On the Run: The Never Dull and Often Shocking Life of Maury Wills

One day the Hall of Fame for this childhood idol of mine. Growing-up in Los Angeles during the 1960s, the Dodgers and Maury Wills were a huge part of my life. The man that literally brought the art of base stealing back to the major leagues. One of the most exciting moments of the game, was his 1962 quest to break Ty Cobb's stolen base record, and becoming the first major leaguer to ever steal over 100 bases in a single season. He accomplished this back in 1962 with his 104. This was the year that Dodger Stadium first opened, and I remember the magic of being there that year, for my first major league game at the age of 7, against the dreaded San Francisco Giants. Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Tommy Davis, Don Drysdale; these were the guys I grew up admiring. But Mr. Wills takes us on a behind the scenes journey that can be quite humorous, like when he first broke into the league and is given the inside ropes by catcher Johnny Roseboro. The glamorous, like being admired by Doris Day, an adoring fan, and eventual good friend. Or his being able to impress a female acquaintance by dropping by the "Western White House" on a whim, and actually being received in for her to meet Richard Nixon. Then things get quite dark, especially after retirement and the spiraling downfall of substance abuse. Its amazing how low an individual can go when their life is controlled by addictions. Even his love life was extremely soured by an unfaithful partner, that even stooped so low as to perform sexual intercourse with Maury's own son Bump Wills, also a former major leaguer, in Maury's own home while he's there! Totally shattering the already fragile relationship he had with his son. Maury's life hits rock bottom, and it's frankly told like few others ever put into print, but ends on a positive upward note. I'm fortunate enough to have an autographed copy.

THID IS THE STORY OF FORMER DODGER GREAT MAURY WILLS. HE STORY IS TRULY FASCINATING. I FOUND HIS ADDICTION TO BE MORE INTERESTING THAN HIS BASEBALL CAREER. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS TO SEE WHAT DRUGS SEX AND ALCOHOL CAN DRIVE A PERSON TO DO. I THINK MAURY IS QUITE HONEST AND DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING THE FELLINGS AND STATE OF MIND HE WAS IN DURING THE DAYS OF HIS ADDICTION. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR EVERYONE. QUITE AN ADVENTURE INTO THE MIND OF THE ADDICT.

Yes, you will find lots of stats and an inside look at the game of baseball. Maury will tell you how he stole the 104 bases, sized up the pitchers and what drove him to be the best. He will even give you insights into other players of his era. If the book had stopped here, It would have been a great sports biography. Lucky for You (the reader) there's more. It is one of the most touchingly human true stories you'll find. Maury recounts his life from his childhood in The Projects, in Washington, D.C., through 1988. He will let you feel how racism, romances and the sports media affected his life on and off the field, The payoff begins, however, in what happened to his life after he was fired, as a manager, from the Seattle Mariners. Yes, this gifted athlete, this deeply moral person who didn't even believe in smoking in front of his young fans became an alcoholic/addict. This book, then, was not written to be a simple sports autobiography. It was written to give hope to the addict who still suffers, it was meant to be of service. Maury wants to let you know that it can happen to anyone but also wants you to know that you can recover. He tells you what was true for him in each of these situations. Maury Wills speaks with courage, truth and conviction from a very tender heart. Mike Celizic writes the story with honesty, compassion and a style that makes it a great read.