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Veeck--As In Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck
by
Bill Veeck
,
Ed Linn
Bill Veeck was an inspired team builder, a consummate showman, and one of the greatest baseball men ever involved in the game. His classic autobiography, written with the talented sportswriter Ed Linn, is an uproarious book packed with information about the history of baseball and tales of players and owners, including some of the most entertaining stories in all of sports
...more
Paperback
,
400 pages
Published
April 7th 2001
by University Of Chicago Press
(first published 1962)
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Community Reviews
(showing
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2,201)
It’s been 50 years since Bill Veeck unleashed his autobiography
Veeck—as in Wreck
on the literary world. As popular with readers as it was reviled by baseball executives, the book climbed best seller lists in the summer of 1962 and has never faded from sight. In 2002, it claimed a place on Sports Illustrated’s list of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time, ranking 33rd.
Veeck—as in Wreck is still as entertaining today as it was in the ‘60s, though time has tempered some of the harsh criticisms of ...more
Veeck—as in Wreck is still as entertaining today as it was in the ‘60s, though time has tempered some of the harsh criticisms of ...more
"All I was saying was that a losing team, plus bread and circuses, was better than a losing team and a long, still silence."
Thank Bill Veeck for floppy hat night and bobblehead giveaways at the ballpark. He started them. He also was responsible for planting the ivy on the Wrigley Field outfield wall.
A great read for anyone who hopes to own and run a service-related business.
BONUS: I was in a junk shop in Knoxville before my sister's wedding in 2000 and happened upon a slightly worn hardbound edi ...more
Thank Bill Veeck for floppy hat night and bobblehead giveaways at the ballpark. He started them. He also was responsible for planting the ivy on the Wrigley Field outfield wall.
A great read for anyone who hopes to own and run a service-related business.
BONUS: I was in a junk shop in Knoxville before my sister's wedding in 2000 and happened upon a slightly worn hardbound edi ...more
The best baseball biography I have read, with a first person voice akin to Saul Bellow's =Henderson the Rain King=. Grand and playful and a fascinating look at the now lost world of maverick do-it-yourselfer as major sports team owner. The carnival quality of some of Veeck's stunts reminds us that sports should be fun.
I think you have to be a baseball fan to understand all the deals he was making and to better understand the context of it all but what a fascinating life. A very creative business man and man of the people. I was growing up during the latter part of his life with the White Sox (the book is prior to that era)and was aware of him always being out the stands. Pretty cool to get a better understanding of it all.
Quite self-aggrandizing but it is an autobiography. Veeck is quick to remind you that about every good idea was his and every terrible idea was someone else's. He also loves to tell how the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians won pennants under his ownership, but oddly doesn't mention those years with the St. Louis Browns. Forget that the White Sox were a pretty good team when he purchased them. It was also a time when apparently you can go to lunch and wind up buying a baseball team because
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This book made me wish I had met Veeck at some point in my life. He's the kind of guy you want to have a beer with, just sit back and listen. Good read for baseball fans. Also, for people who like to tweak sacred cows.
The best baseball book ever. End of story. Forget the nostalgic, sugary and superstitious story of baseball. Here's the real history of the forties and fifties, told by one of the game's true heroes.
An entertaining autobiography by the man who brought us two of the great American innovations, the exploding scoreboard and a midget ballplayer with a 1.5" strike zone.
One of the most entertaining autobiographies I have ever read. When I finished it, I felt like I had listened to Bill Veeck telling me stories at a bar more than I felt like I had read a book. Veeck was a man far, far ahead of his time in promoting baseball; things like exploding scoreboards, special "Days" at the ballpark, outlandish promotions, and many, many more were originated by this man. (I was sad to learn that Veeck was gone from Chicago before my personal all time favorite event, Disco
...more
This autobiography is a good read for anyone interested in baseball history, baseball business history, the backstage happenings of the sport and some funny stories. Bill Veeck was certainly one of a kind. I actually enjoyed the first part of the book more than the rest. This was where I learned many things, including:
* that Bill’s dad was President of the Cubs from 1917--1933
* that they won the Nat’l League pennant in 1918
* Bill’s dad was always Mr. Veeck, was a journalist before becoming Pres ...more
* that Bill’s dad was President of the Cubs from 1917--1933
* that they won the Nat’l League pennant in 1918
* Bill’s dad was always Mr. Veeck, was a journalist before becoming Pres ...more
As I noted in a status update, Veeck was fully aware that he would go down in history as the guy who sent a midget to bat. He was fine with that, but this book shows there was a lot more to the man. And it doesn't hurt that he can tell a good story.
Baseball is a game that was built on big characters. They seem to be missing from the game today. Sure, some of the players can be a little wacky (e.g. Manny Ramirez), but most of the personality has left the owner's boxes. Baseball's aristocracy does ...more
Baseball is a game that was built on big characters. They seem to be missing from the game today. Sure, some of the players can be a little wacky (e.g. Manny Ramirez), but most of the personality has left the owner's boxes. Baseball's aristocracy does ...more
“Eddie,” I said gently, “I’m going to be up on the roof with a high-powered rifle watching every move you make. If you so much as look as if you’re going to swing, I’m going to shoot you dead.”
In August of 1951, as owner of the hapless St. Louis Browns, Bill Veeck, sent 3’7” Eddie Gaedel to the plate against the Detroit Tigers. Gaedel signed a real contract, was given the number “1/8,” and was wheeled up to the plate in a giant cake, out of which he stepped before taking his crouched stance in t ...more
In August of 1951, as owner of the hapless St. Louis Browns, Bill Veeck, sent 3’7” Eddie Gaedel to the plate against the Detroit Tigers. Gaedel signed a real contract, was given the number “1/8,” and was wheeled up to the plate in a giant cake, out of which he stepped before taking his crouched stance in t ...more
I have to say as someone who has read numerous books on baseball, that this is at the top of my list. Veeck was one of the true characters of the game of baseball. Veeck got his start in baseball due to the fact his father worked for the Wrigley's in the Chicago Cubs organization. After the death of his father, Veeck stayed on and worked for the Cubs. From there he went on to own the Milwaukee Brewers (the just a minor league baseball team), the Clevelend Indians, the infamous St. Louise Browns,
...more
hey just don't make baseball owners like Bill Veeck anymore, and it is our loss. Maverick, visionary, and showman extraordinaire; Bill had a ball setting baseball's staid establishment on its ear with his unorthodox tactics, mischievous spirit, and wild promotions. He was an every-man who never lost the common touch, and believed that to be the secret of his success. His promotions and gimmicks bedeviled and enraged his fellow owners and the purists within the mort bound baseball establishment w
...more
The most interesting arc this book manages to portray is the outside perspective of Veeck with the inner workings of his conscious mind. Which never seem to coincide with one another. Self-proclaimed enemies intertwine with his closest of friends, he runs successful operations while he fails at others, and he is prophetic yet unable to win the trust of any other owner. At the end of the day, his dire need to stay out of his fathers shadow leads him to a life of unconformity and political incorre
...more
Aug 25, 2010
Spiros
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anybody who believes that Baseball is supposed to be fun
Simply put, Bill Veeck was one of my all-time favorite Americans, a man who started with something and recurrently risked it all in the interest of giving people a good show. His father, William Veeck, was a Chicago journalist who was hired by William Wrigley to run the Chicago Cubs. Wiped out by the Great Depression, Veeck Sr. was unable to leave his offspring any great financial wealth, but he left his son a huge capital of goodwill in the Game, which Bill was able to draw upon over his years
...more
This was Erica's choice for Book Forcening.
Some of the things Veeck did as a ball club owner are things familiar to anyone who attends games today. But some of the things he got up to (particularly surrounding the business side of the game) I cannot even imagine happening nowadays. Veeck definitely blazed his own trail, and he seems like the kind of guy who would be fun to gab a drink with.
I'm not very knowledgeable on MLB history, so it's kind of fun to read about times when teams either didn't ...more
Some of the things Veeck did as a ball club owner are things familiar to anyone who attends games today. But some of the things he got up to (particularly surrounding the business side of the game) I cannot even imagine happening nowadays. Veeck definitely blazed his own trail, and he seems like the kind of guy who would be fun to gab a drink with.
I'm not very knowledgeable on MLB history, so it's kind of fun to read about times when teams either didn't ...more
This should be required reading for anyone wanting to own a professional sports franchise. I was amazed at how a book written 52 years ago is full of great ideas and common sense logic that is still in short supply by owners today. Veeck knew how to run a team, and all gimmicks and promotions aside, he was wise beyond his years. You cannot refute this, either, because reading his autobiography with fifty two years of hindsight and history vindicates the man and his ideas. I was amazed at how bac
...more
Veeck is at his best in writing the interesting tale of the circus that was his life in baseball. Full of humor, baseball, and anecdotes. A very fun read from one of the quirkiest men to ever own a team.
I feel like, were I 20 years older and read this when it first came out in the early 80s, I would've found it amazing. Instead, not so much. Kinda' want to give it 2.5 stars, but it's not an option.
At times the book gets lost in bookkeeping, but the stories about the period of his life in Milwaukee and Cleveland were great.
Still, for anybody interested in Veeck and/or baseball history of the 40s through 70s, it's an important book to read. Again, it might just be my problem. Those are probably t ...more
At times the book gets lost in bookkeeping, but the stories about the period of his life in Milwaukee and Cleveland were great.
Still, for anybody interested in Veeck and/or baseball history of the 40s through 70s, it's an important book to read. Again, it might just be my problem. Those are probably t ...more
A quick and delightful read by and about one of baseball's most colorful personalities.
This book is almost 50 years old (written in 1962). A very entertaining book written by a guy who preferred to do things his own way, and was definitely not afraid to rock the boat. In fact, he often insisted in rocking the boat because it needed to be rocked.
I think you don't even have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Bill Veeck's story. This is the second time I've read this book. He had a different way of looking at things, and one can argue it was often a better way.
I think you don't even have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Bill Veeck's story. This is the second time I've read this book. He had a different way of looking at things, and one can argue it was often a better way.
Dec 12, 2013
David
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
any baseball fan
One of the funniest books a baseball fan could ever want. First read it in the '60s when Veeck was still active and re-read in 1976. He was responsible for many fan-friendly enhancements to sporting events, including fireworks when the home teams hit a home run or won a game.
Lots of serious material, too, about how Veeck overcame financial difficulties to become an owner and about his battles with stick-in-the-mud old-time owners. But still humorous throughout.
Lots of serious material, too, about how Veeck overcame financial difficulties to become an owner and about his battles with stick-in-the-mud old-time owners. But still humorous throughout.
A book about Veeck's life as a baseball owner, and from the midget batters to the fireworks shows and giveaways, there certainly has no lack of amusing and colorful anecdotes. I never understood how
the baseball speech in Field of Dreams
correlated to the comparatively sterile, corporate form of baseball today, but Veecks freewheeling style of running a baseball team harkens back to that era.
Entertaining and rambling autobiography of one of the most interesting team owners in baseball history. Veeck was a guy who had a million war stories to tell, and he tells them in full yarn-spinning style, with all the strengths (funny, insightful, spontaneous) and weaknesses (disorganized, sometimes overextended) thereof. Great for baseball history fans or people interested in the politicking behind a professional sports league.
I dunno. Wanted to love this, and Veeck is definitely a charming personality, but this felt a bit more like myth-making than storytelling. And his descriptions of the entire Eddie Gaedel affair made my skin crawl.
A rather bawdy autobiography of the flamboyant owner of major league teams. . . . He's the one who had a midget pinch hit when he owned a team. He developed the exploding scoreboard whene owned the Chicago White Sox. This book provides him a voice. He lost a leg at Guadalcanal but persevered and became a legendary (and not always popular among his peers) owner of baseball teams. . . .
A difficult read for me, due the Veeck's sort of rambling and hopping around with little points of reference, especially in the beginning. Once I got into the groove of the writing, there were a lot of humorous moments and also historic moments. Overall, it was a hard read with a gold nugget thrown in every chapter or two.
Veeck’s days in Major League Baseball go all the way back to the Cubs teams of the 30s. The best part of the book is seeing how baseball functioned back then. Veeck’s airing of grievances and dislike for other baseball movers and shakers, and the nasty disputes they had, gets a little tedious as the book goes on.
A good little bit of history and an inside look at how the MLB worked behind the scenes in the last century. Old Veeck had some axes to grind as he tells his story, but it's mostly good fun. A warning to the White Sox fans, he doesn't get to the south side until about 300 pages in. Warning: midgets!
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“To give one can of beer to a thousand people is not nearly as much fun as to give 1,000 cans of beer to one guy. You give a thousand people a can of beer and each of them will drink it, smack his lips and go back to watching the game. You give 1,000 cans to one guy, and there is always the outside possibility that 50,000 people will talk about it.”
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