Taylor Hooton Foundation > Hoot’s Corner > Podcasts > Episode 53: Suicide Squeeze – Bill Kashatus
October 5, 2021
Episode 53: Suicide Squeeze – Bill Kashatus

The ALL ME® Podcast

Suicide Squeeze:  Bill Kashatus

Did you know that there was a book that was written about Taylor Hooton?  In this podcast we had a chance to interview the author, Bill Kashatus, who wrote “Suicide Squeeze:  Taylor Hooton, Rob Garibaldi, and the Fight against Teenage Steroid Abuse.”

During this interview you’re going to learn more about why Bill is so passionate about history, teaching, writing and coaching.  He has such an incredible background that his life story which lead to writing a book about Taylor Hooton will keep you captivated.  Taylor’s brother, Don Jr., hosts this episode and it was the first time he had been part of a book, which he will share his experience with us about what it was like.

Bill is going to take us through what it was like meeting the Hooton and Garibaldi family.  You will hear him talk about why this was the hardest book he’s had to write, and he’s written a lot of books.  The book is one that all parents and high school students should take a moment to read.  Kashatus does a great job of taking a very complex topic and writing in a way that it’s understandable to any audience.  Below you will find some of the links that were mentioned in this podcast if you’d like to learn how to pick up a copy of “Suicide Squeeze”.

Publishers Summary:

Appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs – specifically, anabolic steroids (APEDs) – provide a tempting competitive advantage for amateur baseball players. But this shortcut can exact a fatal cost on talented athletes. In his urgent book Suicide Squeeze, William Kashatus chronicles the experiences of Taylor Hooton and Rob Garibaldi, two promising high school baseball players who abused APEDs in the hopes of attracting professional scouts and Division I recruiters. However, as a result of their steroid abuse, they ended up taking their own lives.

In Suicide Squeeze – named for the high-risk play in baseball to steal home – Kashatus identifies the symptoms and dangers of steroid use among teens. Using archival research and interviews with the Hooton and Garibaldi families, he explores the lives and deaths of these two young men, the impact of their suicides on MLB, and the ongoing fight against adolescent APED use by their parents.

A passionate appeal to prevent additional senseless deaths by athletes, Suicide Squeeze is an important contribution to debates on youth and sports and on public policy.

The book is published by Temple University Press.

Critic Reviews:

“A must-read for all parents and for everyone interested in the integrity of sports.” (Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Baseball)

“Every young person who reads this book represents a life potentially saved.” (Randy Levine, president, New York Yankees, and board Member, Taylor Hooton Foundation) 

“An outstanding book that should be read by anyone who has or will have a connection with young people who play sports. Suicide Squeeze reads like a novel and instructs like a textbook.” (Richard P. Borkowski, Sport and Recreation Safety Consultant)

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