Nice Guys Finish Last |
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
“I believe in rules. Sure I do. If there weren't any rules, how could you break them?”  The history of baseball is rife with colorful characters. But for sheer cantankerousness, fighting moxie, and will to win, very few have come close to Leo “the Lip” Durocher. Following a five-decade career as a player and manager for baseball’s most storied franchises, Durocher teamed up with veteran sportswriter Ed Linn to tell the story of his life in the game. The resulting book, Nice Guys Finish Last, is baseball at its best, brimming with personality and full of all the fights and feuds, triumphs and tricks that made Durocher such a success—and an outsized celebrity.  Durocher began his career inauspiciously, riding the bench for the powerhouse 1928 Yankees and hitting so poorly that Babe Ruth nicknamed him “the All-American Out.” But soon Durocher hit his stride: traded to St. Louis, he found his headlong play and never-say-die attitude a perfect fit with the rambunctious “Gashouse Gang” Cardinals. In 1939, he was named player-manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers—and almost instantly transformed the underachieving Bums into perennial contenders. He went on to manage the New York Giants, sharing the glory of one of the most famous moments in baseball history, Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ’round the world,” which won the Giants the 1951 pennant. Durocher would later learn how it felt to be on the other side of such an unforgettable moment, as his 1969 Cubs, after holding first place for 105 days, blew a seemingly insurmountable 8-1/2-game lead to the Miracle Mets.  All the while, Durocher made as much noise off the field as on it. His perpetual feuds with players, owners, and league officials—not to mention his public associations with gamblers, riffraff, and Hollywood stars like George Raft and Larraine Day—kept his name in the headlines and spread his fame far beyond the confines of the diamond.  A no-holds-barred account of a singular figure, Nice Guys Finish Last brings the personalities and play-by-play of baseball’s greatest era to vivid life, earning a place on every baseball fan’s bookshelf. Â
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Customer Reviews:
• Brash
14 October, 2003
Leo Durocher has a story to tell you and you'd better listen because he doesn't care to repeat himself. At least that is the tone I got from reading his autobiography. He hits the ground arguing and never lets up. In the process, we get a good look at a career that spans Ty Cobb to Cesar Cedeno with plenty in between. This book is a must for Baseball history buffs. As a matter of fact, I think it helps if you ARE a Baseball history buff because you might know more about a number of the controversies that Durocher talks about. I was not familiar with a lot of the controversies he wrote about. However, that didn't detract from the book but neither did it add to my enjoyment of it. You come to understand early on that it is not coincidental that Durocher encountered so many controversies in his career. These include controversies surrounding his relationships with his players, his general managers, his owners, the umpires, his real or alleged off-field associations, as well as with various Baseball Commissioners. There is even a controvery or two surrounding his wives although, in fairness, it has more to do with their relationships with their former spouses than with him. In that regard, this is not a "kiss and tell" book. It's more a "now that you've heard everybody else's version, here's my side of the story" book. That's the problem with this book. Although Durocher acknowledges occassional short-comings, he seems to always be "set-up" by others to look like the bad guy. After a few dozen of his "corrections of the record" you come away feeling that this man may have had a hard time with the facts. Durocher may be apologetic at times but his brash manner, that he never waivers from, emboldens him to give some surprizing frank observations about some icons of the game. He is polite but critical of Jackie Robinson (didn't work hard enough), Ernie Banks (too slow and too lame to be of much good to the team), and Ron Santo (whom he portrays as a crybaby) to mention a few. He has his heroes such as Willie Mays whom he considered the greatest player he ever saw. He has two people that he puts at a level just a notch under Mays; Pete Reiser whose career was shortened by injuries and Cesar Cedeno whom he (typically) detracts in the same sentence he praises. However, the star of this book is Leo Durocher (fair enough, it's his autobiography). Although it was "co-written" with Ed Linn, the book read like a non-stop monologue by Durocher. The book was copyrighted in 1975 but it has stood the test of time. His comments on the high salaries of the 1970's may sound ridiculous compared to what has happened since then. However, his comments are still valid (when adjusted for inflation). Once I got started on the book, I found it hard to put down. I also found it hard to think I was getting the full story.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Leo The Lion Sparkles
25 September, 2009
It was good to see how Durocher dumped all over The Pizza Man, Ron Santo.The Chicago Media has built up Santo for years. Its
good to see that somebody has told the truth about Santo, one of the most overrated ballplayers of my lifetime.
Wayne Tietz, Oswego, Illinois
- Amazon Customer Review
• Brash, Colorful, And Entertaining
14 March, 2005
Baseball's Leo Durocher (1905-1991) was brash, opinionated, and colorful, and so is his entertaining autobiography. Durocher begins by describing his boyhood in Springfield, Massachusetts, his 1925 debut on Babe Ruth's Yankees, and his days as a slick-glove shortstop with Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Brooklyn. But Durocher was better known for his years as team manager. Here he aptly recounts his years as team skipper beginning with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938, moving to the Giants, Cubs, and finally ending when he resigned from the Houston Astros in 1973. Durocher introduces us to teammates like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, plus his personal favorites Willie Mays and Pete Reiser. We also meet baseball executives like Branch Rickey, Larry McPhail, and Phil Wrigley. Readers get Durocher's views on many significant events that occurred during his half-century in baseball. He also takes a few swings at his critics, and on occasion reflects on his own shortcomings.
This is a solid autobiography by one of the game's most colorful and controversial figures. Durocher tells his side of the story in entertaining style under the readable prose of collaborator Ed Linn.
- Amazon Customer Review
• My Favorite Baseball Book
24 July, 2005
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."
- Amazon Customer Review
• Leo's Tale Is One Worth Reading
09 May, 2004
Leo Durocher's autobiography is easily one of the top 5 baseball books ever written. This is a man who sat on the bench for the '27 Yanks and managed Jerry Reuss. That's covering quite a bit of history. Leo's takes on what he was around such as the differences between Ruth and Gehrig, Hugh Casey's passed ball in the '41 WS, Jackie Robinson's signing, the Bobby Thompson HR, the '69 pennant race and the coming of free agency in the 70's are written from an inside perspective, and full of humor.Although he is often over boastful (he claims to be the best friend of both Ruth & Sinatra, for instance), he is never boring. The chapter of his relationships with the umpires is alon worth getting the book. Any baseball library is incomplete without this classic.
- Amazon Customer Review
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