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Title: Sandy Koufax : A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy, Pinsky Robert ISBN: 0-06-009134-7 Publisher: HarperAudio Pub. Date: 17 September, 2002 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.24 (87 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fantastic "sociological" biography...
Comment: Jane Leavy has really transcended sports biography with this outstanding account of baseball great Sandy Koufax. Framed in a "between innings" format, the reader gets Koufax's career discussed in parallel with his monumental September, 1965 perfect game against the Chicago Cubs. At the same time, we get a sort of "social" history of the times (mid 1960's) that adds depth and immediacy to this story thats lacking in other more celebrated biographies.
From early childhood to his still current adulation, Leavy attempts to myth-alize and at the same time de-myth the Koufax icon...all the time with minimal cooperation from the subject. And even with this roadblock, she has achieved a major success! With the advantage of hundreds of interviews of Koufax intimates, she has managed to succeed in portraying the "real" Koufax where many before her have failed. His legendary career is celebrated at the same time his legendary "aloofness" is picked apart, showing that Koufax ultimately achieves what he always wanted to be be: a regular guy.
There is no shortage of baseball talk here though...we hear Koufax explaining the mechanics of pitching in almost doctoral detail; why these mechanics ruined his pitching elbow and ultimately led to his early retirement. We get numerous funny and informative anecdotes from the afore-mentioned interviews, as well as some darned good game coverage...Leavy obviously was (is) an excellent sports writer and her passion for the game and the subject are obvious.
The undeniable thread throughout this work, however, is the decency and "down to Earth" manner in which Koufax carried himself throughout his career. Whether it was his practice of hanging out with his "lesser" teammates (as opposed to Don Drysdale, who comes across as sort of "star-seeking") or refusing to pitch on the opening game of the 1965 World Series (which occured on Yom Kippur), Koufax's humility and class are ever-present in the narrative and gives the reader that fleeting "personal" side that has been missing from many other descriptions of Koufax's career. The social climate of the mid-to-late 1960's is interspersed with the games and gives a perspective and context that's not normally found in most sports biographies...it's this feature of the book and Koufax's personal makeup that make this book so appealing.
Whether looking for a sports biography or a discussion of how sports fit into the late 60's culture, "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" is an excellent source. Extremely readable and highly entertaining, this book should be considered a watershed in these subjects as well as a definitive account of Sandy Koufax's career and I recommend it very highly.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great Writing, great legacy
Comment: I have read a great many baseball books over the years and usually don't have a particularly high hope for the writing of most biographies, especially when the subject is still alive. Either the writing comes off as trying to impress too hard or the writer is trying to make his or her reputation off the subject. That is not true in this case. Ms. Leavy is a wonderful writer and she works hard to create an honest portrait of one of the all time great pitchers, Sandy Koufax. The style of the book, intersecting his perfect game with his life will delight baseball and non-baseball fans alike. Her discussion of Koufax and his faith is thought provoking and well developed. She also provides a glimpse into the 1950's in Brooklyn that is terrific. This book certainly ranks as one of the finest baseball related books to be published in some time, and unlike the Cubs who were silenced by Koufax on that great night in 1965, this book contains plenty of hits. Read it- give it as a gift. This is a winner.
Rating: 2
Summary: Readable but not much more
Comment: I found this book moderately interesting but it suffers from three significant shortcomings:
1)One, as stated in previous reviews, the author is overly fixated on Koufax's Jewishness. Although this is clearly an aspect of Koufax, his history and make-up, and impact on the Jewish community that should not be overlooked or downplayed, it did not need to be the overiding theme of the book, and as such it overshadowed his on-the-field accomplishments.
2)Koufax did not agree to personally contribute to the book, so many of the incidents are told from the viewpoint of other observers whose memories (reasonably) appear to be less than accurate 50 years after the fact. In several cases these third parties disagree on what actually occured and as a result you question everything in the book with the exception of the statistical reality of Koufax's career.
3)There is very little info regarding Koufax's life after baseball. Since he retired in 1966 nearly forty years have passed. Although readers may be much more interested in his baseball life, I would have liked more insight into how his post-baseball life has progressed.
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Title: The Teammates by David Halberstam ISBN: 140130057X Publisher: Hyperion Press Pub. Date: 14 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis ISBN: 0393057658 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 10 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, the Dodgers, and Their Final Pennant Race Together by MICHAEL SHAPIRO ISBN: 0385501528 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Koufax by Edward Gruver, Ed Gruver ISBN: 0878331573 Publisher: Taylor Pub Pub. Date: 01 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now? : A Remembrance by Richard Ben Cramer ISBN: 0743246489 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 02 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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