Nice Guys Finish Last

The History of Baseball is rife with colorful characters. But for sheer cantankerousness, fighting moxie, and will to win, very few have come close to Leo "the Lip" Durocher. Following a five-decade career as a player and manager for baseball's most storied franchises, Durocher teamed up with veteran sportswriter Ed Linn to tell the story of his life in the game. The result is baseball at its best. Durocher began his career riding the bench for the powerhouse 1928 Yankees and hitting so poorly that Babe Ruth nicknamed him "the All-American Out." But he soon hit his stride: traded to St. Louis, he found his never-say-die attitude a perfect fit with the rambunctious "Gashouse Gang" Cardinals. In 1939, he was named player-manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers-and transformed the underachieving Bums into perennial contenders. He went on to manage the New York Giants, sharing the glory of Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world." Durocher would later learn how it felt to be on the other side of such an unforgettable moment, as his 1969 Cubs, after holding first place for 105 days, blew a seemingly insurmountable 8 1/2-game lead to the Miracle Mets. All the while, Durocher's feuds with players, owners, and league officials-not to mention his associations with gamblers, riffraff, and Hollywood stars like George Raft and Larraine Day-spread his fame far beyond the confines of the diamond. Nice Guys Finish Last brings the personalities and play-by-play of baseball's greatest era to life, earning a place on every baseball fan's bookshelf. Book jacket.