Table of Contents
Preface: Thanks, Dad ix
Part 1 Growing Up
Chapter 1 Big Pete 3
Chapter 2 Leland T. Jones's Leather Strap 17
Chapter 3 Not the Best Baseball Player 27
Chapter 4 Passed Over 37
Chapter 5 Uncle Buddy 47
Part 2 Bush Leagues
Chapter 6 Geneva (Not Switzerland) 57
Chapter 7 Tampa 71
Chapter 8 Instructional League 81
Chapter 9 Macon 89
Chapter 10 Straight to the Bigs 97
Part 3 Becoming Pete Rose
Chapter 11 Frank and Vada 109
Chapter 12 Rookie of the Year 119
Chapter 13 Venezuela 129
Chapter 14 Hustling Little Pete Rose 139
Chapter 15 Vietnam 153
Chapter 16 Batting Title 163
Chapter 17 Morganna 177
Chapter 18 Collision 189
Chapter 19 "He Never Walks When He Can Run" 203
Part 4 Life as Big Pete
Chapter 20 Brawling at Shea 221
Chapter 21 Some Kind of Game 229
Chapter 22 Winning with the Phillies 237
Chapter 23 A Big League Skipper 247
Chapter 24 Hit King 253
Chapter 25 I Blew It, I Know That 257
Chapter 26 Pete Jr. Makes the Big Leagues 261
Epilogue: Baseball Has to Make a Few Changes 267
Acknowledgments 275
Photograph Credits 277
Index 279