WHITE RAT: A LIFE IN BASEBALL

The author recounts his career as a player, scout, and manager, and shares his memories of fellow players, managers, and baseball legends

Herzog, a journeyman big-league player, has distinguished himself as a manager with the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers (although he was something less than distinguished in the Lone Star State) and as a coach with the Kansas City A's, the New York Mets and the California Angels. His autobiography is notable because he is intelligent, realistic and tough-minded. He knows, for example, that it takes good players to make a good manager while a bad season will ensure the demise of the manager. Fans will find his observations on Dwight Gooden, Casey Stengel, Satchel Paige and Ozzie Smith absorbing and his ideas about the future of the game challenging. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Herzog has been one of the best managers in baseball for a dozen years. This is his account of the players, teams, owners, parks, umpires, agents, etc., with whom he has been associated over the last 25 years. The book is liberally sprinkled with anecdotes and opinions that will interest the serious fan, but in essence it is no different from any other recent sports biography. He does give detailed accounts of the trades and strategies which were used to build winning teams in Kansas City and St. Louis. But the most revealing chapters are those in which he discusses the various owners for whom he has worked and the effects of big contracts and drugs on the modern player. Dennis Dillon, Univ. of Texas Libs., Austin
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.