The news that Tom Seaver is suffering with dementia reminded me of the handful of books about someone who bears the nickname “The Franchise.” There’s Steve Travers’ 2011 publication The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times; Tom Seaver: An Intimate Portrait, by John Devaney (1974); and Seaver, by Gene Schoor (1986), but that’s pretty much it.
Seaver authored a few titles himself, such as The Art of Pitching (with Lee Lowenfish, 1984); How I Would Pitch to Babe Ruth (with Norman Lewis Smith, 1974); The Perfect Game: Tom Seaver and the Mets with Dick Schaap, 1970; Baseball is My Life with Steve Jacobson, 1973; Pitching with Tom Seaver, also with Jacobson in 1973; and Great Moments in Baseball with Marty Appel, 1992.
Since he’s granted permission in the past, I’m taking the liberty of re-posting Appel’s Facebook comments following the news of Seaver’s condition:
Baseball friends, can you think of a better way to spend an afternoon than sitting with Tom Seaver in the backyard of his Greenwich, CT home, talking baseball while Nancy keeps our lemonade glasses topped off? Tom and I did two books together and I later hired him as Bill White’s replacement on WPIX Yankee telecasts. Not only that, he edited the manuscripts of the books we did – very diligently I might add – so that I’ve kept the manuscripts with his edits on my bookshelf. Wishing you well on your journey Tom; so disheartened to read the family announcement yesterday.
All this is particular heartbreaking when you consider that this year marks the 50th anniversary of those Miracle Mets. Just a sad reminder of the fragility and mortality that is part of life.
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