Product Description
With a raconteur's wit and keen eye for detail, Nelson "Nellie" King spins tales of his journey in professional baseball. From the farm teams of the deep south in the early 1940s, to the pitcher's mound, and then to the Pirates' broadcasting booth in the 1970s, King provides readers with a front row seat to the momentous changes he witnessed in his beloved game. The ball parks, dugouts, and road trips of yesteryear jump to life on these pages, as do the personalities of Pirate legends like Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, and Willie Stargell. King also has much to say about the business of baseball, from the expansion of franchises to dramatic salary increases. His humor, warmth, and insights will please die-hard Pirates fans as well as baseball history buffs.
While not a big-name player in the game, Nellie King played with the very bad & very good Pittsburgh Pirates & then became a broadcaster beside the legendary & colorful Bob Prince. If you like baseball back in what I consider the "golden age" of my youth & the Pirates this is a book I recommend. Nellie King is a very good storyteller and a very humble and good man. He was a frequent caller to Lynn Cullen's radio show. He's a liberal who can discuss politics as well as baseball. Sadly he now suffers from Parkinson Disease. Lynn interviewed Nellie Thursday, October 22, 2009 & you can listen at: http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/index