This book about the 69 Mets and their winning the World Series is okay but I have read other books about it that I liked better.

It's been 50 years since Ron Swoboda made his famous catch, 50 years since the Mets went from worst to World Series Champions. In his book Swoboda reflects on his 9 seasons in major league baseball. He is very honest about how he struggled as a player and how he wishes he has played better. He of course talks about the '69 season and how the Mets where the underdogs who no one thought would win it all. Also in the book he tells stories about his teammates and some of baseball greats that he played with and against during his time as a player. He also talks a lot about his friendship with Tug McGraw and how much he misses him.
At the end of the book he reflects on his major league career and talks about him and his teammates will always have the connection because of that '69 season.
"The most intimate connection for me, the reason these words are being committed to paper, is having played on a team that won it all in New York with the Mets in 1969. These relationships, cemented over our single season in the sun, have been the most enduring and will endure for the rest of out days.

I really enjoyed the book. I liked how he was very open and honest about everything. Also, how at the end of the book he mentioned the players wives and their reunion. My only complaint is that the book felt a little jumpy at times but other then that I really like it.


*I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This one gets a barely passable three star rating from me only because I finished it. While he means well in this book, Swoboda seems to be jumping all over the place with his anecdotes. The 1969 season is covered in chronological order, but key pieces seem to be missing. Plus, some of the anecdotes seem have straight out of “Ball Four” - stuff we’ve all read many times before.

This was the third book I have read this year for the 50th anniversary of the Miracle Mets. I would recommend the other two (“After the Miracle” by Art Shamsky and “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done” by Wayne Coffey) over this one.

As a Mets fan, I am excited about all of the books coming out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their World Series win. This book was written by a player on that team and offered a lot of behind the scenes insight that any Mets fan would love! Highly recommend!

Ron Swoboda is an affable everyman who found success in baseball but remained very accessible throughout his life and in HERE'S THE CATCH, he writes about his life and how blessed he has been. Swoboda explains the infamous catch in the World Series (the picture on the cover of the book) and how he probably shouldn't have taken that much of a risk to catch the ball because of how badly it could have ended up had he missed. His humble attitude and matter-of-fact perception carries throughout the whole book and it feels like the reader is hearing stories from their uncle Ron at a family barbeque.
Swoboda takes the reader back to a different time in baseball, a time where players weren't celebrities, or if they were, you could still see them living in your neighborhood. Swoboda's book reminds the reader that being a baseball player was special and unique, but at the same time it is was a job and that comes with frustrations and challenges right along with the happiness. Swoboda also describes family life when a parent is a professional baseball player and those unique obstacles that families must overcome. He describes all of that very straight forward without call for concern or celebration and within the same book tells some great stories about men he played and many of their quirks and fallacies. The balance in those approaches lead to a truly endearing memoir. Swoboda also spend a good amount of time describing life after being a player and how he will forvever be entwined in America's favorite pastime.
HERE'S THE CATCH does what few sports memoirs do: it tells great stories, has a lot of heart, and pays homage to the game gave the writer his success. At the end of the book, Swoboda talks about the 1969 New York Mets team gathering again to remember the past, but the neatest part is he describes in detail how the wives of the 1969 team had there own reunion. Swoboda is a class act and a good writer and I'm glad I came across his book.

It's the 50th anniversary of the Miracle Mets and their 1969 World Series triumph and Ron Swoboda, a key member of the team that rose phoenix from the ashes from last place to first tells the story that only an insider could do so.

The provides his own memories of his contribution to the team in particular his amazing catch that led to the Mets winning Game Four of a tight series.

He is a keen and honest observer who is unafraid to tell it how it was and also criticise the behaviour and attitude of himself as well as others.

We learn much about the chemistry amongst the roster and the massive contribution of manager Gil Hodges - and how Swoboda irretrievably fell out with him, something he now regrets.

It is an easy and concise read which provides warmth and deep insight about what it takes to make a World Champion.

Highly recommended.