Fairly at Bat: Review

Fairly at bat by Ron Fairly with Steve Springer is one of those books that surprises you with their fun and honest anecdotes. I must confess I knew fairly little about Ron Fairly. Turns out he was in LA for the biggest chunk of 1958 to 1969. Winning the world series three times. He recounts his time as a player with the Dodgers and his post-player career in a great way.

Besides reflecting on his own career, Fairly takes time to recall experiences and some reminiscing about teammates and other contemporaries in baseball. Like the tale of Sandy’s slider, Stan Williams’ confidence, Campy’s antics and Vin Scully’s managing stint. The parts about George Steinbrenner are hilarious as well. Turns out he was exactly like the Steinbrenner portrayed in Seinfeld.

Fairly continued his baseball career after his playing days. He became a sportscaster for the Angels and, later on, to make things even worse, for the Giants. He finished his baseball days with the Mariners. A career of 50 years in baseball.

The book is just over 200 pages but I wish there was more. All in all it’s written with a heart for baseball and love for the game and it’s players. Fairly is a competitor but in his book allows himself to open up and give his contemporaries the floor. What a sportsman!