Lou: Fifty Years of Kicking Dirt, Playing Hard, and Winning Big in the Sweet Spot of Baseball – A Revealing Memoir from the Legendary Yankees

by Lou Piniella, Bill Madden

In this candid, revealing, and entertaining memoir, the beloved New York Yankee legend looks back over his nearly fifty-year career as a player and a manager, sharing insights and stories about some of his most memorable moments and some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball. For nearly five decades, Lou Piniella has been a fixture in Major League Baseball, as an outfielder with the legendary New York Yankees of the 1970s, and as a manager for five teams in both the American and National leagues. With respected veteran sportswriter Bill Madden, Piniella now reflects on his storied career, offering fans a glimpse of life on the field, in the dugout, and inside the clubhouse. Piniella speaks from the heart about his teams and his players, offering a detailed, up-close portrait of the Bronx Zoo’s raucous personalities such as Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter, as well as his close friendship with Thurman Munson and his unusual relationship with George Steinbrenner. He also delves deep into his post-Yankee experiences, from winning a World Series for the controversial owner of the Cincinnati Reds, Marge Schott, to transforming the perennial cellar-dwelling Seattle Mariners into one of the league’s best teams. Some of the game’s brightest stars are Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez, Piniella’s supremely talented and controversial protégé. Throughout his time in the majors, Piniella has witnessed MLB grow into a multi-billion-dollar business. Piniella reflects on those changes, voicing his highly critical opinions on a range of controversial subjects, including steroids. Hilarious and uproarious, filled with eight pages of photos,  Lou brings into focus a man whose deeply rooted passion for baseball has defined his life.

Genres: Baseball

352 pages, Paperback

Published April 27, 2018

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this title while meandering through Barnes & Noble, and was so excited to come across it. I promptly devoured this one. I was a young kid while Lou spent his time in Seattle, and it is with fond recollection that I remember the love and excitement he brought to baseball during his time there. Funnily enough, it was on a family vacation to Florida when I was in third grade that we were welcomed with a billboard in Tampa that was welcoming Lou to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. To say that we missed him when he left Seattle was an understatement.

If you're looking for a read to accompany you during summer and baseball season, look no further. "Sweet Lou" made such an impact on the game, and hearing his experience with one of the most beautiful games out there was highly enjoyable. The game of baseball has such a unique and wonderful history, and Lou provides another glimpse into it with this title.