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Frank Dolson
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Jim Bunning (Baseball In America) Hardcover – August 13, 1998

by Frank Dolson (Author)
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Features a biography of the Hall of Famer who pitched no-hitters against the sluggers of both leagues, took on sportswriters and baseball leaders, and started a second career as a politician. With an assist from his wife, Mary, the mother of their nine children, he waged an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign, and became a six-term congressman.
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  1. Print length
    298 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Temple University Press
  4. Publication date
    August 13, 1998
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1566396360
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1566396363
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Before he was Kentucky's Republican senator, Jim Bunning was a helluva hard-throwing righthander pitcher, primarily for the Tigers and the Phillies. He earned his rightful niche in Cooperstown by tossing no-hitters in each league (including the famed Father's Day perfecto against the Mets in 1964), striking out more than 1,000 hitters in each league, and, most significant of all, notching more than 100 victories in each league; only Cy Young had scored that trifecta before him.

As conspicuous as Bunning's contributions were on the field, his real lasting legacy to the game has been off it. An early and respected authority in the Major League Players Association, Bunning helped bring Marvin Miller in to cohere the union, crack the back of the slavish reserve clause, and open the gate on free agency; his reward was to see the door slammed on his own dream of managing. Bunning then turned to politics; in six terms in the House, he has avidly opposed, to the dread and ire of baseball's establishment, the game's antiquated exemption from antitrust laws.

Dolson, who covered much of Bunning's career as a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, has written a solid and fair testament to a fascinatingly driven man. "There is no mystery to Jim Bunning," he observes, though there is plenty of complexity. "He is what you see--unfailingly direct, sometimes to the point of being abrasive.... He is a man who makes loyal friends and bitter enemies," great qualities for both pitchers and politicians. --Jeff Silverman

From Booklist

Jim Bunning eventually was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, but his career started much more modestly, playing for $150 dollars a month. By the time he was through, he had pitched a no-hitter in the American League and a perfect game in the National and had struck out more than 1,000 batters in each league. But Bunning was always more than his statistics, as Dolson makes clear in this evenhanded portrait. He was the consummate competitor, a team leader who always spoke his mind, which may have contributed to his being passed over for the Philadelphia manager's job. But baseball's loss was the citizenry of Kentucky's gain, as Dolson shows in his coverage of Bunning's political career--first as a U.S. congressman and, currently, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat. Bunning is an American success story of the best sort: hard work, determination, and a refusal to accept less than one's best. This mainstream biography will satisfy baseball fans as well as those who like a little inspiration with their sports. Wes Lukowsky

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Temple University Press (August 13, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1566396360
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1566396363
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches

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Frank Dolson

Frank Dolson

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4.9 out of 5 stars
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Geordie
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly Great American
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021
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I had the pleasure of spending an evening with Senator Bunning-- a delightful gentleman, who appreciated the "give and take" of lively discussion.
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clemente_in_right
4.0 out of 5 stars Second half is great; first half - not so much
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015
This book starts off with several mis-steps. This is about as close as I've ever come to putting a book down with the resolve never to pick it up again. Author Frank Dolson is a former beat writer who covered the Phillies while Bunning was an active player. Dolson notes early on how much he admires Bunning. But the book gets bogged down in the first few chapters with stories that are designed to show that Bunning was a competitor, was tough and never backed down. We get it Frank, you admire Bunning. On top of that, many of the specifics are flat out incorrect (a huge pet peeve of mine). Some of the stories should've been pruned and some of them should've been corrected.

Here are a couple stories (just a couple for the sake of brevity - there are more) that needed a fact checker:
1. In discussing how much he disliked Tiger skipper Bob Scheffing, Bunning recalls a time when he gave up a grand slam to Vic Wertz in the 9th inning while holding a three run lead. Bunning was incensed when Scheffing second guessed him afterwards by suggesting that Wertz should've been walked. That story is untrue. Wertz' lone grand slam against Bunning came in the 5th inning. Bunning gave up a total of six grand slams in his career and none came in the 9th inning. Perhaps Scheffing second guessed him, but it wasn't a 9th inning situation.
2. Teammate Larry Bowa recalls an incident - Bunning the competitor - in which HBP artist Ron Hunt leaned into a pitch from Bunning, getting hit on the shoulder. An incensed Bunning told him Hunt was going to hit him his next time up. Per Bowa, that's exactly what happened. This story is also false as Hunt was never hit by Bunning twice in one game.
3. Bunning relates a story in which he hit Mickey Mantle on purpose because the Yankees were stealing signs from catcher Dick Brown. Also false - Bunning never hit Mantle with a pitch.
4. In discussing an injury that marred the 1968 season, Dolson has Bunning's record in the early part of the season with the Pirates incorrect. But his season with the Pirates is interesting to me (a Buccos fan) in that Bunning relays that Bob Veale wasn't regarded as a leader on the pitching staff because of poor work habits.

The highlights of his playing career are the chapters on the Phillies collapse in 1964 and his involvement with the players association. But the book begins to take off in the second half as Dolson describes Bunning the minor league manager and Bunning the politician. Dolson does a fine job diving in to flaws - lack of patience, lack of experience, gruffness - that hampered Bunning in his early days both as a skipper and as a candidate. Of particular note was the manner in which Bunning was released from the Phillies organization and the closeness he developed with Lonnie Smith in the minors. Smith actually helped Bunning campaign in inner city Louisville, which I thought was fascinating. I was also pleased to see Bunning acknowledge the rumors that he used his belt buckle to nick baseballs when he was active. He denies it, but I'm glad he didn't brush it aside without a mention.

After early misgivings, I enjoyed this book immensely.
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Chad Spivak
4.0 out of 5 stars A No-Hitter, But Not a Perfect Game
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2000
My name is Chad, and I'm a Philadelphia Phillies' fan. Yes, that's correct. I'm the one.
Having followed the Phillies my entire life, I was already a fairly big Jim Bunning fan. So, I went into reading this book slightly biased. Unfortunately, the book leaves a bit to be desired as far as a biography goes. I would say it's more of a baseball memoir.
There was very little about his private life, and his childhood and early life was practically skipped. However, the professional baseball chapters were, by far, the best. Bunning has an incredible knowledge of the game of baseball, and he was one of the smartest pitchers in the history of baseball. His hard work ethic could not be matched, and he truly did a lot for the game.
His pitching days are nicely summed up in the book. I was captivated by his recounting of the perfect game against the New York Mets. In all of the baseball chapters, the detail was phenominal. I could almost feel myself being at the game in person. The personal stories (i.e. - Ted Williams' 3 strikeouts)were nicely mixed in.
His minor league managerial career is also nicely documented, and I liked getting a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in a professional baseball organization. I was amazed at the amount of politics involved in the front office.
I realize that the chapters on his politcal career had to be included, but they seemed a little long winded. There also seemed to be too much of a do-or-die situation involved every single time he ran for office. It was made out to be more dramatic than it probably was. In all honesty, the end of the book (the politics) got quite dry and I had some trouble staying completely interested like I was with the exciting baseball sections.
Overall, Jim Bunning's book is a pretty decent read. The flow for the first 3-quarters of the book is really smooth, and fairly exciting. The personal stories peppered throughout the book keeps you wanting to read on. It is a must for any fan of the game of baseball.
5 people found this helpful
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J. S. Share
5.0 out of 5 stars Jim Bunning was a man of many talents
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021
I grew up in phillies territory during the 60s and quickly became a Bunning fan. Dad and I watched the Father's Day game in 1964 when he pitched his historic perfect game against the Mets and appeared on Ed Sullivan that night. But what did any of us really know about Bunning other than the numbers on his Topps cards? Veteran sports columnist Frank Dolson writes a compelling account of Bunning's strict life that included politics as well as baseball. Too bad it ends before his Senate career and death. But it is essential reading for the baseball fan.
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