Just Tell Me I Can't
Long-time fans of the National Pastime have known Moyer's name for more than 25 years. That's because he's been pitching in the bigs for all those years.
With his trademark three pitches - slow, slower, and slowest - the left-handed Moyer is a pinpoint specialist whose won-lost record actually got better as he got older - from his 20s to his 30s and into 40s. He's only a few wins shy of 300 for his amazing career.
But this is where the book takes an unusual turn. Moyer was just about finished as a big leaguer in his mid-20s until he fatefully encountered a gravel-voiced, highly confrontational sports psychologist named Harvey Dorfman. Listening to the 'in-your-face' insights of Dorfman, Moyer began to re-invent himself and reconstruct his approach to his game. Moyer went on to become an All-Star and also a World Series champion.
Yogi Berra once observed that 'Half of this game is 90% mental.' And Moyer's memoir proves it.
Jamie Moyer is now 50 years old, and by all accounts, he has finished his big league career, although he is occasionally asked if he might return to the mound. He started pitching in the majors in 1986.
Larry Platt served for years as the editor of the Philadelphia Daily News and has written for the NY Times Magazine, GQ, New York, Men's Journal and many others.