In Swing and Hit, O'Neill elaborates on his most important hitting principles, lessons, and memories--exploring those elements across ten chapters (to align with the nine innings of a baseball game and one extra inning). Here, O'Neill, with his intense temperament, describes what he did as a hitter, how he adjusted to pitchers, how he boosted his confidence, how he battled with umpires (and water coolers), and what advice he would give to current hitters.
O'Neill has always been a tough out at the plate. Recalling how he started to swing at bat as a two-year-old and kept swinging it professionally until he was thirty-eight, O'Neill provides constant insights into the beauty and frustration of playing baseball. The legendary Ted Williams said using a round bat to hit a round ball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. Naturally, O'Neill, who once received a surprise call from Williams that was filled with hitting advice, agrees.
Swing and Hit features O'Neill's most thoughtful revelations and offers clubhouse stories from some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball--hitters, managers, and teammates like Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Pete Rose, and Bernie Williams.
Remember, O'Neill, ever the perfectionist, was the type of hitter who believed that pitchers didn't ever get him out. For that incredible reason and so many others, Swing and Hit is essential reading for any baseball fan.
Jack Curry is an award-winning sports journalist who is an analyst on the Yankees' pregame and postgame shows on the YES Network, where he has worked since 2010. He has won six New York Emmy Awards. Before joining YES, he covered baseball for twenty seasons at the New York Times, first as a Yankees' beat writer and then as a national baseball correspondent. Curry is the author ofThe 1998 Yankees and coauthor of the bestsellers, Full Count with David Cone and The Life You Imagine with Derek Jeter. He currently lives in New Jersey.
Benjamin Hoffman is a sportswriter and editor.
Then turn to the sports section where you can read Paul O’Neill and Curry on the time Ted Williams called O’Neill to help him climb out of a funk. (It’s an excerpt from their new book that comes out tomorrow):
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Best Books of 2022: Swing and a Hit: Nine Innings of What Baseball Taught Me by Paul O’Neill and @JackCurryYES https://t.co/yemovEHJa1 #writers #writerslife #writingcommunity #podcast #bookradar #books #WBPN https://t.co/iXgJXtYRqO
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🌅 A morning listen: Yankee fans called in, including @wnyc's own @BrianLehrer, to talk to @PaulONeillYES & sports journalist @JackCurryYES about Paul's new memoir "Swing and a Hit: Nine Innings of What Baseball Taught Me". 🎙️ https://www.wnyc.org/story/yankees-legend-paul-oneill-takes-your-calls