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The Big Chair: The Smooth Hops and Bad Bounces from the Inside World of the Acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager
“An important contribution to 21st-century baseball literature. . . Mr. Colletti’s book might be even more groundbreaking [than Moneyball ] in some It’s a nearly unprecedented opportunity to see what running a baseball franchise looks like through the eyeballs of an actual general manager. . . [Colletti] has a gift for entertaining storytelling. . . These are stories modern general managers rarely tell, except in late-night gatherings at their favorite bars with people they know and trust. So to read them here, told in such colorful detail, makes you feel as if Ned Colletti has just invited you to plop down on the next bar stool.” -- Wall Street Journal
“Ned Colletti is a baseball treasure with fascinating stories to tell from inside the game. The Big Chair is your all-access pass. After reading this book, you will not only understand the job of a general manager better but also the game of baseball itself.”— Tom Verducci, author of The Cubs Way and co-author of The Yankee Years
An unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the career of famed former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager (a position also known as “The Big Chair”), whose tenure spanned nine of the most exciting and turbulent years in the franchise’s history.
During his tenure with the Dodgers, Colletti had the highest winning percentage of any general manager in the National League. In The Big Chair , he lets readers in on the real GM experience from his unique vantage point—sharing the inner workings of three of the top franchises in the sport, revealing the out-of-the-headlines machinations behind the trades, the hires and the deals; how the money really works; how the decision-making really works; how much power the players really have and why—the real brass tacks of some of the most pivotal decisions made in baseball history that led to great success along with heartbreak and failure on the field. Baseball fans will come for the grit and insight, stay for the heart, and pass it on for the wisdom.
Ned Colletti began his MLB career with his beloved hometown team, the Chicago Cubs, more than 35 years ago. He worked in Chicago for a dozen years and was in the front office when the Cubs won the National League East in 1984 and 1989, after which he moved on as director of baseball operations for the SF Giants. By 1996, he became the Assistant GM for the Giants, before being hired as the GM in Los Angeles in 2006. There he oversaw the Dodgers through the highly publicized and acrimonious divorce battle between Frank and Jamie McCourt that culminated in the equally highly publicized sale of the team. He was present at the press conference where Don Mattingly, having just watched his team eliminated from the playoffs, used the post-season conference to vehemently discuss his lack of a contract extension. He brought marquee names like Greg Maddux and Clayton Kershaw to LA, as well as marquee drama with the likes of Manny Ramirez and Yasiel Puig; hired future Hall of Famer Joe Torre as manager; and oversaw fourteen Dodgers playoff wins. And these are just a few of the highlights.
Colletti serves up a huge dish of first-hand experiences with some of the biggest names in baseball history (Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Don Mattingly, Don Zimmer, Tommy Lasorda, Scott Boras, Vin Scully, and more). From his humble early years living in a Chicago garage to his path to one of the most prestigious positions in professional sports, his very public and illustrious career has left a permanent handprint in the history of America's sport—and now he's ready to share the insight only those who have sat in The Big Chair have ever seen.
“Ned Colletti is a baseball treasure with fascinating stories to tell from inside the game. The Big Chair is your all-access pass. After reading this book, you will not only understand the job of a general manager better but also the game of baseball itself.”— Tom Verducci, author of The Cubs Way and co-author of The Yankee Years
An unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the career of famed former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager (a position also known as “The Big Chair”), whose tenure spanned nine of the most exciting and turbulent years in the franchise’s history.
During his tenure with the Dodgers, Colletti had the highest winning percentage of any general manager in the National League. In The Big Chair , he lets readers in on the real GM experience from his unique vantage point—sharing the inner workings of three of the top franchises in the sport, revealing the out-of-the-headlines machinations behind the trades, the hires and the deals; how the money really works; how the decision-making really works; how much power the players really have and why—the real brass tacks of some of the most pivotal decisions made in baseball history that led to great success along with heartbreak and failure on the field. Baseball fans will come for the grit and insight, stay for the heart, and pass it on for the wisdom.
Ned Colletti began his MLB career with his beloved hometown team, the Chicago Cubs, more than 35 years ago. He worked in Chicago for a dozen years and was in the front office when the Cubs won the National League East in 1984 and 1989, after which he moved on as director of baseball operations for the SF Giants. By 1996, he became the Assistant GM for the Giants, before being hired as the GM in Los Angeles in 2006. There he oversaw the Dodgers through the highly publicized and acrimonious divorce battle between Frank and Jamie McCourt that culminated in the equally highly publicized sale of the team. He was present at the press conference where Don Mattingly, having just watched his team eliminated from the playoffs, used the post-season conference to vehemently discuss his lack of a contract extension. He brought marquee names like Greg Maddux and Clayton Kershaw to LA, as well as marquee drama with the likes of Manny Ramirez and Yasiel Puig; hired future Hall of Famer Joe Torre as manager; and oversaw fourteen Dodgers playoff wins. And these are just a few of the highlights.
Colletti serves up a huge dish of first-hand experiences with some of the biggest names in baseball history (Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Don Mattingly, Don Zimmer, Tommy Lasorda, Scott Boras, Vin Scully, and more). From his humble early years living in a Chicago garage to his path to one of the most prestigious positions in professional sports, his very public and illustrious career has left a permanent handprint in the history of America's sport—and now he's ready to share the insight only those who have sat in The Big Chair have ever seen.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published October 3, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 3, 2017
In the world of baseball general managers, Ned Collletti is well0-recognized name, having achieved success with three of the top franchises in the National League. He began his career with his hometown Chicago Cubs for twelve years during which the team won two division titles. He moved on to the San Francisco Giants, becoming assistant GM when they won the National League title in 2002, and then to the Los Angeles Dodgers for nine years. Those nine years his teams compiled the best cumulative won-loss record despite not reaching the World Series and undergoing extreme turbulence as well.
Colletti’s career in the game is captured, both the good and bad, in this very entertaining memoir co-written with Joseph A. Reaves. Listening to the audio version narrated by Colletti gives the listener a very unique insight into the many stories shared by the former GM as he tells about not only the business of baseball, but the personal interactions he has had with nearly every type of person in the game, from the traveling secretary to scouts to players to agents and owners. The narration is much like how he dealt with a variety of topics – even-keeled without too much drama but a lot of entertainment.
Stories he shares about people whose public persona is less than popular show this even-keeled and fair temperament that helped make him successful. When Frank McCourt was dealing with a very public and bitter divorce that exposed his improper use of funds from the Dodgers and led to a takeover of the team by Major League Baseball and the eventual sale, not once did Colletti say a bad word about his boss. Instead, he marveled at the eventual windfall McCourt would receive, praising the businessman side of the former Dodgers owner.
Colletti has similar kind words for Scott Boras, an agent that makes many general managers and owners lose sleep. Players who have had negative publicity for various reasons such as Yasiel Puig, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire all receive nice words from Colletti in the book. These illustrate the man’s personality much better than any outside author or story could do.
These stories and so many others give the reader or listener excellent insight into the life of a baseball general manager. One will quickly realize that there is far more to the job than just evaluating players and making trades or signing players that will improve a team. So many of the stories tell of Colletti’s nights of only about three hours (or less) of sleep as he juggles many tasks and sometimes has as many as three cell phones on and in use. The book is entertaining, enlightening and very informative and will be enjoyed by every baseball fan.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
Colletti’s career in the game is captured, both the good and bad, in this very entertaining memoir co-written with Joseph A. Reaves. Listening to the audio version narrated by Colletti gives the listener a very unique insight into the many stories shared by the former GM as he tells about not only the business of baseball, but the personal interactions he has had with nearly every type of person in the game, from the traveling secretary to scouts to players to agents and owners. The narration is much like how he dealt with a variety of topics – even-keeled without too much drama but a lot of entertainment.
Stories he shares about people whose public persona is less than popular show this even-keeled and fair temperament that helped make him successful. When Frank McCourt was dealing with a very public and bitter divorce that exposed his improper use of funds from the Dodgers and led to a takeover of the team by Major League Baseball and the eventual sale, not once did Colletti say a bad word about his boss. Instead, he marveled at the eventual windfall McCourt would receive, praising the businessman side of the former Dodgers owner.
Colletti has similar kind words for Scott Boras, an agent that makes many general managers and owners lose sleep. Players who have had negative publicity for various reasons such as Yasiel Puig, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire all receive nice words from Colletti in the book. These illustrate the man’s personality much better than any outside author or story could do.
These stories and so many others give the reader or listener excellent insight into the life of a baseball general manager. One will quickly realize that there is far more to the job than just evaluating players and making trades or signing players that will improve a team. So many of the stories tell of Colletti’s nights of only about three hours (or less) of sleep as he juggles many tasks and sometimes has as many as three cell phones on and in use. The book is entertaining, enlightening and very informative and will be enjoyed by every baseball fan.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
October 22, 2017
For its genre, excellent.
June 18, 2018
Very readable, very well-written, occasionally meandering and defensive, and almost-always interesting, this book is a good one for those who want a little more out of their baseball books. It's written by a GM, which is a welcome change for this genre, so it won't sound entitled, and it won't whine about perceived slights and low contracts. (I'm thinking of the recent David Ortiz book, which was terrible.)
I was interested to read this one mostly because Colletti was the guy who took over $250 million in contracts, and some real bad blood (reads: Josh Beckett) that enabled the 2013 Red Sox to shed money and re-invest it more wisely in better players that they were able to catch lightning in a bottle with and win the World Series. If you wanted to know what it was like to take first Manny Ramirez, and then, a few years later, Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez--who the Dodgers recently let go so they could play Clay Bellinger--then this book is for you. Colletti also talks about Hanley Ramirez, who Sox fans might want to know had his rib broken by Joe Kelly when Kelly was a starter with St. Louis. See how I jumped around a little and gave you stuff about ballplayers? This book is written like that. Lots and lots of stories and anecdotes. But that's why you want to read a baseball book, right?
This book also benefits from how Colletti is a baseball fan first and a former Dodger GM second. Because of this, you get lots of stuff about the players and histories of everything Cubs, Giants and Dodgers. And he offers a few surprises: Don Mattingly, who has a reputation as a very no-nonsense, no BS kind of guy, let his Dodgers players walk all over him and he lost those teams--as well as his cool, with Yasiel Puig, but you should've already known that. And Mattingly apparently loses his cool at just the wrong times, like during an NLCS with the cameras right on him.
If you're a Sox fan, did you know that Aaron Sele and Bruce Hurst have been long-time Dodger executives? I didn't, either. Colletti says that when he let Manny Ramirez go to the Rays for, literally, nothing, and that the Dodgers had to pay all of his salary, he said it was one of the best trades he'd ever made. Ouch. And that was just a year after one of the best second-half seasons a batter ever had. Of course, that was also after the first of Manny's three failed PEDS tests. He also skims Derek Lowe's known drinking problems, and issues about other players as well. He never beats a player to a pulp, but instead quickly skims negative things about some players and quickly moves on. So, anyway, there's lots of interesting stories about baseball players, with a few about Sinatra and others thrown in. They're all first-person POVs.
This book stumbles a little when Colletti gets in apologizing mode, which he does sporadically, but heavily. He compares himself to Brian Sabean, who has brought a handful of World Series victories to a few franchises, most notably the SF Giants. Sabean is a great friend and mentor to him, so comparisons are inevitable, but Colletti will always fail by that yardstick, and he's very aware of that. He says that Sabean and Theo Epstein belong already in the Hall of Fame, which I agree with. Theo, after all, ended droughts of 86+ years for two different teams, the two most famous examples of ineptitude in all of sports. And another place it stumbles is in the beginning, where he spends about 30-40 pages going over his early years, before he got involved in sports. Perfectly understandable, as this is a memoir more than a baseball book, but I mostly skimmed those, and you can, too, without missing much.
Colletti also could have made this much dirtier than he did. He does not dish on players that others have, and actually defends players, like Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, who nobody else does. He says that essentially Bonds, as a person, was obviously a jerk to the press, but was actually good to people he trusted, who were good to him. He did call out some players for their failed PEDS tests, especially Dee Gordon, who is still playing, and reasonably well, for the Mariners. But he also calls out MLB in general, and points out that the playing field, roughly 1995-2005, was fairly level, as almost everyone was using at the same time. So he's relatively balanced with his comments, a refreshing change these days.
I was interested to read this one mostly because Colletti was the guy who took over $250 million in contracts, and some real bad blood (reads: Josh Beckett) that enabled the 2013 Red Sox to shed money and re-invest it more wisely in better players that they were able to catch lightning in a bottle with and win the World Series. If you wanted to know what it was like to take first Manny Ramirez, and then, a few years later, Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez--who the Dodgers recently let go so they could play Clay Bellinger--then this book is for you. Colletti also talks about Hanley Ramirez, who Sox fans might want to know had his rib broken by Joe Kelly when Kelly was a starter with St. Louis. See how I jumped around a little and gave you stuff about ballplayers? This book is written like that. Lots and lots of stories and anecdotes. But that's why you want to read a baseball book, right?
This book also benefits from how Colletti is a baseball fan first and a former Dodger GM second. Because of this, you get lots of stuff about the players and histories of everything Cubs, Giants and Dodgers. And he offers a few surprises: Don Mattingly, who has a reputation as a very no-nonsense, no BS kind of guy, let his Dodgers players walk all over him and he lost those teams--as well as his cool, with Yasiel Puig, but you should've already known that. And Mattingly apparently loses his cool at just the wrong times, like during an NLCS with the cameras right on him.
If you're a Sox fan, did you know that Aaron Sele and Bruce Hurst have been long-time Dodger executives? I didn't, either. Colletti says that when he let Manny Ramirez go to the Rays for, literally, nothing, and that the Dodgers had to pay all of his salary, he said it was one of the best trades he'd ever made. Ouch. And that was just a year after one of the best second-half seasons a batter ever had. Of course, that was also after the first of Manny's three failed PEDS tests. He also skims Derek Lowe's known drinking problems, and issues about other players as well. He never beats a player to a pulp, but instead quickly skims negative things about some players and quickly moves on. So, anyway, there's lots of interesting stories about baseball players, with a few about Sinatra and others thrown in. They're all first-person POVs.
This book stumbles a little when Colletti gets in apologizing mode, which he does sporadically, but heavily. He compares himself to Brian Sabean, who has brought a handful of World Series victories to a few franchises, most notably the SF Giants. Sabean is a great friend and mentor to him, so comparisons are inevitable, but Colletti will always fail by that yardstick, and he's very aware of that. He says that Sabean and Theo Epstein belong already in the Hall of Fame, which I agree with. Theo, after all, ended droughts of 86+ years for two different teams, the two most famous examples of ineptitude in all of sports. And another place it stumbles is in the beginning, where he spends about 30-40 pages going over his early years, before he got involved in sports. Perfectly understandable, as this is a memoir more than a baseball book, but I mostly skimmed those, and you can, too, without missing much.
Colletti also could have made this much dirtier than he did. He does not dish on players that others have, and actually defends players, like Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, who nobody else does. He says that essentially Bonds, as a person, was obviously a jerk to the press, but was actually good to people he trusted, who were good to him. He did call out some players for their failed PEDS tests, especially Dee Gordon, who is still playing, and reasonably well, for the Mariners. But he also calls out MLB in general, and points out that the playing field, roughly 1995-2005, was fairly level, as almost everyone was using at the same time. So he's relatively balanced with his comments, a refreshing change these days.
June 13, 2019
Every sports fan think they can run their favorite team better than its management. Probably not. There are only 30 general managers of Major League Baseball teams on any given day. And the ins and outs of their jobs are pretty much a mystery.
Those ins and outs are less of a mystery courtesy of Ned Colletti. The Big Chair lets the fan in on stories baseball people tell one another. The book gives insight into what goes on in free agent and trade negotiations, the process of hiring a manager, even the process of hiring a general manager. You learn what thoughts go in to building a roster and team and why some players wear out their welcome.
Ned Colletti spent more than 30 years working for the Cub, Giants and Dodgers. He knows a lot of baseball people, he knows a lot of baseball history and his love for the game is apparent. If you are looking for insight into the inner-workings of a professional sports organization, you will learn a lot from this book.
For all of the good you can learn from this book, it is at times maddeningly uneven. Ned Colletti was once a newspaperman as was his co-author. In spite of that, there are places where the book drags and chapters that seem as if they are after-thoughts (or maybe the editor said, "We could use a chapter on X"); the half-a-dozen or so pages dedicated to Yasiel Puig stand out as an example of this. And then there is the dialogue. A lot of people in the book talk the same. But they also talk in ways people do not talk. There are long passages of "dialogue" that read like narrative sentences with quotation marks around them.
Those ins and outs are less of a mystery courtesy of Ned Colletti. The Big Chair lets the fan in on stories baseball people tell one another. The book gives insight into what goes on in free agent and trade negotiations, the process of hiring a manager, even the process of hiring a general manager. You learn what thoughts go in to building a roster and team and why some players wear out their welcome.
Ned Colletti spent more than 30 years working for the Cub, Giants and Dodgers. He knows a lot of baseball people, he knows a lot of baseball history and his love for the game is apparent. If you are looking for insight into the inner-workings of a professional sports organization, you will learn a lot from this book.
For all of the good you can learn from this book, it is at times maddeningly uneven. Ned Colletti was once a newspaperman as was his co-author. In spite of that, there are places where the book drags and chapters that seem as if they are after-thoughts (or maybe the editor said, "We could use a chapter on X"); the half-a-dozen or so pages dedicated to Yasiel Puig stand out as an example of this. And then there is the dialogue. A lot of people in the book talk the same. But they also talk in ways people do not talk. There are long passages of "dialogue" that read like narrative sentences with quotation marks around them.
April 13, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: FROM A HARD WORKING LOVING FAMILY… TO A LIFE OF A BASEBALL DREAM COME TRUE!
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As an old-time-old-school-baseball-fan… I’ve played and read every baseball book I could. A high percentage of the recent ones… almost always seem to have something missing. What’s normally missing… is something….real… and personal… right in the heart. There is no faking that! And many books… don’t even attempt to fake it… they just skip it… or glaze over it. Not so… with Ned Colletti.
His story telling of his early family life… with a blue collar… extremely hard working… and exquisitely loving family… is not only touching… but for myself… and many baby boomers… it will bring mist to their eyes… because it will most assuredly bring back all types of emotional memories of their own long gone families and upbringing. Ned’s story is in Chicago… mine was in Brooklyn and New York. Families with little when it came to money… but untold riches… when it comes to love… role models… and examples of what an honest buck… and hard unrelenting work… was a way of life. How similar Ned’s Mother and Father were to mine. Suffice to say… extreme hard work… nary an outward complaint… **AND** a Mother who would play catch with you in the front yard! (And my Mom… knew more about every Brooklyn Dodger player than any kid in the neighborhood,) For Ned… all that was built around an immeasurable love of the Chicago Cubs.
Ned… is a natural born storyteller… and his rise from a hockey sportswriter to a General Manager on one of the most glorious sports team in history the Los Angeles (Brooklyn) Dodgers… is a combination of both… hard work… and the stars being aligned just right… when things looked the worse. As mentioned earlier… I (according to my Dad) have “ATE-SLEPT-AND-DRANK-BASEBALL” from the time I could walk and talk… so the behind the scenes “business” details that Ned divulges from his baseball travels working for the Chicago Cubs… San Francisco Giants… and Los Angeles Dodgers… are hypnotically interesting. Many stories are deals that I knew quite well… but learned how they almost didn’t happen… or miraculously/negotiated… did. Even more eye-popping… are all the stories about deals that DIDN’T happen and why. And that includes managers as well as players!
Happily… for the reader… Colletti pulls no punches… and (like in a specific Seinfeld episode) names… names… such as Brad Penny. It’s funny… Penny always came across as a self-centered… don’t give your heart and soul to the team and fans type of guy… and the author… makes it excruciatingly clear my impressions were spot-on! Ned’s love-hate relationship with one of the modern scourges of baseball… agents… is educational as well. Though much of the “destroying” of the Dodger storied franchise by the ownership of the feuding McCourt’s was pretty well documented in the media… especially because of court documents filed during the divorce proceedings that broke records and shocked the public… Ned takes it a step further and ties it all together… by showing what it was like trying to keep the Dodgers competitive with his hands tied behind his back… his purse strings cut… the team in bankruptcy… and Major League Baseball overseeing the running of the team until it was sold. The fact that the McCourt’s wound up making a GIGANTIC profit… as an end result of their greed and debauchery… and the staining of the great Dodger name… is despicable and nauseating.
When the Guggenheim group buys the Dodgers for over TWO-BILLION-DOLLARS… the difference in Colletti’s ability… and techniques… change drastically. In fact Ned has to almost fight with the new ownership to save them millions of dollars… by going to his tried and true “salary-take-back” card. New ownership almost acts like it’s beneath them. Interspersed throughout the non-stop negotiations… there are some great personal stories involving everyone… from Sinatra… to Lasorda… and everyone in between. There’s “Mannywood”… and the “Wild Horse”… and if you want to know how hectic a day in the life of a Big League General Manager can be… the chapter entitled “A Day In The Life”… will make you wonder how it is humanly possible to make it through such a day? (I got so worn out just reading it… I almost had to take a nap in the middle of the chapter.)
On another personal note… no one loves big league sports… especially baseball more than I do… but I am so sick of pampered… overpaid ballplayers… who think rules that apply to you and me… don’t apply to them… and they get away with murder. I’d like to share one of the items listed in Colletti’s timeline:
“November 14, 2011 – First baseman James Loney sideswipes three cars in the evening rush hour. He tries to drive away, hitting another vehicle and breaking the axle on his Maserati. Loney is arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. No charges were filed." Additionally… “A police report said Loney was “restless, unsteady, aggressive, and irritable.” He was handcuffed and taken to Sherman Oaks Hospital, where police said he remained “uncooperative” and bit off the mouthpiece of a Breathalyzer machine and spit it at an officer. Police then placed Loney in arm and leg restraints and medical personnel gave him an injection to calm him down.”
REPEAT… NO CHARGES WERE FILED! If that were you or me… what do you think would have happened? That’s why… as much as I love baseball… every time there’s a strike… I hope they never come back!
This is a great baseball book… written… in detail… from the “other-side-of the desk”… it’s a HOMERUN!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an old-time-old-school-baseball-fan… I’ve played and read every baseball book I could. A high percentage of the recent ones… almost always seem to have something missing. What’s normally missing… is something….real… and personal… right in the heart. There is no faking that! And many books… don’t even attempt to fake it… they just skip it… or glaze over it. Not so… with Ned Colletti.
His story telling of his early family life… with a blue collar… extremely hard working… and exquisitely loving family… is not only touching… but for myself… and many baby boomers… it will bring mist to their eyes… because it will most assuredly bring back all types of emotional memories of their own long gone families and upbringing. Ned’s story is in Chicago… mine was in Brooklyn and New York. Families with little when it came to money… but untold riches… when it comes to love… role models… and examples of what an honest buck… and hard unrelenting work… was a way of life. How similar Ned’s Mother and Father were to mine. Suffice to say… extreme hard work… nary an outward complaint… **AND** a Mother who would play catch with you in the front yard! (And my Mom… knew more about every Brooklyn Dodger player than any kid in the neighborhood,) For Ned… all that was built around an immeasurable love of the Chicago Cubs.
Ned… is a natural born storyteller… and his rise from a hockey sportswriter to a General Manager on one of the most glorious sports team in history the Los Angeles (Brooklyn) Dodgers… is a combination of both… hard work… and the stars being aligned just right… when things looked the worse. As mentioned earlier… I (according to my Dad) have “ATE-SLEPT-AND-DRANK-BASEBALL” from the time I could walk and talk… so the behind the scenes “business” details that Ned divulges from his baseball travels working for the Chicago Cubs… San Francisco Giants… and Los Angeles Dodgers… are hypnotically interesting. Many stories are deals that I knew quite well… but learned how they almost didn’t happen… or miraculously/negotiated… did. Even more eye-popping… are all the stories about deals that DIDN’T happen and why. And that includes managers as well as players!
Happily… for the reader… Colletti pulls no punches… and (like in a specific Seinfeld episode) names… names… such as Brad Penny. It’s funny… Penny always came across as a self-centered… don’t give your heart and soul to the team and fans type of guy… and the author… makes it excruciatingly clear my impressions were spot-on! Ned’s love-hate relationship with one of the modern scourges of baseball… agents… is educational as well. Though much of the “destroying” of the Dodger storied franchise by the ownership of the feuding McCourt’s was pretty well documented in the media… especially because of court documents filed during the divorce proceedings that broke records and shocked the public… Ned takes it a step further and ties it all together… by showing what it was like trying to keep the Dodgers competitive with his hands tied behind his back… his purse strings cut… the team in bankruptcy… and Major League Baseball overseeing the running of the team until it was sold. The fact that the McCourt’s wound up making a GIGANTIC profit… as an end result of their greed and debauchery… and the staining of the great Dodger name… is despicable and nauseating.
When the Guggenheim group buys the Dodgers for over TWO-BILLION-DOLLARS… the difference in Colletti’s ability… and techniques… change drastically. In fact Ned has to almost fight with the new ownership to save them millions of dollars… by going to his tried and true “salary-take-back” card. New ownership almost acts like it’s beneath them. Interspersed throughout the non-stop negotiations… there are some great personal stories involving everyone… from Sinatra… to Lasorda… and everyone in between. There’s “Mannywood”… and the “Wild Horse”… and if you want to know how hectic a day in the life of a Big League General Manager can be… the chapter entitled “A Day In The Life”… will make you wonder how it is humanly possible to make it through such a day? (I got so worn out just reading it… I almost had to take a nap in the middle of the chapter.)
On another personal note… no one loves big league sports… especially baseball more than I do… but I am so sick of pampered… overpaid ballplayers… who think rules that apply to you and me… don’t apply to them… and they get away with murder. I’d like to share one of the items listed in Colletti’s timeline:
“November 14, 2011 – First baseman James Loney sideswipes three cars in the evening rush hour. He tries to drive away, hitting another vehicle and breaking the axle on his Maserati. Loney is arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. No charges were filed." Additionally… “A police report said Loney was “restless, unsteady, aggressive, and irritable.” He was handcuffed and taken to Sherman Oaks Hospital, where police said he remained “uncooperative” and bit off the mouthpiece of a Breathalyzer machine and spit it at an officer. Police then placed Loney in arm and leg restraints and medical personnel gave him an injection to calm him down.”
REPEAT… NO CHARGES WERE FILED! If that were you or me… what do you think would have happened? That’s why… as much as I love baseball… every time there’s a strike… I hope they never come back!
This is a great baseball book… written… in detail… from the “other-side-of the desk”… it’s a HOMERUN!
December 21, 2017
*Audiobook review*
Great memoir and baseball stories. Colletti has lived a life worth writing about and does a commendable job sharing the ups and downs through it all. There is plenty of name dropping in his anecdotes and attention to detail especially during his tenure as GM of the Dodgers. Few parts of the book are lackluster and every sentence leaves you wondering what happens next (unless you already know the timeline of Dodger transactions). I am not a Dodgers fan, but readers both young and old can find Colletti's book entertaining no matter what team they root for.
Great memoir and baseball stories. Colletti has lived a life worth writing about and does a commendable job sharing the ups and downs through it all. There is plenty of name dropping in his anecdotes and attention to detail especially during his tenure as GM of the Dodgers. Few parts of the book are lackluster and every sentence leaves you wondering what happens next (unless you already know the timeline of Dodger transactions). I am not a Dodgers fan, but readers both young and old can find Colletti's book entertaining no matter what team they root for.
August 23, 2018
Ned Colletti tells his own rags-to-riches baseball story, from his humble beginnings in a poor neighborhood in Chicago to a jet-setting lifestyle as the General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Colletti is a lifelong baseball fan; he tells stories of seeing his hometown Cubs both in his youth and after his eventual firing by the Dodgers. His love of the game jumps off the page, and is reflected in his career; he starts out as a sportswriter, then works for the Cubs media relations department, and only later moves into the front office.
The highlights of the book are the baseball yarns, both on-field and off-field. Colletti paints an intimate portrait of Andrew Dawson fighting through pain to make spectacular plays in a meaningless game. He details Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt's approach to negotiating Colletti's own contract. He tells how his baseball connections allowed him to have dinner with Frank Sinatra. An entire chapter is devoted to baseball broadcasting icon Vin Scully, and that investment is well worthwhile; Colletti's description of Scully's retirement is a tear-jerker.
Colletti's thoughts on the so-called Steroid Era are fascinating. Despite being an insider, he seems genuinely unsure as to how many players used which substances, or for how long. He ponders the difficult question of Hall of Fame membership for players that were known to use performance-enhancing drugs. And, he makes interesting observations about how difficult it was to know what kind of player you were really getting, given that players would often use PEDs for relatively brief periods in their careers to increase their value -- only to stop using the PEDs to protect their own health once they had signed a long-term contract.
Unfortunately, Colletti seems overly intent on burnishing his own legacy. (His publisher did him no favors by use of the unnecessary "acclaimed" in the subtitle of the book; if you're acclaimed, you don't need to tell people that you're acclaimed!) Colletti portrays himself as making shrewd moves as General Manager of the Dodgers, unable to get the Dodgers a World Series victory because ownership was unwilling to invest enough and because star players couldn't play nicely together. He carefully details his good decisions -- but doesn't provide much insight into the moves that didn't work out well for the team. The book would have been more intriguing if Colletti had reflected more deeply on what he learned about strategy for assembling a winning team.
For those of us that are baseball fans, the book is an enjoyable chance to peek into the dugouts and front offices of Major League franchises. But, it's more a collection of anecdotes than a coherent analysis. It's the airbrushed portrait of a man who loved the national pastime and it's a pleasant way to pass the time -- but it's a late regular-season game between two teams without much on the line, not Game 7 of the World Series.
The highlights of the book are the baseball yarns, both on-field and off-field. Colletti paints an intimate portrait of Andrew Dawson fighting through pain to make spectacular plays in a meaningless game. He details Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt's approach to negotiating Colletti's own contract. He tells how his baseball connections allowed him to have dinner with Frank Sinatra. An entire chapter is devoted to baseball broadcasting icon Vin Scully, and that investment is well worthwhile; Colletti's description of Scully's retirement is a tear-jerker.
Colletti's thoughts on the so-called Steroid Era are fascinating. Despite being an insider, he seems genuinely unsure as to how many players used which substances, or for how long. He ponders the difficult question of Hall of Fame membership for players that were known to use performance-enhancing drugs. And, he makes interesting observations about how difficult it was to know what kind of player you were really getting, given that players would often use PEDs for relatively brief periods in their careers to increase their value -- only to stop using the PEDs to protect their own health once they had signed a long-term contract.
Unfortunately, Colletti seems overly intent on burnishing his own legacy. (His publisher did him no favors by use of the unnecessary "acclaimed" in the subtitle of the book; if you're acclaimed, you don't need to tell people that you're acclaimed!) Colletti portrays himself as making shrewd moves as General Manager of the Dodgers, unable to get the Dodgers a World Series victory because ownership was unwilling to invest enough and because star players couldn't play nicely together. He carefully details his good decisions -- but doesn't provide much insight into the moves that didn't work out well for the team. The book would have been more intriguing if Colletti had reflected more deeply on what he learned about strategy for assembling a winning team.
For those of us that are baseball fans, the book is an enjoyable chance to peek into the dugouts and front offices of Major League franchises. But, it's more a collection of anecdotes than a coherent analysis. It's the airbrushed portrait of a man who loved the national pastime and it's a pleasant way to pass the time -- but it's a late regular-season game between two teams without much on the line, not Game 7 of the World Series.
April 14, 2018
Ned Colletti was general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers during one of the most difficult periods in the team's history, the ownership of Frank McCourt. McCourt was apparently a classic example of Bud Selig's ambition to place small-market mindsets in charge of large-market clubs (see the current incarnation of the NY Mets as evidence). Unfortunately, as with Jeffrey Loria, Selig was sold something of a pup, as McCourt's family troubles created more ructions than his penny-pinching attitudes gave benefits. Colletti was an observer at one remove of all these machinations, and his account of them manages even to find something good to say about McCourt.
The book itself is a boilerplate example of baseball memoirs. Colletti has a rags-to-riches story to tell, in which American working-class values of discipline, effort and loyalty lead to success. And, as in most of these cases, at the end of it he loses his job and finds some solace working for the television. Along the way we encounter some interesting stories about people like Manny Ramirez ('crazy like a fox'), Yasiel Puig ('young man with loadsamoney behaving like a young man with loadsamoney') and Joe Torre ('great guy, deserves every penny of one of the highest salaries for a manager'). But, although there are a lot of words, at the end of the day not a lot seems to have been said.
It was easy reading and certainly gives Coletti's point of view. However, I found it rather dull, and lacking in any real insight into what makes baseball tick.
The book itself is a boilerplate example of baseball memoirs. Colletti has a rags-to-riches story to tell, in which American working-class values of discipline, effort and loyalty lead to success. And, as in most of these cases, at the end of it he loses his job and finds some solace working for the television. Along the way we encounter some interesting stories about people like Manny Ramirez ('crazy like a fox'), Yasiel Puig ('young man with loadsamoney behaving like a young man with loadsamoney') and Joe Torre ('great guy, deserves every penny of one of the highest salaries for a manager'). But, although there are a lot of words, at the end of the day not a lot seems to have been said.
It was easy reading and certainly gives Coletti's point of view. However, I found it rather dull, and lacking in any real insight into what makes baseball tick.
February 14, 2018
Fun to read and occasionally insightful bio from a retired, mediocre baseball General Manager. He did provide a few genuine nuggets - the number of players on the disabled list has soared because players keep getting paid major league money and they can't be demoted to the minors; everyone knew that steroids were rampant but they couldn't afford to lose out to the next team who was also harboring cheaters. But overall, he does little to elevate the profession, which primarily is about trying to urge lazy players to actually try, negotiating with dishonest agents, and navigating mercurial owners (his tales of Frank McCourt with the Dodgers are the highlight of the book). Maybe in the end the book is performing a great public service, to remind us that our 'heroes' in sports aren't heroic; they just have superhuman athletic skills but are flawed human being like the rest of us.
May 31, 2018
This is the story of Ned Colletti’s career in baseball front offices. Ned grew up in Franklin Park, a Chicago suburb, and was a huge Cubs fan. He got a break and got a job with the Cubs on their media relations staff. He parlayed that opportunity into a long career in baseball. He became an assistant General Manager with the San Francisco Giants and ultimately the General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Colletti recounts the major events that happened during his career, but did not add that much to what baseball fans already know. His career progression is amazing, considering how ordinary his credentials were. He highlights those who gave him opportunities. And he made the most of the breaks he got. An enjoyable read about a guy who had a great career in baseball, surrounded by many of the biggest names and personalities in the sport.
Colletti recounts the major events that happened during his career, but did not add that much to what baseball fans already know. His career progression is amazing, considering how ordinary his credentials were. He highlights those who gave him opportunities. And he made the most of the breaks he got. An enjoyable read about a guy who had a great career in baseball, surrounded by many of the biggest names and personalities in the sport.
May 22, 2020
I listened to the audio version of this book. Very solid entry into the baseball genre by a well known GM who was a part of three stories franchises (Cubs, Giants, and Dodgers). From dinner with Frank Sinatra to telling Tommy Lasorda Sinatra was a closest Giants fan to negotiating with Super Agent Scott Boras. Mr. Colletti knows how to spin a yarn. He over saw the Dodgers franchise during one of their most tumultuous times when the Dodgers were owned by the McCourts.
Mr. Colletti told stories, but also gave a pretty honest account of what he saw. He doesn’t pull punches and told it how he saw it. There was a little bit of arrogance in his thoughts and actions. He was very successful, so it can be forgiven. This book is worth picking up if you a baseball fan, and you want to get a look into the mind of a GM.
Mr. Colletti told stories, but also gave a pretty honest account of what he saw. He doesn’t pull punches and told it how he saw it. There was a little bit of arrogance in his thoughts and actions. He was very successful, so it can be forgiven. This book is worth picking up if you a baseball fan, and you want to get a look into the mind of a GM.
July 7, 2025
(Audiobook review)
Absolutely phenomenal book. I struggle to get invested in many audiobooks, but this consumed me and was knocked out after 3 days. Is this a book meticulously detailing how to make GM moves? Well, no it's much more than that. It's about a man who loves sports, and his family above all. But that description doesn't cut it, honestly. In looking for a template to give myself some house rules for sports video games, I found a story that reminded me of the attachment to teams and people I had early in my life, and how going back to those things allows me to reflect on the life I've lived, and the attachments that drive me.
I don't know if that was Mr. Colleti's intention, but I'm forever grateful to him for it. Additionally, for as long as he's in professional sports, Mr. Colleti has a fan wherever his journey continues onwards.
Absolutely phenomenal book. I struggle to get invested in many audiobooks, but this consumed me and was knocked out after 3 days. Is this a book meticulously detailing how to make GM moves? Well, no it's much more than that. It's about a man who loves sports, and his family above all. But that description doesn't cut it, honestly. In looking for a template to give myself some house rules for sports video games, I found a story that reminded me of the attachment to teams and people I had early in my life, and how going back to those things allows me to reflect on the life I've lived, and the attachments that drive me.
I don't know if that was Mr. Colleti's intention, but I'm forever grateful to him for it. Additionally, for as long as he's in professional sports, Mr. Colleti has a fan wherever his journey continues onwards.
February 22, 2025
Ned Colletti seems like a good guy who just happened to get roped into a great job at the absolute worst time for the franchise. Ultimately, it’s about a GM locked in battle with an owner who is more interested in siphoning money from the team to “beat” his wife in their divorce, then being out of place when that owner is run out of town. Interesting to see his complete and utter disdain for rookies and younger players straight from the horse’s mouth, and very cool to see the inside story on how difficult Yasiel Puig is to deal with. Did not expect to see a full-throated “maybe Barry Bonds didn’t take steroids” take (Ned Colletti is kind of dumb) but still it was very interesting to see how my favorite team was run during some very dark years.
December 27, 2017
I absolutely loved this book! It is such interesting insight to what goes into being a GM and I enjoyed the back stories. I especially loved the memories it evoked...he talked about certain games and series that I can vividly remember watching and even discussed 2 games that I had been to (one of which was my son's first game at 3 months old :-) Of course he discussed Game 2 of the NLCS in 2008 which I was also at and side note, I still haven't gotten over how gross the Philly fans were.
November 24, 2017
I loved this book. The best baseball book I have read in years. A lot of revelations without seeming like a tell all. Ned tells his story from the viewpoint of a general manager. It is a viewpoint that most of us are not privy too. You will see the infighting, the makeup of deals, the heartbreak of losing, and the terrible cut throat nature of baseball. It is a tough business for sure and Ned was one of the toughest. If you love baseball you will love this book.
January 17, 2018
(3 1/2). For most sports enthusiasts and all baseball fans, this is probably a five star book. A well written memoir, with more inside information on the operating of a baseball team than I have ever read anywhere else previously. Colletti's back story is interesting, but his time as the GM of the Dodgers under the turbulent McCourts and then the transition to the new ownership is pretty amazing. I never knew a GM was such a one man band. Really good reading.
January 26, 2018
Ned Colletti is at his best when he is just being a story teller, sharing his experiences around the great game of baseball. The book was filled with some really good anecdotes and I felt like Ned always seemed to appreciate the moment. At times, however, he does seem to get bogged down in listing stats and spouting off old school baseball clichés. Overall I would say it was a good read and I'd recommend it to all baseball lovers out there.
October 5, 2018
Ned does not enough credit for his work as GM. He had very little to work with, considering he ran a signature franchise, but usually had winning teams. Colletti comes off as humble, yet confident in his book, as he breaks down his career. Most intriguing for me was how he broke d ok wn his relationship with Frank McCourt, which while he acknowledges the franchise's woes undr him, he displays much respect for him at the same time.
December 28, 2017
A good read for anyone who loves baseball
Ned Colletti has had many jobs in sports, but the focus of this book (and the title) come from his years as general manager of the Dodgers. He gives great insight into all that goes into that job in the modern era and what it was like to work for the McCourts during a turbulent time. Some fun stories, too. All in all, an enjoyable read.
Ned Colletti has had many jobs in sports, but the focus of this book (and the title) come from his years as general manager of the Dodgers. He gives great insight into all that goes into that job in the modern era and what it was like to work for the McCourts during a turbulent time. Some fun stories, too. All in all, an enjoyable read.
August 12, 2018
An interesting baseball book that looks at the last 40 years when Colletti was a baseball front office man for the Cubs, Giants and Dodgers. The main focus is on his time as GM of the Dodgers but covers the other periods well plus his youth as a fan of the Cubs. Overall well written and easy to read with a lot of good insights without being overly negative. A must read for the Dodger fan.
January 11, 2018
I enjoyed this book due to the amount of baseball and sports history that was involved. Having Chicago ties and a personal connection to the Colletti family only fueled my interest in this memoir. Would recommend to any baseball fan especially those fans of the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs.
March 26, 2019
A fun read for baseball fans of all stripes. It provides an in-depth look into the life of a general manager and delves into baseball history including the Chicago Cubs; Ned's lifelong team. However, the writing style is bland at times and the book's shift to areas outside of baseball feels straight out of left field. Nevertheless, the baseball history alone makes the book worth reading.
September 30, 2019
Kindle book. I am a life long dodger fan and vividly remember the McCourt years. This book is a phenomenal collection of honest and straight forward stories! Also, the beginning chapters made me feel like I wanna was there in the mean streets of Chicago! Wonderful book!
November 18, 2017
There are some pretty good stories in here. I was hoping for more of them, and for more specifics about leadership. Especially in a 400-page book. Oh well.
December 30, 2017
An excellent read for baseball fans, insiders, etc. but also an interesting read for management folks.
February 12, 2018
Very enjoyable book and well written, even though I'm not a fan of any of the teams he worked for! If you like baseball and baseball history, read it.
February 12, 2018
If you love Baseball or just want an insiders view of how professional sports really works in putting a team together, you will love this book. Better than Moneyball.
March 20, 2018
It starts rather slow, and bounces back and forth in time quite a bit. But otherwise, a great book for baseball fans, with interesting insight into the Dodgers, Giants, and the GM position.
April 22, 2018
I invested too much in this book, that I finally decided was just not that interesting.
May 27, 2018
Colletti is a great baseball guy, and it was a blast reading his stories about family, the front office, and the game we all share.
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