Here we go again.
Way back in 1988, Dave Winfield wrote an autobiography about his life called, naturally, "Winfield: A Player's Life.' I read it and even reviewed it for The Buffalo News, saying that it caused a few headlines because it talked about how George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees could be a difficult personality in his dealings with people. OK, maybe that's not breaking news, but it did fill the New York City tabloids with headlines for a few days.
We're coming up on the 40th anniversary of that book, and Winfield is back with another autobiography. This time he more or less completes his life story with "Touching All the Bases." This one is an improvement over the first time around, although it's not the most dramatic book on the shelf.
Winfield was by most standards an amazing athlete. He was big (6-foot-6), strong and fast, and drafted by three major sports. (Hockey somehow passed him, up although a large, quick guy on skates might have terrorized opponents.) Winfield chose baseball, and didn't play a single day in the minor leagues. He was one of the first stars in the history of the San Diego Padres' franchise.
But in 1981, Dave was ready for free agency. He signed a huge contract with the Yankees, after considerable wooing from Steinbrenner. George made a big mistake in that record deal - not noticing that Winfield had a cost-of-living elevator clause in the deal that turned out to be a heck of a yearly bonus. Steinbrenner seemed to take it out on Winfield in an odd way - attack the outfielder's charitable foundation. That first book was written in the middle of that dispute.
So Book Number Two tells the rest of the story. The controversy eventually settled on the story of Howie Spira, who had tried and failed to work for Winfield and then offered to dig up dirt on the star for Steinbrenner. George accepted. That eventually led to a ban from baseball for Steinbrenner, although he was allowed to run the Yankees again a few years later.
By that time, Winfield had left the Bronx Zoo. He eventually played for the Angels, Blue Jays, Twins and Indians - winning his only World Series ring with the Blue Jays. He finished his career with 3,110 hits and 465 homers - skating his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame without a problem. Since then, Dave has worked in a few different areas. He did some broadcasting, but seemed to have trouble fitting into a niche. Winfield spent considerable time with the Players Association.
He comes off here as a great player and a good person, with his heart in the right place in several areas. It's hard to say if he completely knew what he was about to go through when he signed with the Yankees. Winfield might have been happier had he stayed in a place like San Diego or Minnesota for almost all of his career, where he could have felt at home and worried about hitting and catching baseballs. But the association lingers, in part because of the disagreements with Steinbrenner. No wonder he's wearing pinstripes in the cover photo.
It might have been better if "Touching All the Bases" had been published a little earlier in his life. You'd have to be at least 40 to remember him in his prime, when he was one of the top all-around players in the game. But what we have is quite readable, and it offers some insight into a baseball life.
Three stars
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