What do you think?
Rate this book
When in Doubt, Fire the Manager: My Life and Times in Baseball
Book by Alvin Dark, John Underwood
242 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2019
Alvin Dark was a stand out as both a player and manager in Major League Baseball. He played on the World Champion 1954 NY Giants and 20 years later managed the Oakland Athletics to the 1974 World Championship. He played on six major league teams and managed three other teams besides the Athletics.
Dark was a very committed Christian, but was guilty during the middle of his career of having an affair with a woman outside of marriage. This was a very sad part of the book and Dark very freely acknowledges this sin and describes the tragic consequences, but then goes on to tell of his repentance and the restoration of his Christian commitment.
As a person who actively followed baseball through Dark's career, I found his story and his many anecdotes very interesting and enjoyable. Just a good baseball read.
Dark was a very committed Christian, but was guilty during the middle of his career of having an affair with a woman outside of marriage. This was a very sad part of the book and Dark very freely acknowledges this sin and describes the tragic consequences, but then goes on to tell of his repentance and the restoration of his Christian commitment.
As a person who actively followed baseball through Dark's career, I found his story and his many anecdotes very interesting and enjoyable. Just a good baseball read.
November 27, 2019
Books are the closest we ever get to time travel. For this ’trip’, you will return to 1980 and hear how a retired manager reflects on his experience as a player and then leading a number of teams, most significantly the A’s of Charlie Finley; plus, doing so as a Christian taking confession about his long-standing affair with the woman who ultimately became his 2nd wife. It’s a glimpse into the end of the omnipotent owner period of baseball - with Charlie Finley’s bungling of Catfish Hunter’s contract and the onset of free agency, the perspectives reflected in this book are truly lost to history. If you’re a fan of 70’s baseball, you’ll certainly enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews