Jackie Got A Gun
In one wild tale, a Cuban player named Juan Visteur, who was a good center fielder but an atrocious base runner, never wanted to stop at third base. He was always thrown out by a mile when heading for home plate, despite McKeon’s repeated screams of “whoa.” McKeon told Visteur that he was going to shoot him if he ever did it again. One day, he thought that might really be a great idea.
“I had picked up a couple blank guns in Greensboro (N.C.) and was going to put them to good use with Juan. I stuck the guns in my back pocket and went out to coach third. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Juan ran right through my stop sign. The second baseman had knocked down the ball and Juan thought it was in the outfield. Juan must have thought I was saying, “Go, go,” and off he went, right past me. So I did what I told him I was going to do: I shot him.
“Pow! Pow!”
It was like Saturday afternoon at the movies. I must have fired seven or eight shots, and Juan heard them all. About 30 feet from home he ducked for cover. As it turned out, they threw the ball away and he would have been safe, but he wouldn’t move. He was scared to death. He thought he was shot. After that, I never had a problem with him running through my stop sign. Like I said, you just have to be creative.”
The 74-year-old New Jersey native could no doubt fill several volumes with zany tales from his countless days at the ballpark. However, this latest account, co-authored with Kevin Kernan, is much more. McKeon says that it is family, faith and baseball are the threads that have held his life together.
Life 101
Jack is an instinctive baseball guy. His family has been more of a learning process. He admits that he wasn’t around enough for his children, but he has become a devoted grandfather and husband. He’s a spiritual person who attends Mass almost every day, and does volunteer work whenever possible.
No better anecdote describes the man and his personality better than this: He refers to a Miami group called Ascending Life, which stresses that senior citizens (who McKeon calls seasoned citizens) get and stay involved in many activities. The archdiocesan director, Hugh Clear, says the organization’s motto is “Live while you live.”
Jack McKeon has done that and then some, and as he says, he’s just getting started.
Our Take:
Jack is cigar-chomping, living inspiration to everyone over the age of 65 who can still handle a field, not be put out to pasture in it. His wit and wisdom are still sharp, even though, back in 2003, someone had to tell him where his triple-A team had moved (Canada, Albuquerque. They send us players, right?)
Fish fans, who generally love Jack when the Florida Marlins are winning, and curse him every time he forgets to have his players do their community gigs, are not likely to change much of their thinking after sitting down with “I’m Just Getting Started.”
Jack fans from his Padres or Reds stints will enjoy the trip around the memory base path, and A’s fans might be inspired to pull out their Jack voodoo dolls again.
Readers get a peek into McKeon’s more serious side, but the numerous laugh-out-loud situations are the highlight of this book and from the career of a baseball nut.
We'd take issue with the bit of cover hyperbolie about Jack being the best storyteller in baseball. The writing outside of the quotes isn't very strong and the emphasis on the lighter moments keeps it from being a landmark book of the sport. Still, Jack's improbable life story is fun reading, and a great gift for the baseball fan who likes stories of the colorful personalities of the National Pastime.
Reviewed by Todd Mishler for Minor League News
