The Niekro Files: The Uncensored Letters of Baseball's Most Notorious Brothers

Phil and Joe, discuss on-the-road adventures, the impact of baseball on their marriages, their remarkable longevity in the profession, and their feelings for each other

The exaggeration inherent in this book's subtitle is almost risible: the lack of censorship must involve the authors' comments about George Steinbrenner, for, apart from some earthy vocabulary, there is little to offend the members of any sewing circle, and the Niekro brothers are about as notorious as Zeppo and Gummo Marx. These letters are only from 1987, when the Niekros set a record for the most wins by a brother combination in baseball history, and Joe became the first Niekro to pitch in a World Series. But the book is generally tame stuff, and, since both Niekros have the same writing style and both employ every sportswriting cliche known to the lingo, the reader may be forgiven for wondering how much of this effort was composed by the Niekros and how much by Picking, a USA Today writer. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Niekro brothers, knuckleball pitchers in a game that normally worships speed, have set all kinds of records in professional baseball. In this collection of letters from the 1987 season, they discuss their mutual problems, both personal and professional; the result is a book that is at times warm and touching, due to the unquestioned devotion of the brothers. They write a great deal, most of it derogatory, about fearsome Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. There are fascinating glimpses of the way several major league umpires decided Joe was using an emory board illegally while pitching. Not a must for most public libraries. Samuel Simons, Memorial Hall Lib., Andover, Mass.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.