About the Book

This biography was not written entirely for the sports' fan and is not the typical sport's book. As intriguing as the headlines were, they couldn't begin to rival the factual stories behind their publication. Knowing the subject for over fifty years and being an eye witness to every event, I feel singularly qualified to chronicle his life and the "times" in which he played the "game" or should I say, "games" as he became the most successful two major league sport's personality in American sports' history. Within a year and a half, he won world championships in both baseball and basketball and squeezed 13 straight seasons of both sports, in six and a half short years.

He won three world championships in the NBA and one world championship in MLB. He appeared in three MLB all-star games, winning 1955's by striking out the side. He won two National League Championships, played 10 plus years in the Major Leagues and 7 years for the NBA. He won "Minor League Player of the Year", twice (1951 and 1953), the only professional baseball player ever to do so and "The Comeback Player of the Year" (1959). However, his story or stories are not about statistics, it is about an era in sports' history that is fading so fast that recollection becomes more difficult with each succeeding year, so I felt it important to record it.

His biography goes from childhood innocence to being kidnapped on the night before registration at Washington State University by the University of Idaho's coach and players. Along with Bob Cousy and Babe Parelli, he was falsely accused by a "hit" man's testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Crime of conspiring with the Mafia in 1972. In 1958, he was offered the starring role in the NY stage production of "The Tall Story", the same year, he was deemed as one of the "Milwaukee Braves Hollywood Playboys". He, along with Frank Torre, Del Rice, Lew Burdette and Red Schoendienst made headlines in newspapers all across the country.

His story was a series of misadventures which, on a higher plane, became a spiritual quest for truth. Plagued with an abusive drinking problem throughout his sports career, he finally reached a crisis in 1962 that led to one of the most bizarre episodes in sports' history. Then, gaining victory over his addiction in 1966, played for two more All Star years in professional basketball in the Eastern League. In the late 1980's, Gene became an Advocate for former NBA players who had retired before 1965 and successfully persuaded the NBA to include them in a NBA pension.