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Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Dodger Stories Ever Told
To baseball fans of today, the name “Dodgers” is synonymous with Hollywood, the warm California sun, and names like Tommy Lasorda, Kirk Gibson, Steve Garvey, and Orel Hershiser. The Dodgers mean much more than that to fans of baseball history, however. Namely, these fans remember the famed “Boys of Summer,” otherwise known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team that included some of the most storied players in baseball history, such as Hall of Famers Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, and Jackie Robinson. Although they eventually moved out West, the Brooklyn Dodgers provided some of the greatest moments the game has ever seen and some of the greatest personalities to ever take the field.
Carl Erskine, another member of that legendary team, relates memories about his days with the Dodgers in a book full of true stories and revealing anecdotes. The result is Tales from the Dodgers Dugout , a delightfully interesting trip through the world of baseball in the 1950s. Among Erskine’s many tales are his dealings with immortal team official Branch Rickey, his view from the Dodgers’ bench during Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and his firsthand experiences when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first black player in Major League Baseball history.
During his frequent speaking engagements, people often ask Erskine if all of his stories are true. His standard response has been, “Yes, I couldn’t possibly make them up the way they actually happened.” Now fans can read all of those great stories in Tales from the Dodgers Dugout .
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.
Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Carl Erskine, another member of that legendary team, relates memories about his days with the Dodgers in a book full of true stories and revealing anecdotes. The result is Tales from the Dodgers Dugout , a delightfully interesting trip through the world of baseball in the 1950s. Among Erskine’s many tales are his dealings with immortal team official Branch Rickey, his view from the Dodgers’ bench during Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and his firsthand experiences when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first black player in Major League Baseball history.
During his frequent speaking engagements, people often ask Erskine if all of his stories are true. His standard response has been, “Yes, I couldn’t possibly make them up the way they actually happened.” Now fans can read all of those great stories in Tales from the Dodgers Dugout .
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.
Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 2, 2021
This is a lovely little book with some fun stories about the Dodgers and what baseball was like in the 50's and 60's. Erskine seems to be a very likeable and humble guy. Many of his stories paint him as the butt of the joke, and he is very good-natured about it.
For example, Erskine tells this story: "My rookie year was especially exciting, because signing autographs for Brooklyn kids made me feel like a bona fide major league player. That is, until the day I came out of the clubhouse and was stopped by several boys wanting autographs. I signed several, and then one boy came back a second time. I gladly signed again. In a few minutes, he was back for a third autograph. This time I asked him why he would want three of my autographs. His honest answer was, 'Actually, I would like to have six. If I can get six of yours, I can trade them for one of Jackie Robinson's.'"
Erskine tells quite a few stories about Jackie, who was his teammate for nine years. He also tells plenty of stories about Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Roy Campanella. And there are lots of stories about the Dodgers, what they meant to the city of Brooklyn, the move to Los Angeles, etc.
Erskine also tells several stories about his son, Danny, who has Down's syndrome. He talks about how Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers made Danny feel so welcome at Spring Training every year, and the lessons Erskine learned from his son.
There is one review on here where some dummy looked up game logs and play by play charts to check the accuracy of Erskine's stories. He gave the book one star because the dates and games didn't match up so he gave up on the book. Ignore that review. The title of the book is not, The Bare Facts From the Dodgers Dugout, the title is Tales From the Dodgers Dugout. The definition for "tale" reads: a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted. Are they all true? Who cares? They're fun, and they take you inside the baselines a little bit. A great book for Dodger fans of all ages. The tales are sweet and funny, even if some of them might be a little tall.
For example, Erskine tells this story: "My rookie year was especially exciting, because signing autographs for Brooklyn kids made me feel like a bona fide major league player. That is, until the day I came out of the clubhouse and was stopped by several boys wanting autographs. I signed several, and then one boy came back a second time. I gladly signed again. In a few minutes, he was back for a third autograph. This time I asked him why he would want three of my autographs. His honest answer was, 'Actually, I would like to have six. If I can get six of yours, I can trade them for one of Jackie Robinson's.'"
Erskine tells quite a few stories about Jackie, who was his teammate for nine years. He also tells plenty of stories about Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Roy Campanella. And there are lots of stories about the Dodgers, what they meant to the city of Brooklyn, the move to Los Angeles, etc.
Erskine also tells several stories about his son, Danny, who has Down's syndrome. He talks about how Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers made Danny feel so welcome at Spring Training every year, and the lessons Erskine learned from his son.
There is one review on here where some dummy looked up game logs and play by play charts to check the accuracy of Erskine's stories. He gave the book one star because the dates and games didn't match up so he gave up on the book. Ignore that review. The title of the book is not, The Bare Facts From the Dodgers Dugout, the title is Tales From the Dodgers Dugout. The definition for "tale" reads: a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted. Are they all true? Who cares? They're fun, and they take you inside the baselines a little bit. A great book for Dodger fans of all ages. The tales are sweet and funny, even if some of them might be a little tall.
January 26, 2025
This is a wonderful book. It is an easy and quick read. I laughed out loud so many times. I learned a lot about the Dodgers of the late 40s to the early 60s. Erskine is a very good story teller.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews