Swing and a Hit: Nine Innings of What Baseball Taught Me (PB)

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

In SWING AND A HIT, ONeill elaborates on his most important hitting principles, lessons, and memoriesexploring those elements across ten chapters (to align with the nine innings of a baseball game and one extra inning). Here, ONeill, 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.

ONeill 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, ONeill 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, ONeill, who once received a surprise call from Williams that was filled with hitting advice, agrees.

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

Remember, ONeill, ever the perfectionist, was the type of hitter who believed that pitchers didnt ever get him out. For that incredible reason and so many others, SWING AND A HIT is essential reading for any baseball fan.

• Author: Paul O’Neill and Jack Curry