“THE BEST MLB CATCHERS OF ALL TIME” 

Many years ago my son was a pitcher for his Khoury League baseball team.  There were some euphoric moments when the ball sailed out of his hand, right on target, and the final batter was called out.  You could hear the thump as the catcher made a perfect move slightly to the left and held up the ball with his gloved hand.   The parents cheered and both catcher and pitcher grinned from ear to ear.  There were other times not so glorious, but that’s the name of the game.

The above book is a wonderful history of the outstanding catchers of this great American pastime, both for the audience and its legend of players.  And they are what legends are made of as exemplified in this book written by Bo Smolka and published by ABDO PUBLISHING COMPANY.

The greats are all here:  Gabby Hartnett, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Thurman Munson, Gary Carter, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Piazza, Jorge Posada, Joe Mauer, and Yadier Molina.  They played for all the exciting Pennant and World Series teams.  They came from various parts of the country and represented an outstanding team spirit and talent.  Regardless of the weather, crowd, or stadium, they were there time after time to get the job done and help produce a winning game.

I recently met, Noah, an eleven year old.  He is the catcher for his baseball team. Even though squatting for so many innings is sometimes hard, I could see the excitement in his eyes as he talked about his favorite baseball position.  This is a great book for young baseball team players, even those that don’t have strong knees, thighs, and great eye hand coordination.  Noah stated he was looking forward to receiving this book “The Best MLB Catchers of All Times.”  It will be my pleasure to share it with him.  Exciting game and exciting book!