This is the story of the L.A. Dodgers' volatile fortunes during Sandy Koufax's transformation from a wild left-hander with a losing record on the verge of quitting the game, to an artist with exquisite control of the baseball--a veritable Mozart on the mound.
From the Dodgers' sudden plunge into the baseball wilderness in 1960, to their return to pennant contention in Koufax's breakout year of 1961, through their catastrophic 1962 season--precipitated by Koufax's freak midseason finger injury--to their redemption in 1963 with their second World Championship on the West Coast, the narrative is set against the backdrop of John F. Kennedy's fleeting New Frontier presidency.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"In this, the second volume of a trilogy on the Dodgers in the Koufax era (1958-1966), Endsley details Koufax's crucial contributions to the transplanted Brooklynites' struggle to return to pennant contention. The early '60s were heady and hopeful times and Endsley paints them vividly and ably, contextualizing what was still a fundamentally conservative sport even as the times they were a changing"-The Daily Beast; "an effective examination of the transformation of one hurler's career. Endsley's work demonstrates the powerful impact of combining pure athletic talent, statistical analysis, and coaching in order to bring out the best in a player...highly informative and enjoyable work that baseball fans, both of the statistical and 'regular' variety will surely enjoy"-Sport in American History.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Interest Age: From 18 years
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
64 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Maße
Höhe: 254 mm
Breite: 178 mm
Dicke: 16 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-7415-8 (9780786474158)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Attorney Brian M. Endsley lives in Pleasant Hill, California.
Table of Contents
Preface
Prologue
Part I. 1960: Return to the Wilderness
One.?Bright Beginnings
Two.?Changes, Losses, and a Glimpse at Greatness
Three.?Out of the Woodshed and into Contention
Four.?Facing Reality in the Year of the Pirates
Part II. 1961: The Great Awakening of Sandy Koufax
Five.?Leo
Six.?Turning Point in Florida
Seven.?April-A Full Moon and a New Koufax
Eight.?Koufax Takes Off!
Nine.?Showdown in August
Ten.?The Coliseum Era Comes to an End
Part III. 1962: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
Eleven.?The Dodger Stadium Era Begins
Twelve.?A Season Goes Numb
Thirteen.?Life Without Koufax
Fourteen.?Black September
Fifteen.?Left Behind in October
Part IV. 1963: Return to the Summit
Sixteen.?A Season Riding on a Finger
Seventeen.?Life Is Good on Planet Koufax
Eighteen.?An August Lull Becomes a September Fight
Nineteen.?Four Days in October
Twenty.?The Apotheosis of Sandy Koufax
Epilogue
Appendix: Sandy Koufax Statistics (Career; 1961; 1962; 1963)
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
