Of Mikes and Men: A Lifetime of Braves Basball

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As a boy growing up in upstate New York, Pete Van Wieren dreamed of becoming the play-by-play voice of his hometown heroes, the Triple A Rochester Red Wings. Instead, he found big-league broadcast heaven in Atlanta. In 1976, Van Wieren and another young broadcaster named Skip Caray, son of the legendary Harry Caray, were hired to call Atlanta Braves games. Over the next three decades, they were the voices of America's Team, as the Braves became known thanks to Ted Turner's TBS superstation. For 33 seasons, Van Wieren - nicknamed "the Professor" for his scholarly approach to baseball and resemblance to a college professor - saw it all and called it all, including mercurial owner Ted Turner's one-game stint as the Braves' manager in 1976. And then, in the midst of 15 seasons of mostly awful and often hilariously inept baseball, came the Miracle of 1991, when the Braves went from worst to first, captured Atlanta's heart, and nearly won one of the greatest World Series ever played.

'THE PROFESSOR' MEETS BRAVES FANS
Atlanta Braves fans are in luck this month as they'll have several chances to meet Pete Van Wieren, who for 33 years called Braves games on TBS and was known to everyone as "The Professor." Van Wieren retired after the 2008 season and chronicled his extensive career in the brand new book OF MIKES AND MEN: A LIFETIME OF BRAVES BASEBALL with Jack Wilkinson. On May 5, Van Wieren will be signing copies of OF MIKES AND MEN at Manuel's Tavern at 7 pm. Later in the month, Van Wieren will appear at Barnes & Noble on May 13 in Macon and at Turner Field's The Majestic Club House Store on May 29. For more details about these and other public appearances by Van Wieren, please go to the official page for OF MIKES AND MEN.

Braves fans get to meet "The Professor"
Atlanta Braves fans are in luck this month as they'll have two chances to meet Pete Van Wieren, who for 33 years called Braves games on TBS and was known to everyone as "The Professor." Van Wieren retired after the 2008 season and chronicled his extensive career in the brand new book OF MIKES AND MEN: A LIFETIME OF BRAVES BASEBALL with Jack Wilkinson. On June 10, Van Wieren will be signing copies of OF MIKES AND MEN at Books-A-Million in Birmingham, Alabama. Later in the month, Van Wieren will appear at Turner Field on June 26. For more details about these and other public appearances by Van Wieren, please go to the official page for OF MIKES AND MEN.

"Of Mikes and Men" Press Release

 

As a boy in upsate New York, Pete Van Wieren dreamed of becoming a play-by-play voice of his hometown heroes, the Triple A Rochester Red Wings. While he would go on to early success in the minor leagues, his true legacy began in 1976, when he and a young Skip Caray were hired to call Atlanta Braves games. During the next three decades, "the Professor" and Caray became the voices of a team known nationwide as America's Team courtesy of Ted Turner's SuperStation TBS.

 

In Of Mikes and Men: A Lifetime of Braves Baseball, Van Wieren shares his memories of thrilling moments in Braves history, such as the 1995 season when the Braves won the world championship; the pitching mastery of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz; the heartbreak of the '96 World Series loss to the Yankees; and Atlanta's unprecedented run of 14 consecutive division titles. Some of the Van Wieren's other most unforgettable moments include:

 

• Ted Turner's one-game stint as the Braves' manager in 1977.
• The Miracle of 1991, when the Braves went from worst to first, captured the division title and the NL Pennant, and nearly won one of the greatest World Series ever played.
• The game at Shea Stadium on the night of Septempber 21, 2001, when the Braves and Mets played in the first professional sporting event in New York City following 9/11.

 

Now, the Atlanta Braves' Hall of Fame broadcaster tells his extraordinary life story in Of Mikes and Men, a must-have autobiography by a man who has witnessed all the highs and lows of Atlanta Braves baseball, sure to inform and entertain Braves fans everywhere.

 

About the Author:
Pete Van Wieren retired in 2008 after a 43-year career as a sportscaster. "The Professor" is best known for his 33-year stint as a play-by-play voice of the Atlanta Braves. An 11-time winner of the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year Award, he was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2004. Pete and his wife, Elaine, reside in Alpharetta, Georgia.

 

Jack Wilkinson is a graduate of Hofstra University and has written about sports since 1973. He worked for newspapers in Miami, Chicago, New York, and Atlanta, and is a three-time Georgia Sportswriter of the Year. Jack is married to Janet Ward and is an official scorer for the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, where his press box nickname is "E-6." This is his sixth book.

 

Contact: Josh Williams, Triumph Books, 312.252-1261, j.williams@triumphbooks.com

 

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