Just Tell Me I Can't: How Jamie Moyer Defied the Radar Gun and Defeated Time
Whether you love baseball or don't know the infield from the outfield, this unusual memoir-told in the third person-is nevertheless riveting. Pitcher Moyer entered the record books in 2012 at age 49 as the major league's oldest pitcher to win a game. Despite myriad disappointments and nasty injuries over the course of his career, he keeps coming back-and seems only to improve with age: he won more games in his forties than twenties. His success is largely attributed to his mental discipline, a quality he learned to hone from his mentor, the late Harvey Dorfman, who validated the role of sports psychology in baseball. In many ways, Moyer's story testifies to the importance of mental discipline in baseball. The story is made lucid with the help of co-author Platt, former editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, who lived with the Moyer family during the writing process. Together, the two cover the wins and the losses, plus the development of the Moyer Foundation's Camp Erin, the largest collection of child bereavement camps in the country. This is an appealing story of a sportsman with a good heart and a strong mind.