JIM PALMER: Great Comeback Competitor

This life of pitcher Jim Palmer is more a history of the Orioles than a biography. Cohen deftly handles the game-by-game record of the ballclub, both with Palmer and others on the mound, but offers little insight into the man. We don't learn of the existence of his children or about his off-season activities until the book's final paragraphs, seemingly added as an afterthought. The only clues to the personality of the three-time winner of the Cy Young Award are Cohen's examples of his outspokenness, and his demonstration of Palmer's moral fiber that translates into a remarkable comeback ability. In uninspiring prose, a mere scorecard of Palmer's career.