Kiss it Goodbye

Kiss it Goodbye is, for a most part, a biography written by John Moody about Vernon Law. Law was a catcher on the 1960 World Series Champion team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. I say that’s what it is for the most part because Moody frequently takes a break from Law’s story to tell his own. In my opinion, that is what ruined the book.

Vernon Law (who, by the way, signed my copy of the book) was an LDS athlete who made a name for himself that year in baseball. But he never reached the Hall of Fame, nor is he well-remembered by most people. Perhaps he would have earned all this recognition, if it weren’t for one disastrous night. When his team learned they were playing in the series, they celebrated in a raucous manner and began to drink and horseplay, activities which Law would not participate in. They tried to get him to take his shirt off, and as they ganged against him, a loud pop was heard in his foot, immediately sobering the crowd. With the injury to his foot, Law was never able to pitch the same again.

There are many lessons that can be learned from Vernon Law. He instantly forgave those who hurt him. In fact, he never publicly announced who caused the injury and it took some prying from Moody to get him to reveal who did the damage. Law was a good man on and off the field, a true example of a great athlete and a moral man. Although his career ended prematurely, he never let himself become bitter.

The author ultimately reveals his purpose in writing this book: baseball helped bring his family together in a society which seemed to force his family apart. Although his family ultimately began cheering for the Yankees (terrible choice, by the way), he decided to write his book about Law because he was the author’s boyhood hero, and where his love for baseball began. In my opinion, this information could have been mentioned as a forward or introduction instead of being told throughout the book, which only distracted me from Law’s story, which is what I actually felt invested in as a reader.