Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher
by David Cone and Jack Curry
I have to admit that I was never a fan of David Cone and his skill set on the mound. Of course, there were times he was very good but mostly I felt he a just good. However, he was a workhorse and put in tons of innings every season and in his career. He best day was a perfect game against the Expos in 1999. Since then he has played for other teams and went on to be part of a broadcast team for the Yankees. Author David Cone is willing to admit he had some inequities in his career in which he lands on the 1995 American League Division Series and in particular the eighth inning.
He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and made his major league debut with them which was his hometown. He got traded to the Mets and that got him some attention. He got to hurl some big games with some big time results. He talks about the 1988 NLCS against the Dodgers and his poor performance in game two. Again, he beats himself up over it.
David Cone Gets MLB Lessons
Cone was a player for the Yankees in later years and has some great stories to tell in this book. I am not going to tell them a you should buy the book. His greatest take away from his time there was talking and watching the pitching of legends Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite. He goes into some detail about how these guys gave some valuable insight into pitching in the major leagues. The book is the primary subject about the lessons learned.
These people, including Derek Jeter, were a wealth of knowledge into throwing off speed pitches, the art of sign stealing and how they made him and other pitchers better at their craft for just being in the dugout and on the field with them. Cone gives plenty of credit to others that helped solidify his good career in baseball. He credits his father and others that delve into tipping pitches and his encounter with Bert Blyleven in a hotel bar that help him refine some of his pitcher.
Even though I started this review with some negative thoughts about David Cone, this is a very good read for sports fans but even better for baseball nuts and up-and-coming pitchers to purchase and have on their shelf.
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