Title/Author:
“Tommy Lasorda: My Way”
by Colin Gunderson
Tags:
Baseball, history,
biography, Dodgers
Publish date:
April 1, 2015
Length:
257 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
Throughout his
baseball career, both as a player and later as the manager of the Los Angeles
Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda was known as much for his positive spin on anything
related to the team or his players.
These traits come to life in this book written by Colin Gunderson. The author worked as the press coordinator
for Lasorda for 12 years, so he knows many of these stories first hand.
The writing shows the
in-depth knowledge as each topic covered, from loyalty to competitiveness to determination
is rich with details from many players who Lasorda coached or had as a
teammate. Of course, his Dodger loyalty is discussed in depth as he bleeds
Dodger blue. Lasorda provides many quotes as well, and they add even more
substance to traits that are shown to be important to him. Even for those readers who may not be fans of
Lasorda or the Dodgers will enjoy the humor and genuine love Lasorda shares
about many of these topics and people.
Those who are looking
for something new or some previously unknown facts or characteristics will be
disappointed as the public persona of Lasorda is proven to be completely true
about the man. While at times it seems to be a bit excessive, both in Lasorda’s
praise and the writing that makes him seem just too good, it at least is an
accurate reflection. It is also very entertaining as the reader will often be
laughing and smiling at some of the stories.
My favorite topic in
the book was the chapter on patriotism. While this was a point he has made
public before, many people may not realize that Lasorda’s favorite baseball
moment did not involve the Dodgers. He has said that his proudest
accomplishment in his career was when he was the manager of the United States
Olympic baseball team in 2000 when the US won its only gold medal in
baseball. He talks about that tournament
with the excitement of a kid and it was the chapter that I felt was filled with
the best baseball writing, especially when describing the game in the medal
round when Doug Mientkiewicz hit the game winning home run against South
Korea.
This is an
entertaining, fun-to-read book on one of the most recognizable figures in
recent baseball history. Readers will
never be bored while reading this and should enjoy each story about this
legendary manager.
Pace of the book:
This is a very quick
read as I completed it in under two hours of total reading time. The stories come fast and furious and are
never dull.
Do I recommend?
Most baseball fans
will enjoy reading this book, but it is especially recommended for Dodger fans
or fans of Lasorda as this will bring back many good memories.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying links:
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