TOM SEAVER: Portrait of a Pitcher

by Malka with Tom Seawr Drucker ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 1978

Drucker introduces a gung-ho but disappointed eight-year-old Seaver, a year too young for the North Fresno Rotary team; and though subsequently a formidable little Leaguer, he is dejected again in high school when he appears to be too small to make the big leagues. But Tom is already admired for ""using his head"" on the diamond; that, his ""tremendous will to win,"" and a lucky late growth spurt land him a USC scholarship and, the next year, precocious prominence with the then-laughable Mets--whose self-fulfilling ""losing image"" he sets out to spoil. With the Mets Tom pushes for perfection, learns to aim for consistency, encourages teammates when his own star status is secure; and, several high-achieving seasons, games, and records later, a tearful Seaver reacts to ""the most unpopular trade in baseball history""--one that prompted Nader himself to form an organization for fans' rights. Though Drucker fails to take up Seaver's introductory characterization of his pitching as an art form comparable to the dance, she mercifully eschews the usual breezy sports-bio slang and comes through with a rounder than usual career rundown.

Pub Date: April 15, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION