by Bill Madden
First published 2014
Don Zimmer opens his second memoir by reflecting on five decades in professional baseball, from his days with the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers to his tumultuous years as Joe Torre's bench coach with the New York Yankees. The baseball lifer examines how the sport transformed around him, contrasting the tight brotherhood of his Brooklyn teammates with the transient culture created by free agency and big money. Zimmer details his eight-year relationship with George Steinbrenner, revealing how jealousy and vindictiveness ended their 25-year friendship. He recounts the infamous moment he charged Pedro Martinez at Fenway Park and analyzes the managing approaches of legendary skippers like Casey Stengel, Earl Weaver, and Billy Martin. Through stories about owners, general managers like Branch Rickey and Dan Duquette, and the evolution of pitching philosophy, Zimmer chronicles baseball's changing landscape. His memoir captures both the comedy and heartbreak of America's pastime through the eyes of someone who lived it from the inside.
Genres: 20th-century, american, sports, biography-memoir, baseball, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: memoir, sports
Setting: Brooklyn, Fenway Park, New York
Period: 1955, 2010s
329 pages · Kindle Edition · Thomas Dunne Books