Last week, I received “Tom Browning’s Tales from the Reds Dugout” in the mail. It’s a memoir from TB’s career, and it’s well worth a read.
Maybe I’m just in the annual week-before-Opening-Day haze, but I really enjoyed this book. Written by Browning (with Dann Stupp, who is the creative services manager for the Reds…and a fellow member of SABR), it checks in at a slim 192 pages. Don’t be fooled, however; it is packed with great stories from cover to cover. It’s a quick, breezy read, and any Reds fan will enjoy it — especially Reds fans under age 35 who grew up with the Browning-era Reds, with all their ups and downs.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny in places. Browning hits all the high points — the 1990 championship, the perfect game, climbing onto the roof opposite Wrigley Field during a game, the Pete Rose situation — but he also gives us a peek behind the curtain to the funny and memorable moments in the clubhouse during his career. Practical jokes at the expense of Glenn Sutko, the bizarre behavior of Chris Sabo, watching Rob Dibble fight with Lou Piniella, escapades with Charlie Sheen — it’s all in there.
What struck me most about Browning’s book was the love he clearly has for the Cincinnati Reds organization. He talks about the Reds as if he were simply a fan, and not a part of the team’s history. Browning is very proud to be a Red — he talks wistfully about being elected to the Reds Hall of Fame — and that comes across in the book.
As anyone who knows me will attest, I’ve always been a big fan of Tom Browning. I’m even more of a fan after reading this book.
Go get the book and read it now. You’ll enjoy it. And you’ll come out of it proud that Tom Browning is about to be elected to the Reds Hall of Fame.