Above / Baseball great Tim Raines will present Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane at the upcoming event at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. in Naperville at 7PM on Mon., June 5.
In his illustrative 23-year major league career, Tim Raines played for six different teams, racked up seven different All Star appearances, held a number of records and is now set for his anxiously awaited Hall of Fame induction in late July. Raines was closely affiliated with the Montreal Expos for more than a dozen years, but later played for the Chicago White Sox. His sizzling base running and explosive success at the plate helped earn him championship rings and fans between his 1979 debut and his retirement from playing days in 2002.
Now Raines has written a memoir about his life in baseball, due out in June. Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane will be the featured book at Raines’ upcoming event at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. in Naperville at 7PM on Monday, June 5. Raines will sign books but will not sign memorabilia that evening. To join the booksigning line, please purchase Rock Solid at Anderson’s Bookshop.
Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane
Tim Raines wanted to be a football player. Luckily for fans, he wound up taking his unique mix of speed, power and athleticism to the baseball diamond. There, Raines racked up seven All-Star appearances, led the league in steals four times, won a batting title and finished his playing career with three World Series rings (one as a coach)…Not bad for an aspiring running back.
In Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane, Raines, along with award-winning journalist Alan Maimon, explores his remarkable life in the game of baseball. Raines delves deep into the highs and lows of a remarkable career, from his early years rising through the Minors, to his highly publicized struggles with cocaine and up through the moment he received the long-awaited and well-deserved call from the Hall of Fame. Highlights include:
- A heartfelt foreword by former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, and a passionate introduction from Expos fan and acclaimed baseball writer Jonah Keri
- Insights on key elements of Raines’ career, including the Pittsburgh drug trials, the lockout of 1994 and the World Series seasons he enjoyed with the Yankees
- Anecdotes involving some of sports’ biggest names, from Frank Thomas and Rickey Henderson to Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan
- Color photographs that capture Raines’ talent on the field and personality off it
- How Raines waited, and waited, for the Hall of Fame voters to recognize his achievements, and his reaction after learning he’d be enshrined in Cooperstown
Rock Solid does justice to its subject, telling Raines’ story with perspective and clarity. There’s something for fans of all stripes in this great new title, with stories and memories from his significant major league career. No baseball fan’s library is complete without this honest and endearing autobiography.
For more than a decade, Tim Raines patrolled left field for the nascent Montreal Expos, igniting the powder keg of what would become one of the most innovative, entertaining, and talented teams of the modern era. Raines, nicknamed “Rock,” hit and stole his way into the hearts of baseball fans across North America. The seven-time all-star tore through the Expos record books before moving on to the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Florida Marlins, ultimately earning three World Series rings. And now Raines sits on the cusp of entering Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame this July 28 weekend in Cooperstown, New York.
But it wasn’t always easy playing for the upstart Montreal Expos or being Tim Raines. Raines’ performance dipped in 1982, and at the end of the season, Raines entered treatment for substance abuse for cocaine addiction. To avoid leaving the drug in his locker, Raines would carry it in his hip pocket, and would slide headfirst when stealing bases. He used cocaine before games, in his car, after games, and on some occasions between innings in the clubhouse. Raines would later testify at the infamous Pittsburgh drug trials, in September 1985, and would ultimately resume his career at a high level and once again become one of baseball’s brightest stars, on and off the field. This memoir entails the life and playing career of one of the sport’s all-time greatest leaders and personalities, an honest, raw, and compelling tale of triumph and redemption.
Brief Bio of Writers
Hall of Famer-to-be Tim Raines is one of only five players in major league history to exceed 800 career stolen bases, and the holder of many honors. Raines was born and raised in Sanford, Florida. He now works in player development for the Toronto Blue Jays and resides in Arizona.
Alan Maimon is an award-winning journalist who has worked with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and the New York Times. He is the coauthor of Andre Dawson’s If You Love this Game . . . An MVP’s Life in Baseball, Dallas Green’s The Mouth That Roared, Jim Palmer’s Nine Innings to Success: A Hall of Famer’s Approach to Achieving Excellence, and Shane Victorino. He lives in Hopewell, New Jersey.
Anderson’s Bookshop and more
Raines’ upcoming visit is part of Anderson’s Bookshops’ calendar of special author events. Anderson’s Bookshops specialize in book sales, author events, book signings, and building a sense of community, learning and fun. The store has been helping Naperville readers for six generations. Additional locations include Downers Grove, at 5112 Main Street (630)-963-2665 and La Grange, at 26 S. La Grange Rd. (708) 582-6353. A toy shop, Anderson’s Toyshop, at 111 W. Jefferson Ave., in Naperville, opened last year.
Story submitted by Candy Purdom and Ginny Wehrli-Hemmeter for Anderson’s Bookshop.
