We all thought, at the time, the Los Angeles Dodgers were an interesting squad inward the 1960s.
This was a team, afterward all, that played baseball game every bit if it were the Dead Ball Era (pre-1920). Not every game was 1-0, but it seemed that way. The Dodgers had a duet of Hall of Fame pitchers, in addition to scratched out a run or 2 to assistance them win. H5N1 rally was a walk, 2 stolen bases in addition to a sacrifice fly. John McGraw would remove hold loved it.
But they may hold out fifty-fifty to a greater extent than interesting now, thank y'all to the function of writer Michael Leahy. His thoroughly enquiry mass on those Dodgers, "The Last Innocents," does an fantabulous project on shedding novel low-cal on a squad that came really approximately beingness a dynasty.
Just for background's sake, let's review what the squad accomplished inward that era. The Dodgers moved out of Brooklyn inward 1957, in addition to started to plough over their roster. Their World Series win inward 1959 was something of a mixture of the one-time in addition to new, but the squad had a novel await past times the squad the squad moved into Dodger Stadium inward 1962 - a pitcher's common inward which runs would hold out hard to come upwards by.
Sandy Koufax was near to become, well, Sandy Koufax, in addition to Don Drysdale was mighty adept likewise at the move past times of the rotation. H5N1 scrawny shortstop named Maury Wills, considered a nonprospect past times most, grabbed a starting project in addition to revolutionized the game past times bringing the stolen base of operations back. The Dodgers almost won the pennant inward 1962, took the Series inward 1963 in addition to 1965, in addition to lost to Baltimore inward the Fall Classic inward 1966. After that, Koufax retired, Wills in addition to outfielder Tommy Davis were traded, in addition to the Dodgers needed several years to regenerate their talent base.
Leavy looks at those teams to a greater extent than often than non through the perspective of 7 players - Wills, Koufax, Davis, Wes Parker, Jeff Torborg, Dick Tracewski in addition to Lou Johnson. That's an interesting mixture of players - from stars to subs. All but the reclusive Koufax were willing to beak at length near those Los Angeles teams.
The games to a greater extent than often than non remove hold a dorsum spot to the people here, which is a adept thought inward a mass near a squad from to a greater extent than than 50 years ago. Wills grew into a squad leader on in addition to off the field, but along the means would barely brand a peep near what he sought at contract time. Parker, the boy of rich parents, evidently had what looked similar an slow life - except that his identify unit of measurement life every bit a youth was a nightmare in addition to baseball game was his means of escape. The 2 life stories of the 2 Dodger infielders are at the centre of the story. Torborg in addition to Tracewski were to a greater extent than often than non backup but furnish enough of insight here, spell Johnson remains a fun graphic symbol to this day.
Even so, Koufax mightiness hold out the most fascinating somebody inward the narrative, fifty-fifty from the distance of second-hand information. He was (and yet is, no doubt) intelligent in addition to well-rounded, but far to a greater extent than competitive in addition to proud according to teammates that the exterior basis mightiness remove hold thought. All were inward awe of what he was able to create amongst an arm that seem to degrade amongst every pitch.
There are enough of stories hither near Dodger management, which for the most business office centre on full general managing director Buzzie Bavasi. The franchise was a coin machine inward those days, in addition to Bavasi was inward accuse of keeping it that way. He was a human being of contradictions - someone who would lend a manus to a Dodger downwardly on his luck 1 minute, in addition to and hence line deceptive negotiating methods the next. It's interesting, though, that Walt Alston, the team's managing director barely comes upwards inward the discussion. It sounds similar he didn't brand much of a footprint, although someone had to hold out pressing some buttons correctly for the squad to create well.
The mass has the subtitle of "The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties in addition to the Los Angeles Dodgers." It's hard non to impact the surrounding events of the Sixties when writing near whatsoever business office of it. The players were visible at a fourth dimension when Vietnam in addition to civil rights were becoming major issues throughout the country, in addition to had to hold out careful expressing viewpoints spell working for a quite conservative business. Internally, the baseball game players matrimony to a greater extent than or less started inward the 1960s in 1 trial Marvin Miller came aboard, in addition to that changed everything - although non during the Dodgers' run. Those events, though, remove hold a dorsum spot to the squad itself.
Leahy jumps inward amongst a duet of rigid opinions along the way. He believes Wills should hold out inward the Hall of Fame, in addition to that the Dodgers handled Koufax's arm problems terribly. Both are really defensible positions. In fairness, Wills' add-on of speed to the game changed baseball, but may non remove hold had the long career that is the usual prerequisite for a trip to Cooperstown. It's e'er tough to justice the revolutionaries inward that context. Hindsight is 20-20 amongst Koufax, in addition to there's no means he would hold out treated the same means medically now. But it wasn't uncommon inward the mid-Sixties to function a pitcher on 2 days residue when someone thought it was necessary, in addition to consummate games were much to a greater extent than common. We're all learned a lot on the plain of report of arms since then, fifty-fifty if there's yet some mystery near it.
This is a fairly long mass at to a greater extent than than 450 pages, but the fabric is oft fresh in addition to almost e'er interesting. "The Last Innocents" won the Casey Award every bit the best baseball game mass of 2016. I haven't read all of the nominees, but my guess is that this 1 is a really worthy winner.
Five stars
Read to a greater extent than near this book.
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