Straight Talk from Wild Thing

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When Mitch Williams threw the pitch that lost the 1993 World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies, no one could have predicted that his reaction to the loss would win the hearts and minds of Phillies fans across the nation. He stood at his locker for an hour after the game, answering every question, most of which could be answered simply: "I threw a bad pitch." He didn't go into hiding, make excuses, or believe that one loss was the end of the world. Phillies fans, notorious as the toughest in sports, recognized a stand-up guy when they saw one and embraced him as one of their own.

Though his successful pitching career is behind him, Mitch is still standing up in Philadelphia and telling it like it is. Straight Talk from Wild Thing is the story of his career, but more than that, it is inside baseball seen from many perspectives: sitting on a 10-hour minor league bus ride, standing on a pitcher's mound, and sitting in a clubhouse, a dugout, and a ranch in Texas, where a man who"retired" at age 32 struggled to figure out what to do next.

Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams has two public appearances set this month where fans can get a signed copy of his new book STRAIGHT TALK FROM WILD THING that he wrote with coauthor Darrell Berger (foreword by John Kruk). On April 10, Williams will be signing books at BJ's in Philadelphia at noon, and on April 24 he will be signing books for fans in the New York City area at Bookends in Ridgewood, New Jersey. To learn more about the signings and STRAIGHT TALK FROM WILD THING please go to the book's official page. Philadelphia fans will also have a chance to see Wild Thing next Tuesday (April 6) at 7:45 a.m. on Eyewitness News on CW-Philly. Later in the morning, Williams will be on The WIP Morning Show at 8 a.m. Then from 9-11 a.m. ET Wild Thing will be the focus of a nationwide radio tour on Premiere Radio Network stations.

STRAIGHT TALK FROM WILD THING

By Mitch Williams with Darrell Berger/Foreword by John Kruk

CONTACT: Bill Ames, Triumph Books, 312.252.1248, b.ames@triumphbooks.com

All young baseball players aspire to one day hit the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the World Series.  None of them dream to be the pitcher to give up such an infamous home run.  For Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams, this nightmare became a reality in one of the toughest sports cities in the country - Philadelphia - while pitching for the Phillies against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series.

In his brand new book Straight Talk From Wild Thing, former big-league pitcher Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams tells it like it is, whether he's answering questions about hurling that notorious pitch to Joe Carter, sharing his distaste for pitch counts or announcing ballgames from the broadcast booth.  "Wild Thing" reflects on his career and shares his thoughts on:

• His pitching career from his high school team in Portland, Oregon, to the minor leagues, then to major-league stops in Texas, Chicago, Philly, Houston, California and Kansas City
• His valuable insights about pitching against some of today's greatest players
• How to handle the big money coming in and what to do when it stops
• The lessons he learned looking back on the final years of his MLB career
• His latest career and the one thing he won't do or say about a player behind the microphone

Straight Talk from Wild Thing is more than just the story of one fireballing lefty's career; it chronicles a life in baseball as seen from many perspectives-dusty minor-league bus rides, the pitcher's mound, the clubhouse, the view from the dugout and a Texas ranch where a competitor who retired at age 32 struggled to find his next challenge.  Williams' new autobiography is a unique look at baseball through the eyes of one of its most outspoken talents and is something that all baseball fans will enjoy reading.

About the authors: Mitch Williams is a former All-Star closer who is now a well-regarded baseball commentator in Philadelphia and also with the new MLB Network. He lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and five children. This is his first book.

Darrell Berger grew up outside Toledo, Ohio, and attended Vanderbilt University. He is a Unitarian Universalist minister in Orange, New Jersey, and a tour guide at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey. He is the author, with former Yankees outfielder Roy White, of "Then Roy Said to Mickey...," also published by Triumph Books.

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