The current bench coach of the New York Yankees shares details of his colorful life in baseball, from Babe Ruth to Casey Stengel and beyond. 35,000 first printing. $35,000 ad/promo.
Zimmer is a "lifer," having been involved with professional baseball for half a century. A native of Cincinnati, he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949; a powerful shortstop, he was the logical successor to Pee Wee Reese. Zimmer suffered several beanings that nearly cost him his life and never became the ballplayer he was projected to be. Still, "Popeye" so-called because of his bulging forearms did enjoy a successful major league career. A member of Brooklyn's only World Champion team in 1955, he then played on the Los Angeles Dodgers' first world championship team four years later. He tells riveting stories about the "Boys of Summer," like Billy Loes, Johnny Podres, Clem Labine and Duke Snider. Zimmer became a much-traveled utility infielder and spent his last year playing in Japan, where, he observed, the horses "ran backwards" at the racetrack. He recounts his stints as a manager in San Diego, Boston, Texas and Chicago, and as Joe Torres's bench coach during the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Yankee World Championships. Zimmer pulls no punches in his evaluations of baseball celebrities like Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, managers Don Baylor, Billy Martin and Joe Torre, and owners Eddie Chiles and George Steinbrenner. Zimmer's book is bluntly honest and filled with amusing anecdotes, a cut above the average baseball autobiography.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Don Zimmer, currently a coach for the New York Yankees, has been in baseball forever. As a player, he was managed by Walter Alston and Casey Stengel and counted numerous Hall-of-Famers as his teammates; as a manager, he instructed another generation of all-stars. Coauthor Madden, an award-winning columnist for the
New York Daily News, gives Zimmer's story the perfect tone: it's as if we were sitting down with Zim for a few beers and a long night of great stories. Fortunately, Zimmer is no Pollyanna. He liked some guys, didn't like others, and is happy to name names. For instance, he calls Bill "Spaceman" Lee, who pitched for Zimmer on the Boston Red Sox, a "mean-spirited jerk," and he claims unequivocally that he was bounced from his managerial job with the Chicago Cubs due to politics within the
Chicago Tribune, the team's parent company. Baseball may be a great game, but Zimmer has always understood that it's also a business. It's that reality-based foundation that gives this memoir its zip. Fascinating reading for baseball fans.
Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedZimmer has spent 53 years in baseball, and though he'll never make the Hall of Fame, he has become something of a national treasure. He began his career with the fabled Brooklyn Dodgers alongside Jackie Robinson. He has managed and coached many of the game's greats and has lately gained fame as Joe Torre's right-hand man. Ever since his recent dugout beaning by a foul ball, Zim has been seen in a New York Yankee army helmet, symbolic of his true grit. Readers nationwide will love this tale.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
