The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers
March 28, 2016
Leahy, a writer for the Washington Post and the Washington Post Magazine, exhaustively profiles seven Dodgers (both black and white) to frame his gripping narrative of America’s growing pains and its favorite pastime. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ sun-kissed rise as a baseball power in the 1960s—the team won the World Series in 1963 and 1965—coincided with a swirl of social issues. Racism was virulent, in spite of the burgeoning civil rights movement. Meanwhile, Dodgers management was stingy with its non-unionized roster. Maury Wills had to beg for a raise, even though his prowess at stealing bases—a pursuit that left him a permanent welt—revolutionized the sport. Other players examined by Leahy include talented first baseman Wes Parker, who remained emotionally scarred from a terrible childhood; the unforgettable and unflappable pitcher Sandy Koufax, who eventually suffered from an arthritic left elbow; and journeyman outfielder Lou Johnson, a black man who refused to play the role that white America demanded. By using their personal experiences to tell the story of an oft-recounted era of American history, Leahy’s book packs an unanticipated jolt of humanness.
May 1, 2016
The 1960s. There has probably been as much ink spilled over that tumultuous decade as tears were shed over its events. For many, baseball provided some feeling of normalcy; for almost a century men had been throwing, hitting, and catching a hard white ball, and they continued to do so. This detailed look into the Los Angeles Dodgers team of the Sixties illustrates that the times were changing in baseball, too, as players began the era servile to their owners and ended it freer to defy management. Through extensive interviews with Dodgers of that time, Washington Post journalist Leahy delivers an unusually personal look at shortstop Maury Wills, pitcher Sandy Koufax, and lesser-known players such as outfielder Al Ferrara and infielder Dick Tracewski. VERDICT An intriguing examination of how baseball, as everything else, changed during the 1960s and led the path for the current age of Dodgers history.--Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL
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