We Could'Ve Finished Last Without You: An Irreverent Look at the Atlanta Braves, the Losingest Team in Baseball for the Past 25 Years
Brand: Brand: Longstreet Pr
Categories: Books, Sports & Outdoors, Miscellaneous

Book by Hope, Bob

Used Book in Good Condition

Dimensions: 6.75 x 1 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-13: 978-0929264844
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0929264843
Publisher: Longstreet Pr
Print length: 215 pages
Publication date: January 1, 1991
subtitle: Hardcover – January 1, 1991
author: Bob Hope
review: Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly The author is not the world-famed comic, but was, rather, the PR director and vice-president of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 1979. During his tenure the team record was terrible. In the last quarter-century the Braves have finished last eight times and acquired a percentage of .402, worst in the major leagues. Player attitudes are encapsulated in the anecdote related here about the day the team's bus driver got lost and no Brave volunteered to help him, on the grounds that "if they can't find us, they can't beat us." To keep attendance up, Hope arranged all sorts of bizarre promotions, including an egg hunt and an ostrich race. And then there was Ted Turner, who bought the team in 1976 and was himself great publicity: iconoclastic, volatile, unpredictable. This account of a wacky era is lively indeed. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Baseball's Braves (Boston, Milwaukee, and most recently Atlanta) have been the most inept ballclub of the last 20 years. Now they're the subject of Hope's fine chronicle. Beginning as the team's public relations assistant, Hope managed to become vice president before leaving the team. While the Braves have been truly awful many times during his tenure, Hope's account demonstrates that working for a losing team doesn't mean you can't have fun. Drawing fans to see a bad baseball team is a seemingly impossible task, but public relations genius Hope was always able to fill the stadium. His hilarious accounts of his many stunts will interest baseball buffs and provide many enjoyable moments. Intertwined with his story of the Braves are the eccentric antics of the team's owner Ted Turner, who has tried, but failed, to bring winning baseball to Atlanta. This is a first-rate book, light-hearted and entertaining, and highly recommended for public and school libraries. - William O. Scheeren, Hempfield Area H.S. Lib., Greensburg, Pa. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.