For 33 years, Pete Van Wiern was one of the voices of the Atlanta Braves. Of Mikes and Men is Pete’s book about his more than four decades as a sports broadcaster. Since most of his career was spent announcing Braves games, most of his book is about the Braves. So, I really enjoyed of Mikes and Men.
I started watching Braves games on TBS in 1983. By then, Pete was in his seventh season doing Braves games. For the next 25 years, Pete was a part of most of my spring and summer nights. Listening to the games, I always appreciated Pete’s love of baseball and his intelligent analysis of the game we both love. I can honestly say Pete is one of the people most responsible for my love of baseball. He is also one of the people who taught me the most about baseball. So, I have been interested in reading of Mikes and Men for years. Finally, I did.
One of the things I wasn’t expecting was the way Pete honestly talked about the father who abandon the family. It was obvious to me, as a reader, how much that event affected Pete’s life. Since I spent so many hours listening to Pete I was surprised I never knew anything about that part of his life until reading the book.
As a Braves fan, there were plenty of interesting and funny stories. Still, I wish Pete had included more of the kinds of stories the public rarely hears. While he mentioned players who became his friends, I would have appreciated knowing why certain players became lifelong friends of his.
The pain with which Pete reported on the many postseason failures of the Braves was something I could truly feel. How nice it would have been if that team could have won even one more championship.
The part of the book that interested me the most was Pete’s recap of what happened when he and Skip, another long-time Braves broadcaster, were taken off of TBS at the start of the 2003 season. As a fan, I hated that Pete and Skip were taken off of TBS. Hearing the pathetic corporate backstory behind the move was interesting. But when Pete got to the part of the story when he and Skip returned to the television broadcasts again, I remembered how happy I was 21 years earlier when I heard them on TV again.
If you are a braves fan or even a baseball fan, you will find something to enjoy in Of Mikes and Men. As a fan of Pete’s I still miss his broadcasts. If he was still alive, I would love to let him know how much I enjoyed the book and what an important role he played in helping me love the game of baseball.