Review: Swing and A Hit: Nine Innings of What Baseball Taught Me by Paul O’Neill and Jack Curry

 

About the Book

Genre

Non-Fiction

Format

E-ARC

Publisher

Grand Central Publishing

Release Date

May 24, 2022

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The fun and fiery memoir of All Star Yankee and five-time World Champion, Paul O’Neill.

In SWING AND A HIT, O’Neill elaborates on his most important hitting principles, lessons, and memories—exploring those elements across ten chapters (to align with the nine innings of a baseball game and one extra inning). Here, O’Neill, with his intense temperament, describes what he did as a hitter, how he adjusted to pitchers, how he boosted his confidence, how he battled with umpires (and water coolers), and what advice he would give to current hitters. 

O’Neill has always been a tough out at the plate. Recalling how he started to swing at bat as a two-year-old and kept swinging it professionally until he was thirty-eight, O’Neill provides constant insights into the beauty and frustration of playing baseball. The legendary Ted Williams said using a round bat to hit a round ball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. Naturally, O’Neill, who once received a surprise call from Williams that was filled with hitting advice, agrees. 

SWING AND A HIT features O’Neill’s most thoughtful revelations and offers clubhouse stories from some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball—hitters, managers, and teammates like Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Pete Rose, and Bernie Williams. 

Remember, O’Neill, ever the perfectionist, was the type of hitter who believed that pitchers didn’t ever get him out. For that incredible reason and so many others, SWING AND A HIT is essential reading for any baseball fan.

My Review

Let me just start off with, I’ve always been a huge Yankee fan.  Through the magical 1990’s Yankee years, Paul O’Neill was my favorite player.  When I saw he wrote a book, I was excited to read it.  I’m so glad I did.

This book is filled with O’Neill’s memories and hitting techniques.  He has a huge baseball history and has stories to tell about his interactions with such baseball greats as Pete Rose, Derek Jeter and Joe Torre.  It’s a fun book to read and I felt myself reliving the ‘90’s.  A great time to be a Yankee fan.

As I read the book, I felt as if O’Neill was in my living room sharing stories from his baseball career.  I totally enjoyed this one.  I think many Yankee fans will too.

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own