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Once a Bum, Always a Dodger
From the early days in Brooklyn to the champion Los Angeles Dodgers teams of the Sixties, Hall-of-Fame pitcher Don Drysdale's memoir recalls the great moments and players of Dodgers history
327 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 5, 2023
Once a Bum, Always a Dodger
This autobiography of Don Drysdale tells the story of one of the baseball icons of my childhood from his “accidentally” becoming a pitcher as a teenager through his career in the Dodger organization. His first couple of years in the big leagues were spent while the team was still in Brooklyn. The team moved to Las Angeles in 1958 where the team played the first few years in Las Angeles Coliseum, a venue not designed for baseball (it was only 250 feet down the left field line). He moves us through his years in baseball and then into his post career life. The baseball years offers up a good history of the national league from the late 50s through the 60s (Drysdale retires in 1969). Those years in the 60s caught my attention as I became a devoted national league fan during that time period, and I recall the Koufax and Drysdale duo being a dominant pair of pitchers for the Dodgers (I was not a Dodger fan).
The book is a first person narrative and is very conversational in tone as if Drysdale is just sharing stories and anecdotes as you sit across from him. The final chapter is about his family life and is titled “Happier Than Ever” and tells of his family situation at the time of the writing of the book. He had married for the second time to basketball icon, Annie Miller, and they had had two small children (there are pictures midway through the book). I read this chapter with a certain melancholy as I know that Drysdale died of a heart attack three years after the publication of this book leaving behind his young family, another reminder of the uncertainty of life. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to baseball fans of a certain age. It certainly took me back to the days of my childhood when I would scan the box scores and the standings in the newspaper as I waited for the school bus at Shaw’s store on Pipers Gap road there in my little hometown nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains of southern Virginia.
This autobiography of Don Drysdale tells the story of one of the baseball icons of my childhood from his “accidentally” becoming a pitcher as a teenager through his career in the Dodger organization. His first couple of years in the big leagues were spent while the team was still in Brooklyn. The team moved to Las Angeles in 1958 where the team played the first few years in Las Angeles Coliseum, a venue not designed for baseball (it was only 250 feet down the left field line). He moves us through his years in baseball and then into his post career life. The baseball years offers up a good history of the national league from the late 50s through the 60s (Drysdale retires in 1969). Those years in the 60s caught my attention as I became a devoted national league fan during that time period, and I recall the Koufax and Drysdale duo being a dominant pair of pitchers for the Dodgers (I was not a Dodger fan).
The book is a first person narrative and is very conversational in tone as if Drysdale is just sharing stories and anecdotes as you sit across from him. The final chapter is about his family life and is titled “Happier Than Ever” and tells of his family situation at the time of the writing of the book. He had married for the second time to basketball icon, Annie Miller, and they had had two small children (there are pictures midway through the book). I read this chapter with a certain melancholy as I know that Drysdale died of a heart attack three years after the publication of this book leaving behind his young family, another reminder of the uncertainty of life. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to baseball fans of a certain age. It certainly took me back to the days of my childhood when I would scan the box scores and the standings in the newspaper as I waited for the school bus at Shaw’s store on Pipers Gap road there in my little hometown nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains of southern Virginia.
May 16, 2020
I got this book from my younger brother as a gag gift a few years ago. The gag relates to a tabletop baseball game that he and I came up with when we were children that used stats off the back of baseball cards to determined what happened. I don't remember how it worked, or what dice were used, but I had a Don Drysdale baseball card from some Sears all-star set, and that card was unhittable in that silly game we came up with. UNHITTABLE. So when I unwrapped this book I started laughing because I knew exactly why he gave it to me.
I wasn't sure I would ever actually read the book, but after reading a heavy historical book about nineteenth century Russia I wanted a palate cleanser, so I picked this one off the shelf and gave it a go. I am glad that I did, because I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Specifically, I immensely enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, which covers Drysdale's playing career with the Dodgers. If the book was only about himself I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. Thankfully, he spends just as much time covering the crazy characters he played with, like Jackie Robinson, Lou Campanella, Tommy Lasorda, Sandy Koufax, and many others. Really enjoyable to read about these famous baseball personalities from a personal, "let me tell you what this hilarous idiot got up to in the clubhouse" kind of way.
The last quarter of the book covers Don Drysdale's life after baseball when he became a broadcaster, and I did not enjoy those chapters as much because I wasn't interested in that. He also spends a couple chapters complaining about how things in 1989 weren't as good as they were when he played, standard "old man yells at cloud" kind of stuff. So if you stop reading after he stops writing about his playing days, you aren't missing much. But those chapters about his playing days are great, and recommended for baseball fans, at least those who are old enough to know who he is writing about.
I wasn't sure I would ever actually read the book, but after reading a heavy historical book about nineteenth century Russia I wanted a palate cleanser, so I picked this one off the shelf and gave it a go. I am glad that I did, because I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Specifically, I immensely enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, which covers Drysdale's playing career with the Dodgers. If the book was only about himself I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. Thankfully, he spends just as much time covering the crazy characters he played with, like Jackie Robinson, Lou Campanella, Tommy Lasorda, Sandy Koufax, and many others. Really enjoyable to read about these famous baseball personalities from a personal, "let me tell you what this hilarous idiot got up to in the clubhouse" kind of way.
The last quarter of the book covers Don Drysdale's life after baseball when he became a broadcaster, and I did not enjoy those chapters as much because I wasn't interested in that. He also spends a couple chapters complaining about how things in 1989 weren't as good as they were when he played, standard "old man yells at cloud" kind of stuff. So if you stop reading after he stops writing about his playing days, you aren't missing much. But those chapters about his playing days are great, and recommended for baseball fans, at least those who are old enough to know who he is writing about.
January 15, 2024
While this is a breezy and reasonably engaging baseball memoir, Drysdale does not emerge as all that humble or likeable. Some of the points he makes are repeated several times needlessly. And his stance on brushback pitches and hitting batters is quite the hatchet job, excuse the pun. Drysdale didn't understand why every other pitcher didn't use his formula to protect his team: that for each of your own players who is hit or brushed back, you get to do the same to 2 players on the opposing side. Seems like Don was absent for too many math classes and never steps up to admit that he was just an unapologetic brute on the mound. He celebrates the fact that Sandy Koufax decked Lou Brock. Brocks' crime? Earlier in the game, he had walked, stole second and third, and scored on a sac fly. Go figure.
October 10, 2019
The book open with Drysdale visiting Brooklyn 30 years after the team moved to LA which wasn’t highly engaging. The book got far more interesting after that. Plenty of great stories about his pitching accomplishments, escapades, and the 1968 shutout streak. Howie Bedell broke up the streak after 58 innings with a sacrifice fly, his only RBI for the entire season. In 1961, Don was fined $100 for throwing at Frank Robinson. To make a statement, he personally delivered $100 of loose pennies in a sack to the National League office. This was a fun book worth reading again.
March 8, 2018
A great autobiography of one of the Dodger's greatest pitchers. Full of great baseball stories. While he had a writer help him with this one, his voice rings true in the writing and unlike some baseball autobiographies, you do really get a sense of his personality and character. A must read for Dodger fans!
September 15, 2018
When I was a kid I watched Drysdale pitch in old Ebbets Field. Nice to relive memories.
February 5, 2022
Loved it!
October 22, 2019
A little bit of a mixed bag with this book. I really like Drysdale's reminiscing about Ebbet's Field and the early Brooklyn Dodgers and the rest of his baseball career in general...and there was a chapter called "The Game I Love, But...." that gave his opinion of the modern baseball of the "80s" compared to his era that I found very interesting. Of course the book was written at that time. Some of the stories of his playing days were generally funny and some were so so being related to alcohol or off color language. I'm sure I would be willing to read more baseball books in the future.
November 8, 2007
A fairly typical baseball autobiography. Of interest mainly for the personal insights and anecdote of the author.
August 31, 2014
Broadcaster and retired ballplayer stories spoiled by a veneer of getoffmylawnism. Drysdale was too young of a man to act that old.
August 23, 2012
Typical baseball biography of a great Hall of Famer. Enjoyable read.
May 3, 2016
read SOMETIME in 2004
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews