The baseball life of Jim Campanis Jr. has been anything but ordinary. His father, Jim Sr., was a long-time pro catcher who spent several years on the Pirates where a 6-year-old Jim Jr. shagged flies next to major leaguers. His grandfather Al was one of the most powerful men in baseball as GM of the Dodgers, but his career ended suddenly and shamefully after a disastrous appearance on Nightline.

Jim loves a good baseball story, and he has plenty of them to tell. The pieces vary from instructional to confessional; from raucous humor to painful insecurities. We share in the...