Grasping the Ring - by Gene A Budig (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Over the course of his varied career, Gene A. Budig has served as a professor, the president of the American League of Major League Baseball, the head of three major universities, a major general in the Air National Guard, a newspaper man, and co-owner of a Minor League Baseball team. One can safely assume that Budig has met his share of interesting and inspiring people. In Grasping the Ring, he selects nine from this great array of individuals and offers candid biographical sketches of these compelling characters. Though they are very different, George Steinbrenner, Larry Doby, Tom Osborne, Roy Williams, Gale Sayers, Jerry Reinsdorf, Bob Kerrey, Al Neuharth, and Bob Dole are all exceptional people whose achievements and faults have captured the national interest. Budig writes Grasping the Ring as an insider whose acquaintance with these individuals enables him to ask the kinds of penetrating questions that make these stories intimate, honest, and revealing.

Review Quotes

"[Budig's] masterful chapters in Grasping the Ring should be required reading for anyone with a serious interest in American sports. You will applaud the compelling contents."--Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball

"From coaches to owners, from players to political leaders, we learn through Budig's penetrating insight and personal acquaintance their characters and successes and the ways they deal with challenges. We come to know, in an almost intimate way, who they are. It is impossible to put this book down once you begin reading it."--Myles Brand, president of the NCAA

"Gene Budig provides an engaging narrative delving far beyond the outline of a basic biography. . . . The book is a profile of true leadership, tracing the journey to greatness, rich with life lessons for all of us."--Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services

"The nine leaders that Gene Budig introduces in his book will inspire and enhance the lives of his readers. This book offers valuable lessons to all of us for our own lives. Through these chapters he captures the essence of leadership."--Chuck Hagel, former U.S. senator from Nebraska

About the Author

Gene A. Budig was president of Major League Baseball's American League from 1994 to 2000. He served as president of Illinois State University and West Virginia University and as chancellor at the University of Kansas. He is now co-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs. Bob Costas has been a sportscaster with NBC since 1980 and is the author of several books, including Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball and, with Maury Allen, Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers.