Planet of the Umps

A Baseball Life from Behind the Plate

Ken Kaiser and David Fisher

St. Martin's Paperbacks

Download Image Ken Kaiser and David Fisher Planet of the Umps

Available Formats

BookeBook
After calling balls, strikes, and outs for thirty-six baseball seasons and more than 3000 major league games, umpire Ken Kaiser finally called it a career. From the first day he hit a minor league catcher with a pool table to the fateful day baseball called him out on a strike, Kaiser was one of the game's most popular and colorful characters. And in this autobiography-written with the co-author of Ron Luciano's classic bestseller The Umpire Strikes Back - Kaiser brings to life his wild adventures from the pro wrestling arena to the baseball diamond.

This is the hysterically true story of four decades of baseball as lived and loved on the playing field, from Ted Williams and Billy Martin to Derek Jeter and Mark McGwire, from one-eyed umpires to space-age technology. And as he did throughout his long and sometimes controversial career, the larger-than-his-chest-protector Kaiser called 'em as he saw 'em.

Connect with the Author

Macmillan Newsletter


Sign up to receive information about new books, author events, and special offers.

Sign up now

Book Excerpts

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

dreaming about being are broke and an umpire. Thanks to baseball, I got to be both. I didn't grow up wanting to be an umpire. I grew up in Rochester, New York. I was a pretty tough kid-in my senior year in high school my classmates voted me Most Likely to Hold Up a Grocery Store. Some of the people I grew up with are in prison. Throughout my whole life I was always the biggest kid and I was always strong. I didn't work out with weights, I didn't exercise, I was just naturally strong.

Read the full excerpt

Back

Reviews

Praise for Planet of the Umps

"In his day [Kaiser was] the most colorful ump in baseball, and he shows why with this collection of outrageous and occasionally scandalous baseball yarns." -USA Today

"This very funny memoir offers a hilarious look into life behind the plate."-Publishers Weekly

"A quick, smart look at Major League Baseball." -The New York Daily News

"An enjoyable insider's view of baseball." -Booklist

"A lively, rollicking tale."-DFW Sports Weekly

"The writing style is conversational and colorful, and reading Kaiser is not unlike listening to an entertaining uncle or favorite drinking buddy." -Library Journal

Reviews from Goodreads

Back

About the Author

Ken Kaiser and David Fisher

Ken Kaiser is a former bar bouncer and pro wrestler. In the ring, he wore a black hood, carried an ax, and was billed as "The Hatchet Man." He was voted the most colorful umpire in the American League in a 1986 Sporting News poll. He left major league baseball in 2001 He lives in Rochester, New York.

David Fisher is the author of more than a dozen bestsellers, among them collaborations with George Burns, Ron Luciano, Tommy Lasorda and Terry Bradshaw.

Ken Kaiser
David Fisher

David Fisher

Official Sites

Back

Buy the Book

Available Formats and Book Details

Planet of the Umps
A Baseball Life from Behind the Plate
Ken Kaiser and David Fisher

Mass Market Paperbound

Mass Market Paperbound
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Paperbacks
April 2004
Mass Market Paperbound
ISBN: 9780312997106
ISBN10: 0312997108
4 3/16 x 6 3/4 inches, 288 pages
$6.99

Hardcover

Hardcover
St. Martin's Press
Thomas Dunne Books
April 2003
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780312304164
ISBN10: 0312304161
6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches, 304 pages
$24.95

e-Book Agency

e-Book Agency
St. Martin's Press
Thomas Dunne Books
April 2004
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429976060
ISBN10: 1429976063
304 pages
$6.99
Back

From The Publisher

St. Martin's Paperbacks

Latest on Facebook

Latest on Twitter

Back