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Handy Andy: The Andy Pafko Story
Andy Pafko was a quiet, faith-filled man, who was extremely proud of his Slovak heritage. He also happened to play the game of baseball exceptionally well. Called up to the Chicago Cubs in September 1943, Pafko helped give hope to a club in turmoil. He was a part of the franchise’s last World Series in 1945 and blossomed into a five-time All-Star as both an outfielder and a third baseman. In June 1951 he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers. That October, Pafko watched the New York Giants’ Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” sail over his head into the leftfield bleachers at the Polo Grounds. The next year he helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees. After being traded to the Braves, Pafko was instrumental in back-to-back World Series appearances in 1957 and ’58 against the Yankees, helping Milwaukee win the crown in ‘57. He retired after the 1959 season and spent the next decade as a coach and scout. In his twilight years, Pafko frequented Old-Timers games, autograph sessions and made public appearances for the teams he played on professionally.
"Andy Pafko lived a life removed from that of most current professional athletes: a rural life of hard work, family, and much-cherished trips to the family ball field. Joe Niese provides an entertaining look at Pafko's hopes, fears, faith, and eventual triumphs. I'm glad to have read this book." -- Stuart Shea, author of Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines
"Handy Andy is a well-told, thorough tribute to a humble hero, who hustled his way into baseball history and into the hearts of fans from Boyceville to Brooklyn." -- Jerry Poling, author of A Summer Up North: Henry Aaron and the Legend of Eau Claire Baseball
"Author Joe Niese's Handy Andy: The Andy Pafko Story is a passionate and deeply researched tribute that captures not only one of the greatest stars in Wisconsin sports history, but also one of the nicest people in the history of Wisconsin." -- William Povletich, author of Milwaukee Braves: Heroes & Heartbreak
"Joe Niese’s engaging and exhaustively researched biography of Wisconsin native, Andy Pafko, is a welcomed contribution to the study of baseball history. Through his portrayal of the popular “Handy Andy,” Niese captures the zeitgeist of an era, a time when baseball still retained it's innocence." -- Gregory H. Wolf, editor, Thar’s Joy in Braveland. The 1957 Milwaukee Braves
"Joe Niese has written a story-filled, entertaining book about the talented Andy Pafko, one of baseball’s quiet men. Niese’s reverential tome will be a delight for baseball fans who love the stories and the lore of this great game." -- Peter Golenbock, author of Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers
"A well-researched and interesting portrait of an overlooked star from one of baseball’s most colorful eras." -- Mike Sowell, author of The Pitch That Killedl
Links:
Gimme 5: Event to honor sports legend Andy Pafko - Leader Telegram
Jotting Joe and Handy Andy Joe Niese pens book on Cubs, Braves star Pafko - VolumeOne
First-ever book immortalizes baseball legend from Boyceville - The Chippewa Herald
Andy Pafko, Darling of the 1945 Cubs: By Joe Niese - Society for American Baseball Research