Steve Blass – A Pirate for Life
Some stars rise to the pinnacle of the game slowly and come back down at the same rate. Others reach the pinnacle and in one quick move come screaming back to earth at an alarming speed. Steve Blass unfortunately falls into that second category. Throughout his career, Blass was a superstar pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but then one day he lost it all. He basically lost all his pitching control and was unable to find home plate again. No reason was ever figured out for Blass’ loss of control but it became a career destroying problem. Today’s book takes a look at how perseverance and a positive attitude can help you make lemonade out of lemons in this game of life.
By:Steve Blass -Triumph Books 2012
Steve Blass had a pretty good career. The only problem was it was cut short due to a baffling illness. He lost all his control and his career plummeted. Most players that would be the end of the story but luckily for baseball fans, that is not the end of his story. Steve Blass turned his damaged and essentially dead career into a lifetime of being a contributing member of the proud Pittsburgh Pirates family.
A Pirate for Life takes a look at Steve’s entire life. From his humble upbringings to his rise to stardom on the mound. You see his World Series triumphs as well as a few bumps along the way. You get an in-depth look at the ultimate demise of his career and the toll it takes on him personally. All that being said you see Steve Blass’ perseverance and strength come through. You see him embark on a new career and becoming his own institution in Pittsburgh as a member of the broadcast team. It shows the type of quality person Steve Blass is and how he overcame his obstacles to build a life and career he can be proud of.
Personal strength is an underlying theme in this book, and I think it unintentionally gives the reader the message that with confidence, dedication and whatever your own measure of strength is, you can attain anything you wish. It is a nice message that I feel is born out of the story and really not something you get in a baseball book that often.
All baseball fans will enjoy this. It is an interesting story both on and off the field, and its underlying message is one that will benefit everyone. Sometimes you life plan doesn’t work out as expected, but in the end result may be greater than you could have ever imagined.
You can get this book from the nice folks at Triumph Books
Happy Reading
Gregg
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