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Leo Durocher: Baseball's Prodigal Son
Leo Durocher (1905–1991) was baseball’s all-time leading cocky, flamboyant, and galvanizing character, casting a shadow across several eras, from the time of Babe Ruth to the Space Age Astrodome, from Prohibition through the Vietnam War. For more than forty years, he was at the forefront of the game, with a Zelig-like ability to be present as a player or manager for some of the greatest teams and defining baseball moments of the twentieth century. A rugged, combative shortstop and a three-time All-Star, he became a legendary manager, winning three pennants and a World Series in 1954.
Durocher performed on three main stages: New York, Chicago, and Hollywood. He entered from the wings, strode to where the lights were brightest, and then took a poke at anyone who tried to upstage him. On occasion he would share the limelight, but only with Hollywood friends such as actor Danny Kaye, tough guy and sometime roommate George Raft, Frank Sinatra, and Durocher’s third wife, movie star Laraine Day.
Dickson explores Durocher’s life and times through primary source materials, interviews with those who knew him, and original newspaper files. A superb addition to baseball literature, Leo Durocher offers fascinating and fresh insights into the racial integration of baseball, Durocher’s unprecedented suspension from the game, the two clubhouse revolts staged against him in Brooklyn and Chicago, and his vibrant life off the field.
Durocher performed on three main stages: New York, Chicago, and Hollywood. He entered from the wings, strode to where the lights were brightest, and then took a poke at anyone who tried to upstage him. On occasion he would share the limelight, but only with Hollywood friends such as actor Danny Kaye, tough guy and sometime roommate George Raft, Frank Sinatra, and Durocher’s third wife, movie star Laraine Day.
Dickson explores Durocher’s life and times through primary source materials, interviews with those who knew him, and original newspaper files. A superb addition to baseball literature, Leo Durocher offers fascinating and fresh insights into the racial integration of baseball, Durocher’s unprecedented suspension from the game, the two clubhouse revolts staged against him in Brooklyn and Chicago, and his vibrant life off the field.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published March 21, 2017
41 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dickson
143 books41 followersPaul Dickson is the author of more than 45 nonfiction books and hundreds of magazine articles. Although he has written on a variety of subjects from ice cream to kite flying to electronic warfare, he now concentrates on writing about the American language, baseball and 20th century history.
Dickson, born in Yonkers, NY, graduated from Wesleyan University in 1961 and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnae of that institution in 2001. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy and later worked as a reporter for McGraw-Hill Publications.
Since 1968, he has been a full-time freelance writer contributing articles to various magazines and newspapers, including Smithsonian, Esquire, The Nation, Town & Country, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post and writing numerous books on a wide range of subjects.
He received a University Fellowship for reporters from the American Political Science Association to do his first book, Think Tanks (1971). For his book, The Electronic Battlefield (1976), about the impact automatic weapons systems have had on modern warfare, he received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to support his efforts to get certain Pentagon files declassified.
His book The Bonus Army: An American Epic, written with Thomas B. Allen, was published by Walker and Co. on February 1, 2005. It tells the dramatic but largely forgotten story of the approximately 45,000 World War I veterans who marched on Washington in the summer of 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, to demand early payment of a bonus promised them for their wartime service and of how that march eventually changed the course of American history and led to passage of the GI Bill—the lasting legacy of the Bonus Army. A documentary based on the book aired on PBS stations in May 2006 and an option for a feature film based on the book has been sold.
Dickson's most recent baseball book, The Hidden Language of Baseball: How Signs and Sign Stealing Have Influenced the Course of our National Pastime, also by Walker and Co, was first published in May, 2003 and came out in paperback in June, 2005. It follows other works of baseball reference including The Joy of Keeping Score, Baseballs Greatest Quotations, Baseball the Presidents Game and The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, now in it's second edition. A third edition is currently in the works. The original Dickson Baseball Dictionary was awarded the 1989 Macmillan-SABR Award for Baseball Research.
Sputnik: The Shock of the Century, another Walker book, came out in October, 2001 and was subsequently issued in paperback by Berkeley Books. Like his first book, Think Tanks (1971), and his latest, Sputnik, was born of his first love: investigative journalism. Dickson is working on a feature documentary about Sputnik with acclaimed documentarians David Hoffmanand Kirk Wolfinger.
Two of his older language books, Slang and Label For Locals came out in the fall of 2006 in new and expanded versions.
Dickson is a founding member and former president of Washington Independent Writers and a member of the National Press Club. He is a contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine and a consulting editor at Merriam-Webster, Inc. and is represented by Premier Speakers Bureau, Inc. and the Jonathan Dolger Literary agency.
He currently lives in Garrett Park, Maryland with his wife Nancy who works with him as his first line editor, and financial manager.
Dickson, born in Yonkers, NY, graduated from Wesleyan University in 1961 and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnae of that institution in 2001. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy and later worked as a reporter for McGraw-Hill Publications.
Since 1968, he has been a full-time freelance writer contributing articles to various magazines and newspapers, including Smithsonian, Esquire, The Nation, Town & Country, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post and writing numerous books on a wide range of subjects.
He received a University Fellowship for reporters from the American Political Science Association to do his first book, Think Tanks (1971). For his book, The Electronic Battlefield (1976), about the impact automatic weapons systems have had on modern warfare, he received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to support his efforts to get certain Pentagon files declassified.
His book The Bonus Army: An American Epic, written with Thomas B. Allen, was published by Walker and Co. on February 1, 2005. It tells the dramatic but largely forgotten story of the approximately 45,000 World War I veterans who marched on Washington in the summer of 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, to demand early payment of a bonus promised them for their wartime service and of how that march eventually changed the course of American history and led to passage of the GI Bill—the lasting legacy of the Bonus Army. A documentary based on the book aired on PBS stations in May 2006 and an option for a feature film based on the book has been sold.
Dickson's most recent baseball book, The Hidden Language of Baseball: How Signs and Sign Stealing Have Influenced the Course of our National Pastime, also by Walker and Co, was first published in May, 2003 and came out in paperback in June, 2005. It follows other works of baseball reference including The Joy of Keeping Score, Baseballs Greatest Quotations, Baseball the Presidents Game and The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, now in it's second edition. A third edition is currently in the works. The original Dickson Baseball Dictionary was awarded the 1989 Macmillan-SABR Award for Baseball Research.
Sputnik: The Shock of the Century, another Walker book, came out in October, 2001 and was subsequently issued in paperback by Berkeley Books. Like his first book, Think Tanks (1971), and his latest, Sputnik, was born of his first love: investigative journalism. Dickson is working on a feature documentary about Sputnik with acclaimed documentarians David Hoffmanand Kirk Wolfinger.
Two of his older language books, Slang and Label For Locals came out in the fall of 2006 in new and expanded versions.
Dickson is a founding member and former president of Washington Independent Writers and a member of the National Press Club. He is a contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine and a consulting editor at Merriam-Webster, Inc. and is represented by Premier Speakers Bureau, Inc. and the Jonathan Dolger Literary agency.
He currently lives in Garrett Park, Maryland with his wife Nancy who works with him as his first line editor, and financial manager.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 21, 2017
He began his professional career when Cal Coolidge was President. he played with Babe Ruth and against Ty Cobb. He was a manager until his last gig with Houston in 1975. He was a rogue, a character, one of the best defensive shortstops in his era, and one of the most controversial persona of all time in baseball history. Paul Dickson does a wonderful job in presenting the dichotomy of Durocher. He was at once gregarious and gruff, approachable and aloof, aggressive and kind. For me he was an earlier version of Billy Martin but with gambling as his addiction rather than alcohol. Of course Dickson had a lot of material to work with because of Durocher's antics over many decades Still Dickson does a great job in presenting all of the fights, associations, the rebellions, the fight for integration, and the closing bitter years in an efficient manner without missing the essentials. Durocher was from a different pre-Marvin Miller era and knew only one way to play the game. He steadfastly stood for that kind of ball and managerial style even when it was clearly outdated. As kind and genuine were his efforts to integrate and fight for Monte Irvin and Willie Mays, so was his rancor and jealousy towards Ernie Banks,Ron Santo, and Ken Holtzman(whom he berated for his Jewish ethic) in his latter years. While Durocher may have gotten a bum rap from Happy Chandler in 1947, Durocher was a lifelong liar, egocentric, arrogant, and pugilist who offended his teams, the press, and the fans. Maybe you will come out differently about Durocher, but that's what makes a great book. There is plenty to debate and Dickson provides some wonderful stories and background to the last rogue of baseball.
April 9, 2017
This is a very fine biography of one of baseball's prodigal sons, Leo "the Lip" Durocher. Between playing and managing, he lived in the eras of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb up through Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Ernie Banks. He managed three teams for fairly long stretches--Dodgers, Giants, and Cubs. As a manager, he won over 2,000 games--rating him very high on the list of winningest managers. But it's not so much the statistics; his persona also grabbed attention.
The book takes a look at Durocher's life from his birth (he was born as French Canadian--his name would have been pronounced De-rochay) to his death. In between, a lot of things happened! A brouhaha with Babe Ruth over a watch (did Durocher steal it from the Babe or not?), acrobatic fielding as a shortstop--and a rather weak stick (career batting average=.247), represented his league in the All-Star game as a player, time as a player-manager (as his playing career wound down). He was a scrappy player who could get under other players' skin with his bench jockeying and aggressive performance.
As a manager, he was no less scrappy and aggressive. As one reads the book, one is struck by how many games he was ejected from and his suspensions for being a "bad boy." Arguments with umpires were the stuff of legends, with kicking dirt on them, screaming at them, sometimes hitting them. He would fight to the very edge of the rules to win a game (and may have gone across the line a time or so!). He was hard on his players, and there were occasional revolts against his manner (Dodgers and Cubs). He could rip players to shreds (it is almost shocking to read of him trying to ride Ernie Banks (Mr. Cub) out of baseball. While he won a lot of games, he could blow it, too. His performance as manager with the Cubs is often looked at as a not so great job--overplaying the team in the miserable hot summers in Illinois, burning them out perhaps? He was also an early supporter of allowing African-Americans play major league baseball.
We also learn of his personal life--his four marriages, his friendship with George Raft, his heavy involvement in gambling, his involvement with a Hollywood Crowd, including Frank Sinatra.
All in all, an even handed look at Durocher, warts and all. The reader gets a sense of the best and the worst of the man.
The book takes a look at Durocher's life from his birth (he was born as French Canadian--his name would have been pronounced De-rochay) to his death. In between, a lot of things happened! A brouhaha with Babe Ruth over a watch (did Durocher steal it from the Babe or not?), acrobatic fielding as a shortstop--and a rather weak stick (career batting average=.247), represented his league in the All-Star game as a player, time as a player-manager (as his playing career wound down). He was a scrappy player who could get under other players' skin with his bench jockeying and aggressive performance.
As a manager, he was no less scrappy and aggressive. As one reads the book, one is struck by how many games he was ejected from and his suspensions for being a "bad boy." Arguments with umpires were the stuff of legends, with kicking dirt on them, screaming at them, sometimes hitting them. He would fight to the very edge of the rules to win a game (and may have gone across the line a time or so!). He was hard on his players, and there were occasional revolts against his manner (Dodgers and Cubs). He could rip players to shreds (it is almost shocking to read of him trying to ride Ernie Banks (Mr. Cub) out of baseball. While he won a lot of games, he could blow it, too. His performance as manager with the Cubs is often looked at as a not so great job--overplaying the team in the miserable hot summers in Illinois, burning them out perhaps? He was also an early supporter of allowing African-Americans play major league baseball.
We also learn of his personal life--his four marriages, his friendship with George Raft, his heavy involvement in gambling, his involvement with a Hollywood Crowd, including Frank Sinatra.
All in all, an even handed look at Durocher, warts and all. The reader gets a sense of the best and the worst of the man.
October 10, 2024
Book 53 of 2024: The life of the man known as "Leo the Lip."
Leo Durocher lived a baseball life, he played with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth and managed Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. He was one of the most infamous managers who ever laced them up. He was hated by opponents, umpires, some of his players, two commissioners of baseball and a couple of the owners he worked under. He was ruthless and loud and once was suspended for an entire season because of his alleged friendships with noted gangsters. He was also extremely successful as a manager, which is why he was still getting managerial jobs well into his seventies. Willie Mays has said that Durocher made him the player he was and was the best manager he ever had.
Leo Durocher was also a gambling addict who had to have his owners pay off his gambling debts in order to get him to sign a contract. He was close friends with Frank Sinatra, as well as Bugsy Siegel and George Raft, his third wife was the actress Laraine Day. He had to be part of the social scene no matter where he was. He was married four times and had a daughter early in his life who is only mentioned once in this book, so, my assumption is that they weren't close. He physically fought with Ernie Harwell when he was the Giants manager and Jack Brickhouse when he was the Cubs manager. Ernie Banks and Ron Santo hated him. He also got a penis implant in 1987, which is hilarious.
One of the things that I love about baseball books are when you see the personalities of these guys and Leo Durocher had personality for days. I don't know how he would be able to handle today's players and vice versa.
The book itself was engaging and easy to read, the subject was a flawed, yet fascinating one.
B
Leo Durocher lived a baseball life, he played with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth and managed Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. He was one of the most infamous managers who ever laced them up. He was hated by opponents, umpires, some of his players, two commissioners of baseball and a couple of the owners he worked under. He was ruthless and loud and once was suspended for an entire season because of his alleged friendships with noted gangsters. He was also extremely successful as a manager, which is why he was still getting managerial jobs well into his seventies. Willie Mays has said that Durocher made him the player he was and was the best manager he ever had.
Leo Durocher was also a gambling addict who had to have his owners pay off his gambling debts in order to get him to sign a contract. He was close friends with Frank Sinatra, as well as Bugsy Siegel and George Raft, his third wife was the actress Laraine Day. He had to be part of the social scene no matter where he was. He was married four times and had a daughter early in his life who is only mentioned once in this book, so, my assumption is that they weren't close. He physically fought with Ernie Harwell when he was the Giants manager and Jack Brickhouse when he was the Cubs manager. Ernie Banks and Ron Santo hated him. He also got a penis implant in 1987, which is hilarious.
One of the things that I love about baseball books are when you see the personalities of these guys and Leo Durocher had personality for days. I don't know how he would be able to handle today's players and vice versa.
The book itself was engaging and easy to read, the subject was a flawed, yet fascinating one.
B
May 22, 2017
A really good biography about one of the controversial figures in American Sports, in the first half of the last century. Leo is best known as a competitor who said he would trip his own mother if it would mean winning a ballgame. Durocher was in the middle of such events as the 27 Yankees, the Gashouse Gang in St. Louis, helping smooth the way for great players like Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays. The collapse of the Cubs, in 1969 which cleared the way for the Miracle Mets. His personal life and his controversial nature often obscured contributions to the game. He was known ladies man married several times, was often in the company of gangsters, and was suspended by baseball commissioner Chandler. All in all this was a good book. It would appeal primarily to baseball fans
August 7, 2017
I had already read Paul Dickson's outstanding biography of Bill Veeck, the controversial owner of several baseball franchises, including my Chicago White Sox. While Veeck was a pain in the neck to many people, he was a really good man. Leo Durocher, every bit as controversial as Veeck as a player and a field manager, was not a good guy and Dickson does not sugarcoat this.
Like his Veeck book, this book (published this year, 2017) on Durocher is extremely well-researched and thoroughly covers his life inside and outside the game of baseball.
Lots of great baseball history in this book: Babe Ruth, the Gashouse Gang in St. Louis and Bobby Thompson's pennant-winning home run in 1951, the "shot heard around the world". And, of course, for us Chicago fans, there was Durocher's tenure as Cubs manager, highlighted (or lowlighted) by the infamous collapse of the 1969 Cubs.
Durocher was a very self-centered egomaniac. You don't read much about him doing things to help other people. However, he was in favor of breaking the color line in baseball and was Jackie Robinson's first manager. However, he gave Robinson a hard time. Soon afterwards, he became the manager of the Giants and had a great relationship with Willie Mays, a young black player who really struggled on his arrival to the major leagues. Later, another black player, base-stealing expert Maury Wills of the Dodgers was vocal about his positive relationship with Durocher. But, again on the other hand, he treated Ernie Banks very poorly when he managed Banks with the Cubs.
Off the field, Durocher hung out with show biz types and gamblers. He was suspended from baseball for one year (1947), apparently for associating with crime figures.
Excellent book! Who will Dickson write about next?
Like his Veeck book, this book (published this year, 2017) on Durocher is extremely well-researched and thoroughly covers his life inside and outside the game of baseball.
Lots of great baseball history in this book: Babe Ruth, the Gashouse Gang in St. Louis and Bobby Thompson's pennant-winning home run in 1951, the "shot heard around the world". And, of course, for us Chicago fans, there was Durocher's tenure as Cubs manager, highlighted (or lowlighted) by the infamous collapse of the 1969 Cubs.
Durocher was a very self-centered egomaniac. You don't read much about him doing things to help other people. However, he was in favor of breaking the color line in baseball and was Jackie Robinson's first manager. However, he gave Robinson a hard time. Soon afterwards, he became the manager of the Giants and had a great relationship with Willie Mays, a young black player who really struggled on his arrival to the major leagues. Later, another black player, base-stealing expert Maury Wills of the Dodgers was vocal about his positive relationship with Durocher. But, again on the other hand, he treated Ernie Banks very poorly when he managed Banks with the Cubs.
Off the field, Durocher hung out with show biz types and gamblers. He was suspended from baseball for one year (1947), apparently for associating with crime figures.
Excellent book! Who will Dickson write about next?
March 13, 2017
I received a prepublication copy from the publisher.
Leo Durocher is an outsized figure in baseball history. Dickson's book tries to cover a lot of ground in just about 300 pages. Most of the emphasis is on Durocher's turbulent off-field life. The baseball field was just another stage for Durocher to perform on. He is the prototype for the angry, dirt-kicking umpire. Whether or not his managerial acumen made his team's to succeed is for the readers to decide.
Leo Durocher is an outsized figure in baseball history. Dickson's book tries to cover a lot of ground in just about 300 pages. Most of the emphasis is on Durocher's turbulent off-field life. The baseball field was just another stage for Durocher to perform on. He is the prototype for the angry, dirt-kicking umpire. Whether or not his managerial acumen made his team's to succeed is for the readers to decide.
April 8, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: LEO THE LIP GOING FROM THE DODGERS TO THE GIANTS WOULD BE LIKE PATTON GOING FROM U.S. TO RUSSIA
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I was born in Brooklyn to a Dodger loving family. The ten tears before they had children my parents were at Ebbets Field rooting for our “Beloved-Bums” almost every weekend. Our family actually moved from New York to Los Angeles the same year as the Dodgers. Leo “The Lip’s” exploits with Brooklyn were before I was born… but along with stories of Jackie Robinson… from the time I could understand… there were just as many stories about “The Lips” antics handed down to me from my Father AND Mother. From the minute I could read… I read everything printed about not only the Dodgers but the entire history of baseball. I learned pretty quickly about the hatred… the bean balls… the flying spikes and fists between my heroes and the crosstown rival Giants. Though I’ve read other Durocher biographies over the years… this new one by Paul Dickson… (though… perhaps… time has dulled some of the detail of prior author’s work… as the last one was over a decade ago) seems to flow the smoothest… covers all the bases… and brings back thrilling memories of old-school-baseball. AND I MEAN OLD-SCHOOL!
I remember like it was yesterday… when my Dad was instilling in me… the will to win in every game. One of our favorite Durocher quotes I was raised on… is sure enough right on page five: “IF I WAS PLAYING THIRD BASE AND MY MOTHER WAS ROUNDING THIRD WITH THE RUN THAT WAS GOING TO BEAT US, I’D TRIP HER!” Even my dear- old -Mom loved that one! And of course “Nice guys finish last!” The author’s writing style is silky smooth. Happily… he doesn’t resort to the repetitive repertoire that too many authors rely on when writing about historical sports events such as… “He recalled”…. Etc. Each ball game event is written in a fresh vein even if it was from eighty-years ago. From his youth in Massachusetts… to playing ball with the Murderer’s Row Yankees… with his “buddy” Babe Ruth (and of course… they were anything but “buddy’s… whether you believe Leo actually stole the Babe’s watch or not. And the author also has the intimate details when years later when Ruth was a coach on the Brooklyn Dodgers… and in a private clubhouse meeting… Leo knocked Ruth against a locker)… his time on the World Champion “Gashouse Gang” St. Louis Cardinals… and of course when he became the player-manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers. I’m sure many younger fans don’t realize Durocher not only made the All-Star team multiple times… but he was also considered one of the greatest fielding shortstops of the era. When he went from the Yankees to the Reds… despite all his unsettling problems… the then owner of the Reds Sidney Weil became one of the greatest friends in Leo’s life.
Off the field his personal travails with marriage… money… gambling… mobsters… and other undesirables is covered from A-Z and integrated as seamlessly as a 6-4-3 double play with his ball playing. Leo’s travels from the Dodger dugout to the Giants’ dugout to the Cubs to the Astros… along with many front row… and clubhouse confidential… titillating incidents… are reported in a truly enjoyable non-stop barrage by the author..
“The Lip’s” relationship with all the greats from Ruth to the Dean Brothers… Frankie Frisch to the “People’s Cherce”… to Jackie… to the “Say Hey Kid”… to Ernie… Ron… and Billy… and everyone in between… are shown with precise detail regardless how long ago it took place. His link with not only big name entertainers and “undesirables”… but also with guys named Memphis Engleberg… Connie Immerman… and you can’t forget “Sleep-Outside”.
The fights on the field… in the runway… in the clubhouse… in an ally… with players… fans… umpires… and reporters… provide an absolute old-school-baseball-fans dream come true. Books like this don’t just show up like the sun on a new day. For me… this was like eating candy… delicious… enjoyable… addicting. There were fights on the field that got small suspensions and fines… today there would have been perhaps lifetime bans… (of course that’s on top of his season long ban in 1947 for hanging around with the wrong people… and losing that season… deprived him the historical chance to manage Jackie Robinson’s rookie year)… but could you imagine the suspensions in today’s game for pushing an umpire and after being ejected refusing to leave the field… and throwing a wet towel in the umpire’s face???
“Leo the Lip” “was baseball’s problem child,” “he routinely attracted adjectives for aggressiveness: combative, fierce, feisty, bellicose, pugnacious, cheeky, contentious, truculent and scrappy.” “He was one of the fiercest bench jockeys of all time.”
And everywhere he went…. The attendance rose! I miss you Leo.
P.S. Here’s a couple of my Leo Durocher memorabilia from over SEVENTY-FIVE-YEARS-AGO! (If review site has a designated area to display it?)
P.S.S. When my youngest granddaughter BROOKLYN was going through a ranting raving stage between one and two-years-old… I used to lovingly call her “LEO-THE-LIP”!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was born in Brooklyn to a Dodger loving family. The ten tears before they had children my parents were at Ebbets Field rooting for our “Beloved-Bums” almost every weekend. Our family actually moved from New York to Los Angeles the same year as the Dodgers. Leo “The Lip’s” exploits with Brooklyn were before I was born… but along with stories of Jackie Robinson… from the time I could understand… there were just as many stories about “The Lips” antics handed down to me from my Father AND Mother. From the minute I could read… I read everything printed about not only the Dodgers but the entire history of baseball. I learned pretty quickly about the hatred… the bean balls… the flying spikes and fists between my heroes and the crosstown rival Giants. Though I’ve read other Durocher biographies over the years… this new one by Paul Dickson… (though… perhaps… time has dulled some of the detail of prior author’s work… as the last one was over a decade ago) seems to flow the smoothest… covers all the bases… and brings back thrilling memories of old-school-baseball. AND I MEAN OLD-SCHOOL!
I remember like it was yesterday… when my Dad was instilling in me… the will to win in every game. One of our favorite Durocher quotes I was raised on… is sure enough right on page five: “IF I WAS PLAYING THIRD BASE AND MY MOTHER WAS ROUNDING THIRD WITH THE RUN THAT WAS GOING TO BEAT US, I’D TRIP HER!” Even my dear- old -Mom loved that one! And of course “Nice guys finish last!” The author’s writing style is silky smooth. Happily… he doesn’t resort to the repetitive repertoire that too many authors rely on when writing about historical sports events such as… “He recalled”…. Etc. Each ball game event is written in a fresh vein even if it was from eighty-years ago. From his youth in Massachusetts… to playing ball with the Murderer’s Row Yankees… with his “buddy” Babe Ruth (and of course… they were anything but “buddy’s… whether you believe Leo actually stole the Babe’s watch or not. And the author also has the intimate details when years later when Ruth was a coach on the Brooklyn Dodgers… and in a private clubhouse meeting… Leo knocked Ruth against a locker)… his time on the World Champion “Gashouse Gang” St. Louis Cardinals… and of course when he became the player-manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers. I’m sure many younger fans don’t realize Durocher not only made the All-Star team multiple times… but he was also considered one of the greatest fielding shortstops of the era. When he went from the Yankees to the Reds… despite all his unsettling problems… the then owner of the Reds Sidney Weil became one of the greatest friends in Leo’s life.
Off the field his personal travails with marriage… money… gambling… mobsters… and other undesirables is covered from A-Z and integrated as seamlessly as a 6-4-3 double play with his ball playing. Leo’s travels from the Dodger dugout to the Giants’ dugout to the Cubs to the Astros… along with many front row… and clubhouse confidential… titillating incidents… are reported in a truly enjoyable non-stop barrage by the author..
“The Lip’s” relationship with all the greats from Ruth to the Dean Brothers… Frankie Frisch to the “People’s Cherce”… to Jackie… to the “Say Hey Kid”… to Ernie… Ron… and Billy… and everyone in between… are shown with precise detail regardless how long ago it took place. His link with not only big name entertainers and “undesirables”… but also with guys named Memphis Engleberg… Connie Immerman… and you can’t forget “Sleep-Outside”.
The fights on the field… in the runway… in the clubhouse… in an ally… with players… fans… umpires… and reporters… provide an absolute old-school-baseball-fans dream come true. Books like this don’t just show up like the sun on a new day. For me… this was like eating candy… delicious… enjoyable… addicting. There were fights on the field that got small suspensions and fines… today there would have been perhaps lifetime bans… (of course that’s on top of his season long ban in 1947 for hanging around with the wrong people… and losing that season… deprived him the historical chance to manage Jackie Robinson’s rookie year)… but could you imagine the suspensions in today’s game for pushing an umpire and after being ejected refusing to leave the field… and throwing a wet towel in the umpire’s face???
“Leo the Lip” “was baseball’s problem child,” “he routinely attracted adjectives for aggressiveness: combative, fierce, feisty, bellicose, pugnacious, cheeky, contentious, truculent and scrappy.” “He was one of the fiercest bench jockeys of all time.”
And everywhere he went…. The attendance rose! I miss you Leo.
P.S. Here’s a couple of my Leo Durocher memorabilia from over SEVENTY-FIVE-YEARS-AGO! (If review site has a designated area to display it?)
P.S.S. When my youngest granddaughter BROOKLYN was going through a ranting raving stage between one and two-years-old… I used to lovingly call her “LEO-THE-LIP”!
August 25, 2017
One of the most colorful characters to don a baseball uniform, Leo Durocher had his share of unusual stories as both a player and a manager. Controversy seemed to follow him from the Bronx to Cincinnati to Brooklyn to Manhattan to Chicago and then to Houston. But through it all, he also gained admiration both as a defensive player and an intelligent, gutsy manager.
Author Paul Dickson tells many of these tales about Durocher, both on and off the field, in an even-handed balanced manner. While Durocher had his admirers, he also had many enemies. The one person who seemed to have the biggest grudge against him was the second commissioner of baseball, Happy Chandler, who suspended Durocher for the entire 1947 season when he was managing the Brooklyn Dodgers. The evidence that was presented to Chandler was the type that would not hold up in a court of law and Dickson also mentions a letter from a prominent public figure who was Catholic and demanded the suspension because of Durocher’s courting and subsequent marriage of actress Larraine Day, who was married at the time they started seeing each other.
While that was the story that seemed to affect Durocher’s career the most (even to the point of keeping him out of the Hall of Fame until he passed away as Chandler had sway with the Veterans Committer) there is plenty more written about Durocher. The allegation that he stole Babe Ruth’s watch when the two were teammates on the Yankees, the allegation of stealing signals for the Giants that allowed Bobby Thompson to hit the home run that won the 1951 National League pennant for the Giants (something everyone on the field for both teams denies) and his poor treatment of future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Ron Santo when he managed the Chicago Cubs are all covered.
His off-field life is also covered fairly in and good detail. His extensive debts, his taste for expensive clothing, his three marriages and divorces and his post-baseball life all make for interesting reading and the writing about them is very good. The reader will get the complete picture of Durocher, both on and off the field. Any reader who is interested in the life of “Leo the Lip” will enjoy this book.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
Author Paul Dickson tells many of these tales about Durocher, both on and off the field, in an even-handed balanced manner. While Durocher had his admirers, he also had many enemies. The one person who seemed to have the biggest grudge against him was the second commissioner of baseball, Happy Chandler, who suspended Durocher for the entire 1947 season when he was managing the Brooklyn Dodgers. The evidence that was presented to Chandler was the type that would not hold up in a court of law and Dickson also mentions a letter from a prominent public figure who was Catholic and demanded the suspension because of Durocher’s courting and subsequent marriage of actress Larraine Day, who was married at the time they started seeing each other.
While that was the story that seemed to affect Durocher’s career the most (even to the point of keeping him out of the Hall of Fame until he passed away as Chandler had sway with the Veterans Committer) there is plenty more written about Durocher. The allegation that he stole Babe Ruth’s watch when the two were teammates on the Yankees, the allegation of stealing signals for the Giants that allowed Bobby Thompson to hit the home run that won the 1951 National League pennant for the Giants (something everyone on the field for both teams denies) and his poor treatment of future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Ron Santo when he managed the Chicago Cubs are all covered.
His off-field life is also covered fairly in and good detail. His extensive debts, his taste for expensive clothing, his three marriages and divorces and his post-baseball life all make for interesting reading and the writing about them is very good. The reader will get the complete picture of Durocher, both on and off the field. Any reader who is interested in the life of “Leo the Lip” will enjoy this book.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
December 7, 2017
One of my all-time favourite memoris is Durocher's Nice Guys Finish Last, an entertaining romp that Dickson shows has moments when the subtitle 'based on a true story' might have been helpful.
No such comment can be made of Dickson's almost well-measured account of a Hall-of-Fame manager. It's not quite 'just the facts, ma'am', as Dickson is more than a mere compiler of events from one man's life. Especially in the earlier chapters, Dickson's book goes into the times as much as the life. Durocher's career embraced the two seminal periods of baseball history -- the 'classic age' of Ruth and pre-war Dimaggio, and the 'pivotal decade' of 1947-58, when major-league baseball truly became national by both integrating and by placing teams outside the favoured cities of the East and Midwest. Durocher even had an 'autumn engagement' in the tumultuous early years of labour strife, although his career was effectively finished by the time free agency sprang on the scene.
Dickson's focus on time as much as life, however, peters out in that seminal decade, and I found that a problem. Durocher's supposed relationship with gangsters, his great support for integration, and his Los Angeles connections all connect to issues that in different ways shed light on the nature of the United States. (Indeed, the persistent shadowy presence of 'gangsterism' throughout urban American life during the twentieth century is a great unexplored theme, despite some fine efforts that focus rather more on the gangsters themselves than the effects of their largely background presence in politics and culture.) It's also a fact that when Leo's on the outs, so is Dickson's book. So long as Durocher is in charge of a ballclub, Dickson's narrative flows along splendidly. Consigned to the broadcast booth or the coach's box, and things seem to come to a stop. (It is at this point that some useful digressions into the 'times' were obvious by their absence. The last chapter, covering Durocher's late-life disappointments in Hall of Fame elections, is particularly plodding.
At the end of the book, one has to conclude that for all his unpleasantness, Dickson thinks Durocher a good bloke. I dunno about that. One could almost imagine Durocher's life as presidential timber in these present times.
No such comment can be made of Dickson's almost well-measured account of a Hall-of-Fame manager. It's not quite 'just the facts, ma'am', as Dickson is more than a mere compiler of events from one man's life. Especially in the earlier chapters, Dickson's book goes into the times as much as the life. Durocher's career embraced the two seminal periods of baseball history -- the 'classic age' of Ruth and pre-war Dimaggio, and the 'pivotal decade' of 1947-58, when major-league baseball truly became national by both integrating and by placing teams outside the favoured cities of the East and Midwest. Durocher even had an 'autumn engagement' in the tumultuous early years of labour strife, although his career was effectively finished by the time free agency sprang on the scene.
Dickson's focus on time as much as life, however, peters out in that seminal decade, and I found that a problem. Durocher's supposed relationship with gangsters, his great support for integration, and his Los Angeles connections all connect to issues that in different ways shed light on the nature of the United States. (Indeed, the persistent shadowy presence of 'gangsterism' throughout urban American life during the twentieth century is a great unexplored theme, despite some fine efforts that focus rather more on the gangsters themselves than the effects of their largely background presence in politics and culture.) It's also a fact that when Leo's on the outs, so is Dickson's book. So long as Durocher is in charge of a ballclub, Dickson's narrative flows along splendidly. Consigned to the broadcast booth or the coach's box, and things seem to come to a stop. (It is at this point that some useful digressions into the 'times' were obvious by their absence. The last chapter, covering Durocher's late-life disappointments in Hall of Fame elections, is particularly plodding.
At the end of the book, one has to conclude that for all his unpleasantness, Dickson thinks Durocher a good bloke. I dunno about that. One could almost imagine Durocher's life as presidential timber in these present times.
May 12, 2017
Author Paul Dickson chose to take on the task of separating truth from legend in writing the biography of one of those larger-than-life characters, baseball legend Leo Durocher. Separating – but not ignoring, as in Durocher's case, the legend WAS a large part of the man himself. A legend he cultivated in both the world of baseball and in the Hollywood aura in which he spent so much of his time.
“Leo Durocher: Baseball's Prodigal Son” does a great job of documenting one of the most colorful characters in baseball history, casting him neither as heroic nor demonic (although some of his actions certainly fell into each of those categories). Certainly some of the other people whose lives intersected with Durocher's had their own opinion – and Leo probably not only earned their praise or condemnation, but probably did his best to provide opportunities to reinforce that feeling,
Durocher was a dichotomy. He was an early advocate of allowing the African American to play in the major leagues, but then did not get along with Jackie Robinson. (In fairness, race was never an issue; baseball style and effort were.) He mingled with underworld characters, but was innocent of any actual charge when Commissioner Happy Chandler finally suspended him for a year – again, ironically, missing the opportunity to be the manager of the team who first integrated the Majors. He managed the Cubs, but never got along with “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks. And author Paul Dickson captured all of this in one of the few biographical “page turners”.that I've ever come across.
Anyone interested in baseball's history should snap this book up at their earliest opportunity.
RATING: 5 stars.
DISCLOSURE: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book in a random draw. No obligations were requested nor bestowed, although a reasonably prompt HONEST review was hinted at.
“Leo Durocher: Baseball's Prodigal Son” does a great job of documenting one of the most colorful characters in baseball history, casting him neither as heroic nor demonic (although some of his actions certainly fell into each of those categories). Certainly some of the other people whose lives intersected with Durocher's had their own opinion – and Leo probably not only earned their praise or condemnation, but probably did his best to provide opportunities to reinforce that feeling,
Durocher was a dichotomy. He was an early advocate of allowing the African American to play in the major leagues, but then did not get along with Jackie Robinson. (In fairness, race was never an issue; baseball style and effort were.) He mingled with underworld characters, but was innocent of any actual charge when Commissioner Happy Chandler finally suspended him for a year – again, ironically, missing the opportunity to be the manager of the team who first integrated the Majors. He managed the Cubs, but never got along with “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks. And author Paul Dickson captured all of this in one of the few biographical “page turners”.that I've ever come across.
Anyone interested in baseball's history should snap this book up at their earliest opportunity.
RATING: 5 stars.
DISCLOSURE: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book in a random draw. No obligations were requested nor bestowed, although a reasonably prompt HONEST review was hinted at.
February 1, 2025
First of all, Leo was a jerk. He lived long enough to taunt and bedevil Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson AND Ernie Banks. (You can't trust anyone who didn't like Ernie Banks.) On the other hand, he also helped change/improve baseball by championing integration and was a sincere and influential mentor to Roy Campanella and Willie Mays. How does a biographer handle such a sweeping, contradictory life?
In Paul Dickson's case, very well. The book is colorful, always entertaining and, it seems, very fair. Even when you're hating Leo, you feel sympathy. Even when you're loving Leo, you cringe a little. It's a complex portrait of a difficult man.
So why not five stars? His children are almost completely absent from this book. I especially wonder about the daughter of his first, short marriage who seems to have had no relationship with her father. I'm curious about Leo and his kids because it was in the 1960s that the wheels came off. He no longer knew how to handle or communicate with his players. He was "Fly Me to the Moon" and they were "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." (<<< There's even a funny anecdote about how he tried to impress his players with stories about living the high life with "Frank" and they asked, "Frank who?") Was his clubhouse generation gap reflected at home? Was he clueless about how to relate to young people because he didn't pursue a serious relationship with his kids? Dickson's book won't tell you.
It does tell you how close Leo came to writing his autobiography with the help of -- wait for it -- Truman Capote. I love that! I'm just enchanted thinking of the two of them sitting together, talking about life.
That's the thing about Leo. The book is over. I don't like him anymore than I did when I picked it up (see comment above re: Ernie Banks), but I kinda miss him.
In Paul Dickson's case, very well. The book is colorful, always entertaining and, it seems, very fair. Even when you're hating Leo, you feel sympathy. Even when you're loving Leo, you cringe a little. It's a complex portrait of a difficult man.
So why not five stars? His children are almost completely absent from this book. I especially wonder about the daughter of his first, short marriage who seems to have had no relationship with her father. I'm curious about Leo and his kids because it was in the 1960s that the wheels came off. He no longer knew how to handle or communicate with his players. He was "Fly Me to the Moon" and they were "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." (<<< There's even a funny anecdote about how he tried to impress his players with stories about living the high life with "Frank" and they asked, "Frank who?") Was his clubhouse generation gap reflected at home? Was he clueless about how to relate to young people because he didn't pursue a serious relationship with his kids? Dickson's book won't tell you.
It does tell you how close Leo came to writing his autobiography with the help of -- wait for it -- Truman Capote. I love that! I'm just enchanted thinking of the two of them sitting together, talking about life.
That's the thing about Leo. The book is over. I don't like him anymore than I did when I picked it up (see comment above re: Ernie Banks), but I kinda miss him.
February 13, 2024
The most rewarding thing about reading this book was reading how his boorish, arrogant behavior came back to bite him in the ass in the end. He was not admitted into Baseball Hall of Fame until after his death. Should he have been admitted at all? Yes. Within Baseball, apparently he was in great demand. You don't last as long as he did unless you were good at what you did.
Great history of Baseball in this book. For those who grew up in the 1940's,50's and 60s it a trip down memory lane. For younger readers, it's a history book but one well worth reading if you are a baseball fan.
What he did for Black baseball players in the era of integration in and of itself was a huge thing for Baseball. What he did to Ernie Banks was despicable. And that's Durocher in a nutshell.
The Baseball writers of this era seemed amazing to me. Seems like every newspaper in every major city had so many sports journalists. Not sure contemporary sports journalism can match the depth and breath of coverage.
Great history of Baseball in this book. For those who grew up in the 1940's,50's and 60s it a trip down memory lane. For younger readers, it's a history book but one well worth reading if you are a baseball fan.
What he did for Black baseball players in the era of integration in and of itself was a huge thing for Baseball. What he did to Ernie Banks was despicable. And that's Durocher in a nutshell.
The Baseball writers of this era seemed amazing to me. Seems like every newspaper in every major city had so many sports journalists. Not sure contemporary sports journalism can match the depth and breath of coverage.
November 29, 2017
This is the best book about Durocher that's been written, and will likely hold that place for some time. Maybe forever. But I will admit that I felt a bit empty after reading, as I did not after reading Dickson's fine book about Bill Veeck.
Minor quibbles: Dickson relied solely on traditional playing statistics, he didn't mention Durocher's horrible decision to play a badly injured Pete Reiser in the second half of the 1941 season, and Adolfo Phillips isn't mentioned at all.
Still, Dickson obviously did tremendous research and hits all (or almost) all of the many high and low points of Durocher's incredible career in baseball. What's missing, for me anyway, is meaning. Why was he the sort of man that he was? How did he treat his child and his step-child, and what did they come to think of him? Maybe I ask for too much. But the biographies that stick with me are those that don't just tell me what happened, but why. And there's very little why in this book.
Minor quibbles: Dickson relied solely on traditional playing statistics, he didn't mention Durocher's horrible decision to play a badly injured Pete Reiser in the second half of the 1941 season, and Adolfo Phillips isn't mentioned at all.
Still, Dickson obviously did tremendous research and hits all (or almost) all of the many high and low points of Durocher's incredible career in baseball. What's missing, for me anyway, is meaning. Why was he the sort of man that he was? How did he treat his child and his step-child, and what did they come to think of him? Maybe I ask for too much. But the biographies that stick with me are those that don't just tell me what happened, but why. And there's very little why in this book.
June 26, 2017
Leo was quite the guy! The author does a good job of balancing Leo's cantankerous acts on the baseball diamond and his flamboyant life style. Many of his actions would be considered way overboard today, but his hard-nosed style seemed to work early in his managerial career. He did rub too many people the wrong way, especially Commissioner Happy Chandler who suspended him for one year in 1947. You can't look at Leo's successes on the filed without balancing it against all his problems with the press, umpires, and others. What you do get is a smart, cocky baseball man who just wanted to win. The book reads easily and is well-balanced in my opinion. If you like baseball, it's a great read.
April 15, 2019
This is a well written book about a major league baseball player and manager during the 1920s to the 1970s. There is a lot of “inside baseball” views of players and executives during that period as well as publicly identified gamblers and gangsters of that era. If you’re interested in that era of baseball this is a great book. Durocher was a controversial figure who is widely attributed to have coined the phrase that “nice guys finish last”. He had many run ins with umpires, league executives and players (opponents and teammates). A very interesting view of baseball during that time period that you can contrast with today’s game.
July 4, 2017
A good biography of Leo Durocher's baseball career and personal life. It is well written and easy to read. I would have rated it higher but I did not feel there was much new information as he was a person in the news my whole life. Probably the best part for me was the early years and the summation of the conflicting stories of Durocher's managerial career and interactions with the press. A great baseball manager but his belittling combative style often produced poorer results than his players were capable of obtaining.
August 13, 2021
A friend of mine read “The Bonus Army” by the same author. He told me it was well-written. I wanted to read an exhaustive bio of Durocher. This book was also terrifically written and was a far more accurate depiction of Leo than his, oft-fabricated, autobiography, “Nice Guys Finish Last”. The author, in several notable places, explains some gross cagferations and oversights. I can’t wait to read his bio of Bill Veeck!
October 22, 2018
If you grew when Leo was the manager of the Cubs, this book is a must read. Who knew he was so Hollywood back in the day? A lot of great baseball history about a guy whose career in baseball included playing with Babe Ruth, managing Ernie Banks, and helping bring Jackie Robinson up to the big leagues.
December 16, 2021
Leo the lip at his finest
Solid biography of Leo Durocher... I learned a number of things I did not beforehand.. all in all a good look back at his baseball life, including the figures off the field that helped define him.
Solid biography of Leo Durocher... I learned a number of things I did not beforehand.. all in all a good look back at his baseball life, including the figures off the field that helped define him.
August 10, 2025
I listened to this book on Audible and it was surprisingly really good! A really good biography on Leo Durocher from playing years with the Babe, to managing Jackie Robinson, to his mishandling of the Cubs. Highly recommend, I will probably buy the hardcover to keep as reference.
June 13, 2017
I have been waiting for true, factual, definitive biography of Leo for a long time and this one did not disappoint. Bravo Mr. Dickson. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
July 5, 2017
Baseball at its best!
Great nostalgic trip back to honor a real old time baseball figure. The story is loaded with history and within three are ancedotes.
Great nostalgic trip back to honor a real old time baseball figure. The story is loaded with history and within three are ancedotes.
September 3, 2017
I liked this book as it gave a great insight to baseball
In the 20th century.
Very well written.
In the 20th century.
Very well written.
October 5, 2017
This is a solid effort of Durocher's life, complete with its seemingly endless series of scandals. The book moves pretty quickly and is an easy read full of info and interesting stories.
June 14, 2020
Very well done. In-depth look at Leo's life and career. Leo was a very interesting person, quite a character.
August 1, 2020
A little long winded, a little repedative, A Hell of a Long Interesting Life in Baseball. Everyone should know something about Good Old Leo.
Read
September 19, 2020Terrific book...If you are a baseball lover...highly recommended.
March 4, 2023
What a character!! Definitely no Boy Scout. A great biography about a baseball legend! A very active life and baseball career! Loved it!
September 4, 2023
Durocher's life was so fascinating. I'd make a miniseries of it.
January 24, 2024
An American classic. The kid from the wrong side of the tracks led a life of defiance.
More a study of character than a baseball focused book.
More a study of character than a baseball focused book.
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