Jim Palmer: Nine Innings to Success: A Hall of Famer's Approach to Achieving Excellence

Jim Palmer is a Baltimore Orioles legend and one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history. Palmer was just 20 years old when he became the youngest pitcher ever to throw a World Series shutout, helping lead the Baltimore Orioles to their first-ever championship, in 1966. Two years later, Palmer’s budding career almost ended due to arm problems. Yet, he mounted an inspiring comeback and reached the pinnacle of his profession, becoming the winningest pitcher of the 1970s and the only hurler to win a World Series game in three different decades. With three World Series rings, three Cy Young Awards and six All-Star selections to his name, an exemplary record as a spokesperson for charities and corporations, and his long tenure as a TV baseball analyst, Palmer is an authority on what it takes to succeed on and off of the field. 

 

In Nine Innings to Success, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and co-author Alan Maimon take readers inside the clubhouse, broadcast booth, and corporate world to tell the story of a one-of-a-kind career that serves as a how-to guide on succeeding in the workplace. “The Oriole Way” – derived from his career as a fixture on the definitive American League franchise of the era – is a set of principles that frame many of the lessons he shares. The pillars of success include:

 

1. Learn

2. Implement

3. Persevere

4. Connect

5. Excel

6. Sustain

7. Broaden

8. Appreciate

9. Smile

 

Nine Innings to Success is interspersed with memorable stories from his illustrious career with the Orioles, from baseball wisdom and life-lessons learned from the one-of-a-kind Earl Weaver to colorful anecdotes about O’s teammates like Cal Ripken, Jr and Rick Dempsey, and broadcast partners Howard Cosell and Al Michaels. With tales of the diamond from the Swinging Sixties and beyond, to the core principles that lead to winning in the game of life, Nine Innings to Success is a must-have for baseball fans and self-improvement mavens alike. 

 

Alan Maimon is an award-winning journalist who has worked with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and the New York Times. He is the coauthor of Andre Dawson’s If You Love this Game . . . An MVP’s Life in Baseball, Dallas Green’s The Mouth That Roared, and Shane Victorino. He lives in Hopewell, New Jersey. Jim Palmer is a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 268 games in 19 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. A three-time Cy Young Award winner and six-time all-star, Palmer was a key contributor to the Orioles' three World Series championship teams in 1966, 1970, and 1983. After his retirement in 1984, Palmer worked as an analyst for ABC Sports and ESPN. Palmer is also well-known for his roles as a spokesman for Jockey and The Money Store. Palmer currently works as a color commentator for Orioles games on MASN.