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Sign up todayWalter Johnson
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To many, Walter Johnson is the greatest pitcher of all time. He was a star second to none throughout the golden age of sports, which spanned the era of such greats as Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, and Al Simmons. But it wasn't Walter Johnson's blazing fastball alone that placed him on a pedestal. It was Johnson, above all others, who came to personify "gentlemanly conduct in the heat of battle," as Shirley Povich put it. One of a small number of stars tempering the game's roughneck reputation in the early years of the century, he was still around to help shepherd it through its darkest hour of the Black Sox scandal. His presence as a role model in the big leagues consoled parents all over the country. Throughout a career as dazzling as any in sports history, Johnson remained unspoiled. This is the grand story of one of the good guys.
Henry W. Thomas, the grandson of Walter Johnson, lives in Arlington, Virginia. He is currently editing, for audio release, the interviews taped by Lawrence Ritter for his classic The Glory of Their Times.
Ian Esmo is an audiobook narrator who specializes in athlete and sports biographies.
Reviews
“Belongs in the very top ranks of sports biographies.”
“One of the most comprehensive biographies ever written about an athlete. Incredibly detailed, filled with fascinating stories about arguably the greatest pitcher of all time.”
“Delights the soul.”
“This is an excellent, exhaustive biography, showing clear affection for Johnson from the first pitch: Thomas is Johnson’s grandson. Despite the blood tie, Thomas doesn’t just go straight down the middle; he is willing to work the corners of his grandfather’s life, which actually allows his relationship to his subject to add to the work’s significant depth.”
“This detailed, carefully researched and annotated biography certainly does justice to Johnson’s extraordinary on-field accomplishments, and it also emphasizes his decency, humility, and self-effacing humor…A much-needed, comprehensive biography of a baseball legend.”
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