* Bobby Murcer’s new book…

is the theme of Richard Sandomir’s column in today’s New York Times.

The sport media writer starts off with a curious line. “Bobby Murcer did not expect to write his autobiography so soon.”

Now, Murcer, a long-time Yankees favorite, has been battling cancer for some time now and will turn 62 on May 20. With all due respect and, I hope, a degree of sensitivity, how much longer was he going to wait? The last game of his 17-year career was in 1983. I’m just saying’.

According to Sandomir, Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes (Harper)

…is not entirely about cancer, but also deals with his upbringing in Oklahoma; his minor league and major league careers; his enduring thrill at being a Yankee; his sense of exile after being traded to the Giants (with glee, he writes, by the Yankees president Gabe Paul); and his elation at returning to the Bronx. It includes his broadcasting career in which, thanks to Phil Rizzuto, he ate about 2,500 cannolis; his devotion to his wife, Kay, and their two children; and his regrets at once endorsing tobacco (and driving the Skoal Mobile).