentext

Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson offer a candid and unfiltered look at America's pastime, discussing the art of pitching, the art of hitting, and all things baseball. Full of brush-backs, walk-off homeruns, high stakes, cold stares, epic battles, and a little chin music here and there, Sixty Feet, Six Inches is a baseball fan's dream come true, a go to guide for how the game should be played. There is no part of the sport that these two titans do not discuss at length: big picture issues like how steroids have affected the game and handling the pressure of stardom, right next to exact descriptions of the mechanics of pitching and hitting. Filled with one-of-a-kind insider stories that recall a who's who of baseball nobility, including Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Billy Martin, and Joe Torre, it is an unforgettable baseball history by two of the game's greatest superstars.

Leseprobe
Chapter One--The Pitched Battle

Any Little Edge

Reggie Jackson: "When I stepped into the box, I felt the at-bat belonged to me. Everybody else was there for my convenience. The pitcher was there to throw me a ball to hit. The catcher was there to throw it back to him if he didn't give me what I wanted the first time. And the umpire was lucky that he was close enough to watch. Gibson was the same way. That's why people thought he was mean. And that's the attitude you've got to have. When I hit, I felt I was in control of the home-plate area, and it was important that I felt that way. If I let the pitcher control it, it would give him an advantage. There are at least three kinds of advantages that the pitcher and batter contest. There's the physical advantage, the strategic advantage, and also the psychological advantage. I didn' t want two out of three. I wanted them all. The pitcher has the ball, and nothing happens until he lets go of it. So, as the batter, I felt I had to fight for any bit of control I could get. I expected the umpire, the catcher, and the pitcher to wait on me. I wanted to get ready on my time. I'd call time or pause or do something that wasn't too annoying but at least would get the pitcher off his pace. If I could disrupt his rhythm a little bit, just for a second or two, the advantage swung to me. But I didn't want to create an ire, some kind of anger to make him bear down harder. I didn't want a guy to step back and grit his teeth. Being a jerk about it just doesn't work. There's a fine line between annoying somebody just a little bit and angering him to the point where you may get drilled in the back."

Bob Gibson: "Him backing out of there all the time, that is annoying, because I liked to pitch in a hurry.…