Once a Bum, Always a Dodger: My Life in Baseball from Brooklyn to Los Angeles

From the early days in Brooklyn to the champion Los Angeles Dodgers teams of the Sixties, Hall-of-Fame pitcher Don Drysdale's memoir recalls the great moments and players of Dodgers history

Drysdale joined the Dodgers in 1956, when most of the boys of summer were still on the team and "Dem Bums" were the pride of Flatbush. Although a California native, he was not pleased by the move to Los Angeles which necessitated playing baseball in a football stadium. But in the new ballpark, he and fellow pitcher Sandy Koufax helped make the team one of the strongest in the National League; he set a major league record (since eclipsed) for consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Assisted by Verdi ( McMahon! ), the outspoken former pitcher, who is now a radio-TV commentator, admits to using brushback pitches and the spitball. Drysdale's observations on the contemporary game and its players are scathing. Photos not seen by PW. 100,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Verdi, Chicago Tribune columnist and co-author of McMahon! (Warner, 1986) and Harry Caray's Holy Cow ! (Random, 1989), has given Drysdale his own voice in this nostalgic look at Drysdale's career with the Dodgers organization, and the nature of the changes in the game. Drysdale's colorful anecdotes and opinions make for an informative, enjoyable book, as he describes his teammates (e.g., Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snyder), his bosses (Buzzie Bavasi, Walter Alston, Walter O'Malley), his style (including his "mean" nature in protecting the plate and his use of the spitball), and his broadcasting career. Drysdale clearly has a great love for the game the way it used to be: Brooklyn and the old Dodgers made a powerful impression on him, and will on the reader, too. This belongs in all baseball collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/89.
- Robert Aken, Univ. of Kentucky Libs., Lexington
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.