Reviews for Tom Seaver : a terrific life
Library Journal
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Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver (1944–2020), is known for his time with the New York Mets (1967–77, 1983). A testament to his greatness is that he is one of only two pitchers with 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, and an ERA under 3.00. To say the least, Tom Terrific, as he was called, was an unbelievable pitcher. In this wonderful biography, Madden (Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball) has brilliantly captured Seaver's career as well as giving us a look into his fascinating life, beginning with his childhood in Fresno, CA. Madden highlights his subject's many triumphs and challenges, including his trade to the Cincinnati Reds, his journey to the Chicago White Sox, as well as his diagnosis of Lyme disease. He features firsthand interviews with Seaver himself, as well as insight from other Mets players. Moving chapters reflect on his friendship with fellow Mets teammate Gil Hodges, and the impact of Hodges's sudden death in 1972. The book ends with Seaver's diagnosis of dementia, and was written before his death in August 2020 from complications of dementia and COVID-19. VERDICT This definitive biography of Seaver's life and times is well written and highly recommended. A must-read for all Mets fans.—Gus Palas, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A vivid portrait of one of modern baseball’s legendary players. Tom Seaver (1944-2020) was small as a boy but made up for it with both athleticism and steely determination, drawing attention early. As veteran sportswriter Madden relates, a great training tool was that Seaver and a boyhood friend were each forbidden to leave their yards, so they had to throw straight to each other lest the game end. As a result, Seaver was already working on strikeouts at the age of 6. Modest and intellectually inclined—he and his teammates played bridge in the locker room to sharpen their minds—Seaver once said, “the thing I most appreciate about the game is that it is one of the few places left where a person like myself can show his individuality.” He certainly did that, and though team managers didn’t always treat him well or use him to best advantage, he raised the average for every one of his teams. Madden’s account centers on Seaver’s chase to accumulate 300 wins, which put him in the highest stratosphere of pitchers. On the infrequent occasions when he had a bad game or, more rarely, a bad season, he was fully willing to shoulder blame. As he said of a performance-related pay cut by his beloved New York Mets in 1974, “they paid me a good amount of money last year, and I didn’t pitch up that amount.” The year may not have been much, but look at 1971 and 1975, Madden suggests, and all can be forgiven. Seaver’s decline to Lyme disease–related dementia resulted in an embarrassing episode or two and, eventually, a tragic inability to recognize his fellow Hall of Famers, but the 12-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner made a brave effort. The author’s cutting conclusion is perfect: Tom Brady tried to patent the phrase but was roundly rejected, for “there was, and always will be, only one Tom Terrific.” A fitting tribute to a great, memorable pitcher. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
ldquo;He’s gonna go someplace!” So thought the marine reservist playing catch in August 1962 in the Mojave Desert with a fellow reservist named Tom Seaver. That someplace turned out to be baseball’s Hall of Fame. In this engrossing biography, Madden chronicles the remarkable career path that put Seaver in that pantheon. Readers will appreciate the glimpses of Seaver as an undersized Fresno Little Leaguer and a fireballing USC collegian, but their interest will attach chiefly to the major-league triumphs Seaver achieved with the New York Mets, almost single-handedly lifting a woebegone club into relevance. Madden delivers all the drama of the 1969 World Series, when Seaver heroically threw nearly 150 pitches in a pivotal 10-inning Met victory in game 4. Though less remembered, Seaver’s later career—with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox—still holds impressive moments, none more luminous than his six-hit 1985 victory with the White Sox over the Yankees that made Seaver a 300-game winner. To be sure, Madden shows readers more than a ballplayer: readers see a loyal friend, a devoted husband and father, a passionate opponent of the Vietnam War. But the impression that this superb bio most firmly fixes in the mind is summed up by fellow pitcher Jim Palmer: “Tom Seaver could pitch, really pitch.”
