Voice Mel Allen's Untold Story

Praise for The Voice: Mel Allen' s Untold Story " Curt Smith, baseball' s top radio/TV historian, has masterfully chronicled the fascinating life of Mel Allen, the game' s most celebrated Voice. Allen' s glory, downfall, and comeback make a remarkable story, and Smith tells it with a great balance of description and scholarship." -- Ernie Harwell, Baseball Hall of Fame Sports Illustrated' s Voice, " All-Time Dream Team" " A marvelous narrative, meticulously reported and elegantly written. It captures not just baseball' s most legendary voice but also the sport' s mythic appeal to generations of fans. A psalm to halcyon days of yore, on and off the diamond." -- Tom DeFrank, Washington Bureau Chief, New York Daily News " I couldn' t put this book down, devouring page after page as Curt Smith unravels the perplexing story of how the career of Mel Allen came to such an abrupt end, only to regain new glory in his later years. No other sportscaster ever had such a tremendous hold on the baseball public, yet worried more about losing his grip. A chilling reminder that being the best may not mean the happiest. Must-read." -- Bob Wolff, Baseball Hall of Fame America' s longest-running TV sportscaster" In 1992, Mel and I sat at a sports dinner head table. His old colleague Red Barber had recently passed away. A tribute featured a kinescope of Mel and Red from the 1952 World Series. I looked toward Mel, who had tears welling in his eyes. I longed to know what memories had been unearthed. Now, thanks to CurtSmith' s great book, I better understand the triumphs and tragedies underscoring Mel' s emotion. At last, the definitive and amazing book that needed to be written is here!" -- Jon Miller, Play-by-play Voice, " ESPN Sunday Night Baseball" " ' How About That!' The mystery man who will always be The Voice of the Yankees comes to life once again. Mel Allen' s story is full of baseball and, even better, full of life with all of its heroes and fiends, glory and mystery. In Curt Smith' s superb hands, this grand eloquent artist comes out of the shadows for a long overdue curtain call." -- Juan Williams, Senior Correspondent, National Public Radio and FOX TV' s All-StarsSmith, Curt is the author of 'Voice Mel Allen's Untold Story', published 2007 under ISBN 9781599210940 and ISBN 1599210940.