True Blue: The Dramatic History of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Told by the Men Who Lived It

by Steve Delsohn

In 1957 the Dodgers broke the hearts of blue-collar Brooklyn for the embrace of booming Los Angeles. Thus began a new era for the fabled Bums, whose exploits inside -- and outside -- the white lines have intrigued generations of baseball fans. Based on scores of fresh and exuberant interviews, True Blue brings you into the dugout and the locker room, capturing the nearly half-century of clutch performances, World Series triumphs, blown pennant races, clubhouse brawls, contract disputes, stunning trades, and turbulent managerial changes -- all with a startling insider's perspective. In their own candid and provocative words, a who's who of Dodger legends and stars such as Duke Snider, Maury Wills, John Roseboro, Don Sutton, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Davey Lopes, Reggie Smith, Tommy Lasorda, Bill Russell, Dusty Baker, Kirk Gibson, Steve Sax, and Eric Karros recall their years with the Dodgers. Also providing their unique commentary are a number of noted opponents, writers, and broadcasters, including Willie Mays, Sparky Anderson, Pete Hamill, Roger Kahn, Tim McCarver, and Bob Costas. Their voices, woven into a rich and fast-paced narrative, bring to life the rise and shocking retirement of Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson's dramatic 1988 World Series home run, the controversial trade of Mike Piazza, and so much more. It is the vivid story of how the Dodgers became one of the great successes in major league history, winning nine National League pennants and five World Series championships. A fascinating and colorful history of a team, an era, and baseball itself, True Blue is must reading for any baseball fan.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

STEVE DELSOHN is the author or co-author of more than half a dozen books, including Da Bears! and Jim Brown's autobiography, Out of Bounds. He also wrote Talking Irish: The Oral History of Notre Dame Football as well as several other oral histories. He is currently a reporter for ESPN's Outside the Lines, for which he recently won a Peabody Award.

Reviews

[Jonathan Tennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dodgers, once the Bums of Brooklyn and now of the City of Angels have a storied past. They may not have the championships of the Yankees or the curse of the Cubs (until 2016) / Red Sox (until 2004) but, as a fan of baseball, their story is worth reading. Told by the people who lived it using quotes from Walter O’Malley, Al Downing, Davey Lopes, Steve Howe, Kirk Gibson, Tommy Lasorda and so many more. Highly recommend it.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best quote in this book - "Jay Johnstone: Tommy said to [Steve] Sax before the game, "Go with me for a walk around the field." So he and Sax started walking. Tommy said, "How many people in this country can play big-league baseball? How many big leaguers can hit .280? How many big leaguers can steal 40 bases?" Sax kept saying, "Not many." Then Lasorda said, "How many women can throw the ball to first base? Every f---ing one of them! So why the f--- can't you throw the ball to first base?"

That kills me because all of us Dodger fans said that last sentence over and over during Steve's throwing issues! Lol! Second best quote? Lasorda's rant about Kingman's 3 homer day against LA! I love the Dodgers, so this book was my cup of tea! And I started reading it on the first day of spring training games this year, so that felt even better! This book covers the Dodgers from 1957-2001, and it tells the story through quotes of those that were there! Good stuff all the way through, though Chapter 7, The Roseboro-Marichal Brawl, was my favorite! Roseboro's quotes are hilarious! And I had never known all of that detail about that day, 'till now!

I will take umbrage though with the author's description of Tim McCarver. He writes about Tim, "Now a brilliant TV analyst for Fox, ...". What the? Brilliant? I could not disagree more! McCarver was as bad as Joe Buck is now, if not worse. Delsohn, where did that come from? I hope you were forced to write that, otherwise I'm a bit suspicious of your ability to discern what the word brilliant means.

Besides that, a good book, and a great deal of fun for Dodger fans!

[Michael Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team from their first year in L.A. following their brave cross country move from Brooklyn following the 1957 season, till the end of the 1988 season. The story is told by players, front office people, and sports writers (a total of 124 interviews), notably lacking are anything from the reclusive pitcher Sandy Koufax, but a number of statements by the colorful Tommy Lasorda, who never shied away from a microphone (or a meal). The book is a fun trip down memory lane. The author covers all the major events in the stories Dodgers' Los Angeles history, from their time playing in a football stadium for four years and drawing over 90,000 fans in several games, breaking records for MLB attendance, to their very rocky '90s decade, with a shift in ownership, the Piazza trade debacle, with 5 World Series titles in between.

[Sandra Cisneros · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like books with multiple personal perspectives this is for you! I’m big on Dodgers history so this was great to go through the LA part of their history - interesting stories from some of my fave players!

[RA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oral history of the Dodgers from the move west through 2000. Brought back some of my early interest in them, and when I drifted away.

[Jackson Bergdoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great if you’re a sports fan or a Dodgers baseball fan.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-done baseball book that covers the history of the

[Eric Vickrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of candid interviews from Dodgers players, beat reporters, and team personnel that provide insights on the team you simply won't find elsewhere.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago, I read Nixon: An Oral History of His Presidency by Gerald & Deborah Hart Strober. The book was broken down into different topics and included comments from various people on those topics. They interviewed nearly a hundred people who had insights on various parts of Nixon’s Presidency. And it’s a fascinating inside look. I found it an excellent approach.

Steve Delsohn’s True Blue (subtitled The Dramatic History of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Told by the Men Who Lived It) is just such a book. After a chapter discussing the end of the days in Brooklyn, he looks at every Dodger season in Los Angeles, through 2000. And he interviewed over 100 persons, including scores of former players and coaches, to tell the story.

This is unlike any other Dodger history book on my shelves. Hear Stan Williams talk about Leo Durocher’s backstabbing of Walter Alston in 1962. Read the behind the scenes feelings that led to the famed Don Sutton-Steve Garvey fight. Get inside the clubhouse for Kirk Gibson’s team transformation in 1988.

I’ve always considered Juan Marichal a thug for hitting Johnny Roseboro in the head with a bat. But after reading Roseboro’s comments, I realize the catcher sort of brought the situation on (which his wife has said he admitted to).

Frank Howard, Rick Monday, Tommy Davis, Dave Lopes, Brett Butler, Ron Fairly, Kevin Kennedy: the guys who were there, on the field, in the dugout and up in the front office all tell you just like it was. I’m surprised there aren’t more books out there like this. An excellent read about the Los Angeles Dodgers

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to hear from those who were there behind the scenes in the L.A. Dodgers universe. Surprised that Sandy Koufax wasn't involved. Learned a lot more than I ever knew about Mike Busch.

[David Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am big dodger fan, thus I enjoyed it

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories and anecdotes from 'The Blue Crew.'