By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka baseball legend Ken Berry has always considered himself a story-teller, a trait he figures was passed along by his late father.
Lifelong Topekan Ken Berry on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" in May, 1967 with Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle. [Photo Submitted]
Ken Berry's third novel, "His Last Run,'' is available now. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And the 81-year-old former American League All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and longtime minor league manager and coach is not done telling his stories.
Berry, who still gives individual baseball/softball lessons, recently finished his third novel, "His Last Run,'' after earlier writing seven children's books.
"I'm kind of like my dad,'' Berry said. "When I was growing up my dad was a story teller, and whether it was true or whether he just made it up or something, he could tell a good story. I probably inherited that from him.
"And in junior high I started reading books. I had never had a book in my hand before and I found a book that looked like something I might like and started reading it and I liked it so well that the next day I went back and got another one, the next day I went back and got another one and I would read almost a book a day all the way through high school.''
While Berry turned his complete focus on baseball through an 11-year playing career and his long coaching career, he never got over his love for the written word and launched his own writing career in 2011.
"You'll get into a book and you're thinking, 'OK, I know what's going to happen down the road,' '' Berry said. "I can visualize where (the author's) headed or whatever. And it's just something where I like putting scenarios together and see how I can get them to work out where maybe it keeps people guessing.''
After his string of children's books, Berry wrote his first novel, "Twin Snipers,'' followed by "Comeback'' and now "His Last Run,'' which is available now.
The storyline for "His Last Run'' centers around a talented runner who's constantly running, not only from a past that includes life with an abusive father, a jealous friend and several murder attempts, but running for the chance to represent his country in an upcoming Olympic Games.
The fast-paced story also includes a romantic twist as well as a Kansas angle, with the runner in Berry's book earning comparisons to Kansas distance legend Jim Ryun.
Berry said "His Last Run'' was a challenge to write.
"It was a difficult story because because there were like different segments and I had to tie it all together and then make it work out in the end, so I think it was more difficult than the other ones,'' Berry said.
When writing a book Berry said he progresses at his own pace and doesn't work with a self-imposed deadline.
"I don't have any pressure to put out a book,'' he said. "I read about authors that will try to sit down every day and do a little bit. I can't operate that way. I'll be sitting around and if something strikes me the right way I'll start thinking about it and in my mind I'm building on where I'm going with it, and then if it really feels good, I'll go ahead and get started that night and I might stay up and write. But if I hit a wall, it's not a big deal.''
Berry has been on a writing roll of late, with his next novel, "Good Cop -- Bad Cop,'' already in the on-deck circle for release.
"It's coming right out after this one,'' Berry said.
For most his life Berry has given his heart and soul to the game of baseball, but he admitted he doesn't follow Major League Baseball nearly as much as he once did.
"Nope! You can't have a shift, you can't break up a double play,'' Berry aid. "The guys that bother me are the ones that step out of the box and adjust their batting gloves every pitch. That's why the game's slowed down.
"I just don't see the managers that are aggressive and hit and run and bunt for a hit and move the runners. Everybody's now concerned with launch angle and velocity, exit speed and all of that. I'm going, 'I don't need that,' so I don't pay a whole lot of attention to it.''
Berry does make an exception when it comes to his local team.
"I'll watch the Royals to see whether they need me to come down and manage,'' Berry said with a grin.
Editor's note: "His Last Run'' is avaible for $20 by contacting Berry at (785) 633-6837.
