Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, and the Things I'm Not Allowed to Say on TV Hardcover – November 15, 2016

I've lived in St. Louis for most of the 80s and 90s. To me and many others, the voices of Jack Buck and Mike Shannon were synonymous with summer. I was there when Joe Buck started his career. I was one of those complaining that Joe only got the job because of his father. But as Joe writes in his book, name recognition will only get you so far. You still have to deliver.I've been impressed with Joe's ability to handle major sporting events with such ease. His behind the scenes take on how he has gotten to this level is an entertaining read. I especially enjoyed his humor. I laughed out loud throughout this book.One particular pregame skit, which wasn't in the book but has stayed with me nonetheless, involved Joe and his football partner Troy Aikman. Troy and Joe are getting ready to go on air. A group of people attends to Troy: fixing his hair, brushing his suit coat, applying makeup. Joe is shown standing all alone. "Can I get a bottle of water," Joe asks someone offscreen. A water bottle comes flying into the shot and hits Joe in the chest. It's that kind of self-deprecating humor that permeates this book. Here are just a few examples: Joe talks about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with his daughter and how he wasn't the outdoors type. "If you see me going for a hike, I am probably looking for my golf ball." In the same section, he talks about how the trip to Africa will keep him away from his future wife for two weeks. "A two-week trip does not sound long, I think we've had commercial breaks during the Super Bowl that lasted that long." Joe also knows how to tell a funny story. He talks about interviewing a couple of Seattle defensive players before the Superbowl with Denver. Joe said he had a sense that things were not going to go Denver's way. At one point one of the players said, "We don't care what Peyton Manning does at the line of scrimmage. He can say 'Omaha' five hundred times. We're not moving." I can hear Peyton yelling "Omaha" right now in that lopsided loss.Joe also gives some insight into what it's like to be a sports announcer in today's politically correct climate. He describes how his fear of backlash on social media had affected his on-air performance, always careful not to make a comment that might stir up a controversy.If you have watched any major sporting event over the last fifteen-plus years, you have listened to Joe Buck. He is one of the best at what he does. I do think, however, that the US Open should be left to the golf analysts who cover the game week in and week out.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I feel like I have a better understanding of the person behind the public image of Joe Buck. Based on the free sample, I expected the book to be a lot of stories "from the inside" of the broadcast book. However, the book is a lot more about his childhood, professional struggles and successes outside of the broadcast booth itself, and personal fears.If you're looking for a tell all book like NFL Confidential or Slow Getting Up, this book probably isn't what you looking for. If you're looking for a more conventional autobiography of Joe Buck than it. What is special about this book, most biographies I've read provide historical information about a person but feel very detached. Reading this book felt more like getting to know someone over a couple of drinks at the bar.From a writing perspective, it's easy to read and each chapter has a main theme. The only issue is it can be hard to figure out what happened at the same time as each chapter weaves throughout his life differently. Additionally, for piecing things together it assumes the reader knows a lot more about sports (such as when two teams faced each other in the World Series) than I did. That said, I could look up any missing information easy.

Good book, Joe, and I enjoyed reading your account of "Lucky Bastard" and your sending me the copy of "Sportsman's ParkAbout six or seven years ago, you and Terry Bradshaw traveled to Palm Desert, CA, where I had the pleasure of driving you both in a stretch limousine around the area while enjoying your sense of humor.Thanks once again, Joe, for sending me a copy of Dan O'Neill's, "Sportsman's Park: The Players, The Fans, & The Game." I also just finished reading "Lucky Bastard" and enjoyed the humorous and sad aspects of your writing. Keep up the good work!I began listening to baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio 65 years ago, as an 8-year old, then living in St. Louis; I remember staying up long into many night, intrigued by the likes on the radio (KMOX?) of the priceless broadcasting combination of your father, Harry Carey, and Joe Garagiola. Those indeed were some of the most memorable nights of my life, and I'll never forget them. Best to you, Ed TolandP.S. I was also the stretch limousine driver for you and Terry Bradshaw about six years ago while you were in Palm Desert, California.Just recently, through Amazon, I purchased a copy of "Lucky Bastard," a book that I read in practically one sitting. Keep writing! Ed Toland