Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher

by David Cone, Jack Curry (With)

Overview

Met and Yankee All-Star pitcher David Cone shares lessons from the World Series and beyond in this essential New York Times bestselling memoir for baseball fans everywhere.


"There was a sense about him and an aura about him. Even when he was in trouble, he carried himself like a pitcher who said, 'I'm the man out here.' And he usually was." — Andy Pettitte on David Cone.


To any baseball fan, David Cone was a bold and brilliant pitcher. During his 17-year career, he became a master of the mechanics and mental toughness a pitcher needs to succeed in the major leagues. A five-time All-Star and five-time World Champion now gives his full count — balls and strikes, errors and outs — of his colorful life in baseball.


From the pitchers he studied to the hitters who infuriated him, Full Count takes readers inside the mind of a thoughtful pitcher, detailing Cone's passion, composure and strategies. The book is also filled with never-before-told stories from the memorable teams Cone played on — ranging from the infamous late '80s Mets to the Yankee dynasty of the '90s. And, along the way, Full Count offers the lessons baseball taught Cone — from his mistakes as a young and naive pitcher to outwitting the best hitters in the world — one pitch at a time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538748831
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	07/14/2020
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	509,947
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

David Cone is the current color commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network. He made his MLB debut in 1986 and continued playing until 2003. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history in 1999. He was a five-time All-Star and led the major leagues in strikeouts each season from 1990-92. A two-time 20 game-winner, he set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons with 10. He was a member of five World Series championship teams — 1992 with the Toronto Blue Jays, and 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 with the New York Yankees. He currently lives in New York City.


Jack Curry is an award-winning sports journalist who is an analyst on the Yankees' pre-game and post-game shows on the YES Network, where he's worked since 2010. He has won four Emmy Awards as part of YES's Yankee coverage and is also a columnist for YESnetwork.com. Before joining YES, he covered baseball for 20 seasons at the New York Times, first as a Yankee beat writer and then as a national baseball correspondent. Curry is the co-author with Derek Jeter of the New York Times bestseller The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for Achieving Your Dreams. He currently lives in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Reflection 1

Chapter 1 Maniacal on the Mound 5

Chapter 2 When the Going Gets Tough 20

Chapter 3 Start Me Up 38

Chapter 4 $47 Paychecks and Sleeping on the Floor 59

Chapter 5 Kansas City, Here I Come 80

Chapter 6 Let's Go Mets 96

Chapter 7 The Dance with Catchers 133

Chapter 8 The Man in Blue Is Lurking 160

Chapter 9 Under Pressure 177

Chapter 10 No Tipping Allowed 194

Chapter 11 Setting Up Hitters 207

Chapter 12 The Pitching Lessons Never End 227

Chapter 13 The Yankees Universe: 1995-1997 246

Chapter 14 Life in Yankeeland: 1998-2000 275

Chapter 15 Anatomy of an Inning 308

Chapter 16 The Day I Was Perfect 322

Chapter 17 The Baseball Fix 332

Extra Innings

Winning the Battle with Bonds 347

Nothing but Fastballs for Cal 350

Manny Being Manny 354

Intimidated by Gwynn 357

Prime Time 360

Epilogue: Cone's Clinic 363

Acknowledgments 371

Index 375

About the Authors 387

Editorial Reviews

04/08/2019

Former New York Yankees pitcher Cone and analyst Curry (coauthor with Derek Jeter of The Life You Imagine) deliver an enjoyable memoir that recounts Cone’s remarkable career and provides an honest look at the road to the major leagues. Cone is best remembered for his run with the late-1990s Yankees dynasty, and he also spent five seasons as a Met, where he recorded 19 strikeouts in a single game. As Cone tells it, he didn’t play high school baseball while growing up in Kansas City, and he put in his time moving up through the Class A and Class AA systems. Throughout, Cone explains the difficulty of being a pitcher (“a weighty responsibility that is like none other in sports”), alongside more lighthearted anecdotes about fellow ball players, such as his friendship with Cal Ripken Jr. and what it was like to pitch against the legend in his final game (“I wanted him to know it was going to be a matchup filled with fastballs”). Throughout, Cone provides keen insight into the mind of a pitcher, recalling with uncanny specificity the most difficult pitches of his career (notably the final pitch in his 1999 perfect game against the Montreal Expos) and how he almost always overcame adversity with triumph. While this is a must-read for Cone fans, baseball aficionados of any allegiance will surely delight in this behind-the-scenes memoir. Agent: David Black, David Black Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"David Cone was not only one of the smartest pitchers I ever managed, he was also a fearless competitor and a consummate teammate. Whether he was playing through pain or coming out of the bullpen for us in the World Series, his leadership and selflessness was a vital part of our four championships. In [FULL COUNT], David Cone and Jack Curry take us on a journey of what it takes to stay mentally and physically tough enough to maintain the edge it takes to compete on a championship level year after year."—Joe Torre, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Yankee Years

"When one of our generation's greatest pitching minds teams up with one of our generation's greatest baseball writers, the results will be riveting. And this book is riveting. You won't be able to put it down as Cone and Curry take you around the bases on an incredible ride."—Michael Kay, Yankees YES Network play-by-play announcer

"With a keen observational eye, David Cone provides a master's-level class on both the art and science of pitching. Chapters crackle like his trademark slider, none more so than his opus on the pitcher-catcher symbiosis."—Tom Verducci, New York Times bestselling author of The Cubs Way

"There was something different about David Cone. There seemed to be a sly knowing smirk in the way he approached life, which carried over when he took the mound. There was an unpredictability, almost mischievousness to the way he went after MLB hitters. You never quite knew which pitch he was going throw, at what angle he would throw it, and what the ball might do. No matter what he did, or for which team he performed, there was evident joy and intelligence on display. Jack Curry and David Cone are the perfect team to allow us fans a window into the thinking of one of our generation's finest and most clever pitchers."—Jim Abbott, former MLB pitcher and author of Imperfect: An Improbable Life

"David Cone was as smart and gutsy as any pitcher I ever played behind. In Full Count, he describes what it's like to be on the mound in high-pressure situations. If you want to know what a pitcher is thinking, this is the perfect book for you. I've learned so much about the nuances of pitching from Coney. He's a pitching genius."—Paul O'Neill, former Yankees and Reds outfielder and five-time World Series Champion

"David Cone, one of the great pitchers of his era, takes you through his journey, complete with all the ups and downs he faced along the way. Full Count is a must read for any baseball fan."—Tom Glavine, former MLB pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award winner

"This is not the typical athlete autobiography. David Cone is thoughtful, mindful, critical and cutting — often at the same time — and his life and legacy are captured in full, unsparing detail. His ability to flirt with perfection clearly didn't end on the mound."—Jeff Passan, ESPN baseball reporter and New York Times bestselling author of The Arm: Inside The Billion Dollar Industry Of the Most Valuable Commodity In Sports

"Cone provides a unique analysis of an intriguing game."—Booklist

"[An] enjoyable memoir that recounts Cone's remarkable career and provides an honest look at the road to the major leagues...While this is a must-read for Cone fans, baseball aficionados of any allegiance will surely delight in this behind-the-scenes memoir."—Publishers Weekly

"Refreshing...this is a must-read."
—Library Journal

"Insightful...Cone, a former Cy Young winner who threw for both the Mets and the Yankees, offers a probing account of what it takes — emotionally, psychologically and physically — to pitch at the major league level."—Newsday

"One of the few to find success pitching for New York's Yankees and Mets, Cone had a reputation as one of the game's smartest pitchers. This deep but readable dive into the art of pitching shows why."—The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"In his new memoir, Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher...Cone remembers his career highlight with a little more vulnerability than the fans witnessed on the field. [As] complete and compelling a treatise about what makes a pitcher tick as anything that's ever come before."—New York Post

"Baseball fans will gain a deeper understanding of this particularly tough player and the art and science of pitching."—Fordham Magazine

From the Publisher

2019-03-03

A memoir from a former star pitcher in Major League Baseball.

In his first book—written with YES Network analyst Curry (co-author, with Derek Jeter: The Life You Imagine, 2000)—five-time All-Star Cone offers advice on becoming a successful pitcher, recollections of specific games, and professional gossip about teammates and opponents encountered during his long career (1986-2003). From an early age, the author, who grew up in Kansas City, was determined to play baseball professionally—and not just as any player, but specifically as a pitcher, arguably the most important position on the field. In the early pages, Cone discusses the tireless coaching from his father as well as the influences of his mother and siblings. Quickly, however, the author moves on to baseball matters. He focuses on a professional career that began in the minor leagues on teams controlled by his hometown Kansas City Royals—and ultimately included five World Series championships. Cone concedes that sometimes he acted immaturely off the field, but his dedication to the craft of pitching is undeniable—as a student and, later, a teacher. His insights about how pitchers must develop not only physically, but also emotionally and intellectually will be enlightening for all baseball fans. Readers uninterested in the didactic pitching insights should find satisfaction in Cone's accounts of his stints with the Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox. The author compliments many players, coaches, and managers, but he is also candid about the flaws of many of these individuals. Thematic chapters about the synergy—or lack thereof—between pitchers and catchers, and between pitchers and home-plate umpires, add to the richness of the narrative. Currently a broadcaster for the YES Network, Cone briefly discusses that career, as well. Although the book is mostly chronological, the ordering of the chapters is occasionally puzzling. The narrative will be best digested as individual chapters rather than a connected narrative.

A well-intentioned, competent sports memoir that will appeal most to MLB fans.

Kirkus Reviews