This Ain't Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing Your Mind

by Larry Dierker

In a passionate, heartfelt autobiography, the humorous, honest, and well versed baseball icon candidly exposes his small beginnings, triumphant successes, initiation into the world of management, and how he remains "real" throughout the decades of the game.

Genres: Baseball, Nonfiction, Sports

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Steve Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My earliest memories of Larry Dierker are as the color commentator for the Astros. He and Milo Hamilton were the voices of my youth. When he was named manager, I was perplexed and excited--and obviously he did a good job with a good team. I always enjoyed his style on the broadcasts--knowledgeable yet laid back with a good sense of humor. This all comes through in This Ain't Brain Surgery. I found it impossible to read this without hearing it in Dierker's voice. I don't think there's anything particularly spectacular here, but it is a well executed, solid baseball book with some amusing and insight anecdotes. I'd certainly recommend this to any Astros fan and baseball fans in general. It's a light, easy book about baseball--perfect for a summer afternoon.

[Mark Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical baseball autobiography. It wasn't full of boxscore stats and play by play of games played years ago. It was Larry Dierker talking about his playing days, his broadcast days and managing days mostly all with the Houston Astros organization. He also gave his thoughts of present day baseball at the time of publishing (2003). Some things didn't age well especially the part about cheating not being a huge deal in baseball. Funny the Astros were busted for cheating 14-15 years later. It was a good book some chapters were better than others. Those chapters I didn't enjoy mostly because they ran way too long. More 3 and half than a 4 but I rounded up.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm biased because I'm an Astros fan and love baseball, but I enjoyed Dierker's musings on the game and life here. His insight into the game itself was intriguing and some of his behind the scenes stories were hilarious. I recommend it for any baseball fan, and particularly any Astros fan.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

When this book first came out, I read a positive review of it someplace, and put it on my Amazon wish list. It sat there for a number of years until my father-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. I can no longer remember the review, or why I was eager to read it. I picked it up and read it this April, thinking that a baseball memoir would be a good way to get in the mood for the new season.

Larry Dierker spent most of his career as a pitcher for the Houston Astros. After retiring as a player he worked as a color announcer for the Astros' local radio and television stations. In the late 90's, the Astros needed a new manager and signed Dierker, despite his lack of managerial experience. His Astros wound up winning the pennant four of the five years he was at the helm. All of this makes the book a bit of an odd read for me, as I've never followed the Astros. I vaguely know Dierker as their manager from about ten years ago, when they were regularly appearing in the post-season, but I didn't know anything else about him before reading this book.

Unlike many memoirs that are arranged chronologically or around a key event or season, this book is organized by topic. There are chapters on pitching, scouting, umpires, etc. Each chapter is a mix of discussion about the topic (e.g., what do scouts do in a major league organization, how do they find talent, etc.) and anecdotes---some biographical and some otherwise.

The strongest chapters were the ones about pitching and managing (no surprise, since Dierker both pitched and managed in the big leagues). A chapter on "Opening Day" was probably the most boring. In it Dierker recounts highlights from the many opening day games he participated in, from his first little league season to his final season as a manager. This litany of one game after another bored me to tears. I put the book down for a few weeks and came close to not finishing it. Happily, I picked it up again, and the book quickly got better.

Dierker comes across as easy-going and knowledgeable. He is proud of his accomplishments, but seems more humble than boastful. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It started a bit slowly, but once I got into it there was a lot to enjoy. It would probably rate four stars for somebody who actually follows the Astros.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Astros so I really enjoyed this book. Larry Dierker was with the Astros as a pitcher, announcer, and then manager from the beginning till 2001. He wrote the book in 2003 so it even covered past when he was associated with them. The only complaint I have is I wish it was longer! It's easy to read and entertaining.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly auto-biographical, with the occasional funny anecdote about former players/broadcasters/etc.

[Michael Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book that I rate high because I love Diek. He's the best.

[Cloe Smith]

Very informative