Read Nice Guys Finish Last Leo Durocher Ed Linn Books

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Product details Paperback 454 pages Publisher University of Chicago Press; 1 edition (September 15, 2009) Language English ISBN-10 0226173887

Nice Guys Finish Last Leo Durocher Ed Linn Books Reviews

• Over a third of a century has passed since Leo Durocher's book was first published in 1975 soon after he retired from baseball. This new edition offers an opportunity to relive the life of Leo The Lip for those of us old enough to remember him and a chance for later day baseball fans to get to know one of the game's most influential managers.
  
  I began following baseball in 1951, the year Durocher's New York Giants stormed from 13 1/2 games out to force the playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League pennant in which Bobby Thomson settled it with the shot heard round the world. It also was the year Willie Mays broke into the major leagues and Durocher stood by him when he struggled to live up to expectations. Durocher already had more than a quarter of a century in baseball before I walked in. This book provided me with a good look at his early life, his career as an ordinary player whose never quit style compensated for his lack of talent, and the great years as the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team he took from chronic loser status to one of baseball's most successful franchises before moving north of the Brooklyn Bridge.
  
  I contend Leo really was a nice guy because it is clear he recognized Mays' greatness and his need for a mentor like Leo to bring out the stardom in him. He also was a nice guy because he told the truth even when it hurt like when he made it clear to Giants brass that the team wasn't nearly as great as they thought it was. They chose to ignore him and went rapidly downhill after the wonderful 1954 World Series where they swept the heavily favored Cleveland Indians.
  
  Durocher stood up to two commissioners and he details his experiences with them here. Leo recognized that Happy Chandler was a buffoon unfit to be baseball's czar and he writes about their differences. Then there was the time Leo and his wife double teamed Bowie Kuhn and challenged efforts to set Durocher up. Bet Bowie never issued another breakfast invitation to Lynne Walker Goldblatt Durocher!
  
  This is a well written, easy reading story. If you don't read it you'll finish last whether of not you're a nice guy.
• Being a die hard baseball fan who came of age far after Leo Durocher's years in the majors, I didn't know what to expect from the book. However, it kept me entertained for every part except the last couple of chapters. His life and times in baseball covered some of the most interesting characters and events one man could've hoped to experience ranging from playing with Babe Ruth, Louh Gehrig, the Gas House Gang, managing the Dodgers, managing Jackie Robinson, managing the Giants during Bobby Thomson's famed home run, managing Willie Mays to so many other events. This man truly had an entertaining ride through his baseball career. I do echo another commenter who said having prior baseball historical knowledge would help your enjoyment of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the chapters that covered persons or events that I was familiar with, but some that have lost significance over time (culturally speaking) were not as easily accessible to me. Causing me to enjoy those portions less.
  
  My only critique is the last couple of chapters devolve into the rantings of any old person crying about how things used to be so much better back in his day. He complains about overpaid athletes, poor umpiring, Marvin Miller, etc. I felt like the only thing that had to be added in was him yelling at kids to get off his lawn.
  
  However, regardless of that critique, the first 400 or so odd pages of the book are great. I recommend this highly.
• Most of what I'd ever read or heard about Leo Durocher didn't make him seem to be a very likeable character. There are hundreds of stories of his fighting, foul-mouthed, and "win at all costs" approach to the game.
  
  However, after reading "Nice Guys Finish Last", I have new respect for the man. A fierce competitor and someone who genuinely loved the game, Durocher comes across as someone you would like to have had a few beers with while listening to hours of amazing baseball stories.
  
  Durocher has a candid, honest way of speaking, and he doesn't hold back. He speaks with great admiration about many players, managers, and even umpires, but also doesn't hesitate to blast anyone he thought was unfair to him.
  
  Some of his stories are probably a little exaggerated. I've read some accounts elsewhere that weren't quite as interesting, or that didn't put Leo in such a positive light. However, if you like baseball and are looking for a fun read, this is a great book. I consider it one of my favorite sports books, right up there with Art Donovan's "Fatso" and Sparky Lyle's "The Bronx Zoo."
• Nice Guys is a wonderful and honest portrayl of a man who hated to lose. This is the type of man you need on your team--a get in their face kind of guy. I'd read several other Dodger biographies and most of his players loved and admired Durocher. I read this book to find out why. This was an enjoyable read that changed my perspective on Leo and baseball.
• Loved this book. Tells about how baseball was in it's hey day before commercialism took over. If you grew up in those times and can remember what a joy it was to go to the ballpark back then, you will enjoy Leo's story of how it got that way, and how he handled the situations he got into. Great book.
• whats there to say...5stars
• Nice easy read from a man who spanned the golden age of baseball and continued to manage right before free agency hit and changed the game. Right or wrong, Leo does a nice job of sharing stories that demonstrate the shifting attitudes of ball players through the years. A good read for anyone that enjoys reading about baseball's days gone by.