Throwing Hard Easy

Robin Roberts (1926–2010) was a Major League pitcher who spent most of his career with the Phillies and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. He is the coauthor of The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant (with C. Paul Rogers III). C. Paul Rogers III is the coauthor of several books, including Lucky Me: My Sixty-Five Years in Baseball (with Eddie Robinson).

"Named to the Hall of Fame in 1976, the great Phillies pitcher tosses an appealing matter-of-fact autobiography, a kind of all-American tale."—Library Journal "Robin Roberts is one of the greatest competitors that I have ever had an opportunity to watch play in any sport. I greatly appreciate him sharing his experiences with fans like me."—Bob Knight "Robin Roberts has written one of the best baseball books I've ever read, and I've read a ton of them. . . . Roberts is the best storyteller in sports. This book is packed with all of Robin's best stories. You are going to love it. You'll read this in one sitting."—Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic "Only a handful of pitchers in baseball history have won 20 games six years in a row. You can't do that without possessing a great arm, some smarts, and terrific athleticism. I can't attest to Robin's arm because back when it was strong, I was too young to judge it. But I do have the privilege of knowing him now, 40 years after his last pitch. His intellect is rare--he's as bright and curious as a 20-year-old rookie and as wise as Solomon. As for his athletic ability, I played golf with him a few years ago in Arizona; he shot a legitimate 79 at the age of 73. Enough said."—Dale Petroskey, former executive vice president of marketing for the Texas Rangers and former executive of the National Baseball Hall of Fame "C. Paul Rogers' effort has produced a solid and admirable record of the career and life of an enduringly good man who earned the respect of both his colleagues and fans through his honesty, loyalty, tireless work ethic, professionalism, personal integrity and simple decency."—Robert Ciaffa, AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature

• Foreword by James Roberts Introduction by C. Paul Rogers IIIForeword by Stan MusialAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Getting StartedChapter 2: Leaving HomeChapter 3: In the ProsChapter 4: '49Chapter 5: The Whiz Kids Take the PennantChapter 6: AftermathChapter 7: A Different GameChapter 8: The Off-Seasons: Barnstorming and Working for a LivingChapter 9: Innings, Innings, and More InningsChapter 10: The Downhill SlideChapter 11: With the Yankees Oh So BrieflyChapter 12: New BeginningsChapter 13: Can We Go Home Now?Chapter 14: The Players' AssociationChapter 15: Life After BaseballEpilogueRobin Roberts' Career StatisticsIndex