Review of “Leave While The Party’s Good”

As one who likes reading about the front offices and business side of sports (especially baseball), I had to read this one when offered a review copy. Of course the title helped, too!

 Title/Author: 

“Leave While the Party’s Good: The Life and Legacy of Baseball Executive Harry Dalton” by Lee C. Kluck

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: While I am not one who usually picks up a book because of the title, I admit that for this book on Harry Dalton, the unusual title was what grabbed my attention. I’m glad that Lee C. Kluck’s book on the former general manager of three American League teams was just as good as that title as it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

For readers who like to read about the business side of sports and the wheeling and dealing inside front offices, this is an excellent read. Kluck describes Dalton’s rise from a ballpark employee to his early time in the minor league offices to his three stints in the American League with the Baltimore Orioles (1966-71), California Angels (1972-77) and Milwaukee Brewers (1978-91). 

Each stint is told from Dalton’s viewpoint as Kluck does an excellent job of illustrating the successful actions done while running each team even if the wins weren’t plentiful. This was especially the case when he was with the Angels and in his later years in Milwaukee, but each place had great stories from Dalton’s “Gang” as they are called frequently in the book.

The trades, drafts, and free agent signings that Dalton made are also recapped and illustrate what made Dalton one of the more respected executives in the game. That didn’t come without some controversy, however. There are two good illustrations of this. One was that during the 1981 players’ strike, Dalton did not take as hard a stance as some of his colleagues which caused some hard feelings. The second involved slugger Gary Sheffield and his difficulties in Milwaukee where he didn’t feel that Dalton was truthful with him. These and many other passages are told in excellent prose by Kluck. It is factually correct but written in a manner that isn’t too dry either. I found it to be very easy and enjoyable reading on a baseball executive whose success is often overlooked today. 

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Leave-While-Partys-Good-Executive/dp/149622289X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=