Davey Johnson: My Wild Ride in Baseball and Beyond

by Davey Johnson, Erik Sherman

Overview

Davey Johnson is best known for managing the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Baltimore Orioles—and taking all three clubs to their respective league championship series during his time at the helm. When teams needed to improve, they hired Johnson, and he delivered, memorably leading the Mets to the 1986 World Series title. Yet even as he raised the bar of their success, all three clubs parted ways with Johnson, a pattern that puzzles him to this day. A self-termed "army brat," Johnson kept moving, managing the Los Angeles Dodgers then the Washington Nationals before announcing his retirement in 2013. But managing baseball has been just one part of Johnson's fascinating life. A true Renaissance man, Johnson has also found incredible success as a land investor, pilot, scratch golfer, scuba diving teacher, and mathematician, pioneering the use of sabermetrics in the big leagues. Now, Johnson finally takes the time to meditate on his wild and remarkable journey, with reflections on not only his All-Star playing days and years of managerial success in New York, Cincinnati, and Baltimore, but on his entire career.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629374116
Publisher:	Triumph Books
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Davey Johnson was a four-time All-Star and two-time world champion second baseman with the Baltimore Orioles. As a manager, he retired with an astounding .588 winning percentage over more than 15 seasons, including a heralded Mets world championship in 1986. Erik Sherman is the co-author of three highly acclaimed baseball autobiographies: Out At Home (with Glenn Burke), A Pirate For Life (with Steve Blass), and the New York Times bestseller Mookie: Life, Baseball and the '86 Mets (with Mookie Wilson). Sherman is also the author of the bestseller Kings of Queens: Life Beyond Baseball with the 1986 Mets.

Table of Contents

Foreword Howie Rose xiii

Foreword Jim Palmer xvii

Preface xxi

Acknowledgments xxv

Introduction xxix

1 January 30, 1943: Lessons from My Father 1

2 June 2, 1962: Signing Day 13

3 July 1, 1962: Learning the Orioles Way 21

4 April 13, 1965: The Debut 31

5 October 9, 1966: The First Championship 39

6 Spring Training, 1969: "Dumb Dumb" 51

7 October 16, 1969: A Juggernaut Derailed by the Miracle Mets 61

8 October 15, 1970: Mission Accomplished 79

9 October 17, 1971: Stunned by the Pirates 91

10 November 30, 1972: The End of an Era 105

11 September 19, 1973: Chasing Mr. Hornsby 109

12 April 8, 1974: Hammerin' Hank 121

13 April 11, 1975: Sayonara 131

14 April 21, 1975: Land of the Rising Sun 137

15 September 6, 1978: The Last Hurrah 151

16 April 1, 1979: Hola, Amigos! 163

17 October 30, 1980: Meet the Mets 169

18 October 13, 1983: Bringing the Magic Back 181

19 December 10, 1984: The Final Pieces 195

20 March 1, 1986: Ready to Dominate 213

21 October 15, 1986: It Doesn't Get Any Better than This 227

22 October 20, 1986: The Day Off 237

23 October 25, 1986: The Art of the Comeback 243

24 April 1, 1987: The Hangover 253

25 October 9, 1988: Bit by a Bulldog 269

26 October 24, 1989: The Last Straw 279

27 April 7, 1990: Buddy's Bow Tie 289

28 May 24, 1993: The Red Menace 295

29 October 23, 1995: The Dream Job 307

30 November 5, 1997: Thanks for the Manager of the Year Award-Now I Quit 319

31 October 23, 1998: La La Land 327

32 June 8, 2005: My Little Surfer Girl 333

33 August 17, 2005: U-S-A! 341

34 May 5, 2011: King Jake 347

35 June 24, 2011: A Capital Idea 357

About the Authors 367

Editorial Reviews

"Combine half a century of baseball experience with a devil-may-care refusal to censor his vinegary personality, and you have a recipe for what this book is: a memorable look back from someone who has seen the game, and excelled at it, from all sides." —George F. Will


"Davey Johnson has elevated the genre with a book that is wise, funny and startlingly honest. I learned as much about managing a successful life and business as I did about managing a World Series Championship baseball team. The best sports autobiography I’ve read." —Randy Wayne White, New York Times bestselling novelist

From the Publisher