Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: Fireside April 15, 1989
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 067165988X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0671659882
• Book Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 13.6 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
Outspoken and fiercely independent, black athlete Ellis refused to ingratiate himself with baseball's powers-that-be, a decision that hindered his career. While with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he achieved a certain notoriety for appearing on the field with his hair in curlers or wearing a gold earring. PW called this biography "nothing special."
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reader Reviews
Dock Ellis was a frustratingly inconsistant pitcher with excellent stuff. He pitched for the Pirates from the late 60's to the mid-70's, moving to the Yankees for one last terrific season before a seeming lack of dedication/interest left him wasting away in Texas. He had a less than glorious return to Pittsburgh in 1979 before calling it a career. This is not your usual sports bio. Donald Hall brings his poetic style to the narrative and Dock brings his own strange blend of stubborness,talent & inconsistancy to the table. While the book does hit some sluggish spells, you should be able to overlook its flaws to learn more about a man who pitched a no-hitter following a night of LSD (talk about performance enhancing), was maced by security before a start, made a surreal trip to Vietnam with should-be-Hall of Famer Bobby Bonds & began one game with the sole purpose of trying to drill every Reds batter he faced. There are also clubhouse & field tales involving such greats as Gaylord Perry, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson & Jim "Cy or Cry" Palmer. Dock angered many people during his career, but he was often delivering the truth in an absurdly blunt package. This is not a great book by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, a very entertaining and revealing look at one of the most colorful players of his generation. Ellis does not pull any punches on personal issues, but, unlike Jim Bouton, he and Donald Hall have gone to great lengths to make certain that their inside stories don't bring harm, in a personal manner, to those who played alongside or against Dock. It is not a reckless tell-all tome, but it does tell quite a bit about the talented enigma that is Dock Ellis, who wore out many a pair of spikes loping from the penthouse to the doghouse and back again...and again...and again- ad nauseum. --R.H.Conner