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| Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes | 
 enlarge | Authors: Bobby Murcer, Glen Waggoner
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $11.97
You Save: $12.98 (52%)
New (40) Used (17) Collectible (2) from $10.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 46088
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 0061473413
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.357092
EAN: 9780061473418
ASIN: 0061473413
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Great condition
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Product Description
A former Yankees great remembers his years in pinstripes and talks candidly about his courageous battle with brain cancer. As he stepped to the plate at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day in 1966, Bobby Murcer carried with him the hopes and expectations of Yankees fans looking for the next Mickey Mantle. Like Mantle, Murcer was a phenom from Oklahoma. Like Mantle, he came up to the majors as a shortstop, but was later converted to a centerfielder. And like Mantle, his first at-bat in Yankee Stadium was at the tender age of 19. Bobby wasn't the Mick, but he became one of the most beloved Yankees of all time. Yankee for Life is the story of Murcer's stellar career as both a player and as an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster. With self-effacing humor and down-home charm, he shares fascinating, illuminating, and never-before-told anecdotes about former teammates and bosses, including Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, Lou Piniella—and George Steinbrenner. But no relationship was more significant and poignant than his friendship with Yankees captain Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash in 1979. On the morning of Munson's funeral, Murcer delivered the eulogy for his friend in Ohio; he ended the day by driving in all five runs in an extra-inning 5-4 victory at Yankee Stadium to honor his captain's memory. Following his career, Murcer became a revered figure in the Yankees broadcast booth. From the best seat in the House That Ruth Built, he has watched the latest generation of Yankee superstars—Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera—grow up. No one is more qualified—or brave enough—to choose his own personal Pinstripe All-Star Team of the last 40 years. Murcer is no stranger to courage. On Christmas Eve 2006, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Five days later, after surgery to remove it, he learned that the cancer was terminal. In an uplifting, honest, and even humorous exploration of his battle with illness, Murcer explains how the love of his wife and his family, a deep religious faith, and the passionate support of fans have seen him through his ordeal. Bobby Murcer may not have become the next Mickey Mantle, but he became someone he always wanted to be—a Yankee for life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
Now Playing Center Field Bobby Murcer!!! May 25, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
"Yankee For Life", the new 320 page autobiography by Bobby Murcer proves to be an entertaining look back on the baseball life of one time allstar and former Yankee Bobby Murcer. As Mickey Mantle's baseball career was winding down in the late sixties, a young lad from Oklahoma, Bobby Murcer was to be the next yankee star. Just like Mantle, he was from the same home state, and started his career at shortstop, and eventually found his way to centerfield. Bobby never lived up to the Mickey Mantle comparisons, but he became a star ball player on some of the weakest Yankee teams in history during the sixties and early seventies. For a young yankee fan during that time period, he was all we had, until the arrival of Thurman Munson. Although he never put up Hall Of Fame numbers, Bobby Murcer was a solid player who went on to become one of the most beloved Yankees in history. He even hit Four consecutive homers against the Cleveland Indians during a doubleheader in the early seventies. It pained him a great deal, in 1975, when the Yankees traded him to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds. That trade backfired on the yankees, as Bonds was gone after one season. Murcer spent the next several years with the Giants and Cubs of the National league, still making allstar teams, but never happy about being out of pinstripes. During the late seventies, the Chicago Cubs made Murcer available, and George Steinbrenner brought Bobby home to the Yankees to finish his playing career. He chronicles in detail, the first game after Thurman Munsons tragic death in 1979, in which he drove in all five runs against the Orioles, as he honored his best friend with a game that will live forever in Yankee history. He eneded his career as the most productive pinch hitter in baseball. His baseball career however, did not stop, when his playing days were over. Bobby Murcer made himself into one of the most respected baseball play by play announcers in baseball. He was and still is an Emmy award winning Yankee commentator who remains as popular as ever with the fans. On a serious note, Bobby was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2006, and he goes into great detail about his battle with the disease, which continues to this very day. He makes no secret of his love for his family, friends and his fans. This book is written as only Bobby would allow it to be published, and that is a good and honest life story without the use of vulgarities. It is a book that you would let your children read, and not worry about unacceptable content. I've watched Bobby Murcer since I was a 9 year old Yankee fan in 1968, and I have followed him through his 40 year journey in baseball. He is a true gentlemen, and defines what class is all about. Bobby Murcer is still my favorite Yankee idol, and not because of his on field career, but because of his off field character and integrity, which makes him a role model for my own son. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to read a sports biography detailing the life and career of a Yankee legend.
Poignant, Touching Celebration of A Great Life June 10, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Bobby Murcer says he lives a Great Life.
He played baseball for his favorite team, married his high-school sweetheart and is loved and admired by millions of fans.
This is a great book that chronicles the many stages of Bobby's career: from high school, to Major Leaguer, to Announcer... and now... Bobby's biggest challenge yet, brain cancer.
You can't help but admire the Murcer family's courage (yes, his family plays a huge role in Bobby's journey), as they face a gigantic curveball, larger than any hook tossed by any major league hurler.
You'll also love Bobby's hilarious stories about life on the field and in the broadcast booth. Don't miss Bobby's eyebrow-raising pick for all-time Yankee All-Star team (you'll be surprised at who he picked and who he left off.)
My family has been a Bobby Murcer fan since his Toledo Mudhen days. But this book makes me view Bobby in a whole new light.. as a spiritual, family man courageously battling the most devastating of diseases.
Read it for the baseball. Read it for the humor. Read it for the inspiration.
Just make sure you read it.
yankee for life: my 40-year journey in pinstripes July 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
it was saturday night , i turned on the news in new york on channel 4 to hear worst news possible-BOBBY MURCER DIED OF CANCER..i was in tears..
i always admired the man..he was a true honrable yankee who loved the game, THE YANKEE, the fans and sharing his stories with us while he broadcast yankee games..i remember his terrific plays...his heroic performances as a yankee during the 70s and 80s..i can not believe he's gone..his book does him proud..to me he was a legend.. as a devoted yankee fan for 30 years i will never forget him...BOBBY YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART FOREVER..
CHARLES UNTERBERG
YANKEE FAN
AND GREAT FAN OF MURCER..
 A Story That Needed To Be Told July 17, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Bobby Murcer begins the book with the shocking news he received on Christmas Eve 2006 that he had a brain tumor. He then tells his life story in an engaging "real-person" manner with just the right amount of detail.
There are occasional remarks reserved for his wife Kay, which adds another interesting perspective to Murcer's interesting career with the Yankees, Giants, Cubs, then Yankees again.
When Murcer goes into greater depth regarding the removal of his tumor and the extensive treatments for his brain cancer, it's as if the reader can hear him speaking. He never complains about the fatal hand he has been dealt, and closes the book on an upbeat note. A truly courageous man.
Courage, humor, loyalty July 17, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Having been a Bobby Murcer fan for my entire adult life, this book did nothing but reinforce that. While I was saddened to learn of his cancer and even more saddened by his recent death, this book provides insight into his fight, his attitude toward the disease, and the support he received from his family, his friends, and his faith. So, while it is not just a "sports" book, it does include numerous stories about his relationships with many greats of the game...both on the field and in the broadcast booth. It is in Bobby's down-home style..full of his sense of humor including asides to himself! On the baseball side, it is a memoir of his dedication to the team that originally signed him and the team he will be remembered most playing for...the Yankees.
Bottom line? Loved it, quick read, and a must for any Bobby Murcer fan!
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