CLOSE
The Corporal Was a Pitcher
The Corporal Was a Pitcher

The Corporal Was a Pitcher

The Courage of Lou Brissie
By Ira Berkow, Foreword by Tom Brokaw

SPORTS & RECREATION

272 Pages, 6 x 9

Formats: Cloth, EPUB, Mobipocket, PDF

Cloth, $24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $27.95)

ISBN 9781600781049

Rights: WOR

Triumph Books (Feb 2009)

eBook

eBook Editions Available

Will it work on my eReader?
Price: $24.95
 
Google Preview
9781600781049
Media Copy

Overview

Lou Brissie's extraordinary story is one that takes readers from the terrifying battlefields in Europe in World War II to the playing fields in Philadelphia. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ira Berkow brings together the unforgettable memories of a hero's life, telling the tales of a man who overcame incredible odds with his leg in a protective metal case to realize his dream of pitching in the major leagues. Brissie recounts amazing stories, including Brissie’s leg injury and how he was left for dead in the snow and mud of the Appenines in Italy, his pleading with doctors to not surgically remove his leg so that he might one day play professional baseball, the numerous surgeries and his improbable road to recovery, his friendship with Connie Mack and the opportunity to pitch after his injury, being named to the 1949 All-Star team as member of the Philadelphia Athletics, the big scare Brissie received when a Ted Williams line drive struck his wounded leg, and his regular visits for the past 60 years to both veteran's hospitals and children's hospital wards. The Corporal Was a Pitcher is a must-read not only for baseball fans, but also for anyone looking to find inspiration from a man who never quit despite the odds being stacked so highly against him.

Author Biography

Ira Berkow
See Author
Ira Berkow is a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for more than 25 years. He won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of 18 books, including the bestsellers Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar and Red: A Biography of Red Smith, as well as two memoirs, Full Swing and To the Hoop. Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life, cowritten and edited by Mr. Berkow, was a primary source for the award-winning documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. He lives in New York City. Tom Brokaw is a television journalist and the bestselling author of the book The Greatest Generation.

Media

Online Athens talks to Lou Brissie about The Corporal Was a Pitcher and previews his upcoming book signing.
Read Now
MLB.com covers the courageous story of The Corporal Was a Pitcher.
Read Now
WJBF-TV covers the book signing event for The Corporal Was a Pitcher and talks to Lou Brissie.
Watch Now
Cleveland.com gives The Corporal Was a Pitcher credit as a terrific read.
Read Now
Ed Sherman on Crain's Blogs talks a look at the Chicago spin on Ira Berkow's The Corporal Was a Pitcher.
Read Now
The Daily Citizen talks about the patriotic tale of The Corporal Was a Pitcher.
Read Now
IndyStar.com gives a great review to The Corporal Was a Pitcher.
Read Now
Farther Off the Wall takes a look at the heroic tale of The Corporal Was a Pitcher.
Read Now
The Corporal Was a Pitcher shows up in Newsday with a
terrific review.
terrific review.
Read Now
The Corporal Was a Pitcher is highlighted in the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the best baseball books of 2009.
"
Read Now

Book Signings

Past Events

Sep
12
Lou Brissie - "The Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
Savannah, GA
2:00pm
Aug
22
Lou Brissie - "The Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
Athens, GA
1:00pm
May
15
Lou Brissie - "The Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
Augusta , GA
6:00pm
Apr
18
Lou Brissie - "The Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
Augusta , GA
1:00pm
Apr
18
Lou Brissie - "The Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
Augusta , GA
6:00pm
Mar
26
Lou Brissie and Ira Berkow "Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
North Augusta, SC
7:00pm
Mar
07
Lou Brissie and Ira Berkow "Corporal Was a Pitcher" ›
Hartboro, PA
11:00am

Press Releases

After suffering a catastrophic leg injury from mortar fragments in Italy during World War II, Lou Brissie pleaded with his doctor:

"You can't take my leg off.  I'm a ballplayer.  I can't play on one leg."
"You will die if we don't."
"Doc," Brissie said quietly, "I'll take my chances."

Lou Brissie's extraordinary story is one that takes you from the terrifying battlefields in Europe to the playing fields in Philadelphia.  Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ira Berkow brings together all of these unforgettable memories of a hero's life in The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie, telling the tales of a man who overcame incredible odds with his leg in a protective metal case to realize his dream of pitching in the major leagues.

Brissie recounts amazing stories that are sure to captivate anyone who picks up The Corporal Was a Pitcher, including:

  • His leg injury and how he was left for dead in the snow and mud of the Appenines in Italy
  • The numerous surgeries and his improbable road to recovery
  • His friendship with Connie Mack and the opportunity to pitch after his injury
  • Being named to the 1949 All-Star team as member of the Philadelphia Athletics
  • The big scare Brissie received when a Ted Williams line drive struck his wounded leg
  • His regular visits for the past 60 years to both veteran's hospitals and children's hospital wards


Lou Brissie is a part of our nation's "greatest generation," and his stories from his time serving in World War II to playing professional baseball for the Philadelphia A's to visiting wounded veterans throughout his life make him a role model for everyone.  The Corporal Was a Pitcher is a must-read not only for baseball fans, but also for anyone looking to find inspiration from a man who never quit despite the odds being stacked so highly against him.

About the Author:
Ira Berkow, a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for more than 25 years, won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of 18 books, including the best sellers Red: A Biography of Red Smith and Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar, as well as two memoirs, Full Swing and To the Hoop. Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life, cowritten and edited by Mr. Berkow and published by Triumph Books, was a primary source for the award-winning documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. Mr. Berkow lives in New York City.

###


CONTACT: Bill Ames, Triumph Books, 312.252.1248, b.ames@triumphbooks.com