Ron Darling’s 108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game is not your typical baseball memoir. As Darling describes in his introduction, the book’s format deviates from the norm. Rather than simply arranging his most vibrant baseball memories in chronological order, the former pitcher and current Mets TV analyst has adopted an unconventional approach.
Stories Stitched Together
108 Stitches is a change of pace for Ron Darling, who uses the book to show that he’s more than just an erudite Yale graduate. The book is a collection of wild stories from Darling’s baseball life, with most focusing on the wacky teammates who left a lasting impression on him. The stories are only tenuously linked, stitched together by the way that Darling has stored them in his memory.
In one chapter, for example, Darling recalls how the scandalous wife swap (in actuality, a family swap) between Yankee players Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich in 1973 fascinated him as a child.
Darling has long been intrigued by this improbable trade, so the chapter lists all the people with first-hand knowledge of the situation that he encountered through the years. Darling admits that he was too uncomfortable to actually discuss the scenario with anyone listed in the chapter, so the Peterson-Kekich story is just an excuse for him to describe some of the oddest baseball personalities of his era. It’s one of many “threads” that Darling employs to connect otherwise unrelated ideas.
An Unexpected Tone
The structure of 108 Stitches gives it an episodic feel. While some readers may be dissatisfied with the narrative format, others will appreciate the introspective nature and audaciousness of the author’s storytelling. Darling eschews his usual buttoned-down, professorial demeanor for a different tone of voice. He’s still highly articulate, but he’s also exceedingly blunt. There is a liberal amount of profanity sprinkled throughout the text, giving the impression that Darling has crafted a spiritual sequel to Jim Bouton’s seminal Ball Four.
The stories Darling has assembled in 108 Stitches are the kind of tales that ballplayers share with each other in the dugout. Darling dishes on which of his teammates were the biggest pranksters, which managers he couldn’t stand, and which mentors gave him the best advice. We learn everything from how Gary Carter enlisted his children’s help in punching All-Star ballots to the fact that baseball legend Frank Howard lifted weights in the shower. Though Darling is often critical of his former teammates and their various idiosyncrasies, the text is also dripping with self-awareness.
Darling holds himself accountable for past indiscretions, such as his involvement in the bullying of top prospect Gregg Jefferies. These brutally honest self-assessments prevent 108 Stitches from ever becoming too mean-spirited in tone. Darling wants to assure the reader that he’s presenting an uncompromised vision, so his text is candid and revealing. The author’s passion for baseball history is evident on every page, and he successfully argues that each generation is tied together by outrageous tales and larger-than-life personalities. With 108 Stitches, Darling has given fans a rare “warts and all” look at the baseball world.
