The Big Chair: The Smooth Hops and Bad Bounces from the Inside World of the Acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager

by Ned Colletti, Joseph A. Reaves Narrated by Ned Colletti

Overview

“An important contribution to 21st-century baseball literature. . . Mr. Colletti's book might be even more groundbreaking [than Moneyball] in some ways: It's a nearly unprecedented opportunity to see what running a baseball franchise looks like through the eyeballs of an actual general manager. . . [Colletti] has a gift for entertaining storytelling. . . These are stories modern general managers rarely tell, except in late-night gatherings at their favorite bars with people they know and trust. So to read them here, told in such colorful detail, makes you feel as if Ned Colletti has just invited you to plop down on the next bar stool.” --Wall Street Journal

“Ned Colletti is a baseball treasure with fascinating stories to tell from inside the game. The Big Chair is your all-access pass. After reading this book, you will not only understand the job of a general manager better but also the game of baseball itself.”-Tom Verducci, author of The Cubs Way and co-author of The Yankee Years

An unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the career of famed former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager (a position also known as “The Big Chair”), whose tenure spanned nine of the most exciting and turbulent years in the franchise's history.
*
During his tenure with the Dodgers, Colletti had the highest winning percentage of any general manager in the National League. In The Big Chair, he lets readers in on the real GM experience from his unique vantage point-sharing the inner workings of three of the top franchises in the sport, revealing the out-of-the-headlines machinations behind the trades, the hires and the deals; how the money really works; how the decision-making really works; how much power the players really have and why-the real brass tacks of some of the most pivotal decisions made in baseball history that led to great success along with heartbreak and failure on the field. Baseball fans will come for the grit and insight, stay for the heart, and pass it on for the wisdom.

Ned Colletti began his MLB career with his beloved hometown team, the Chicago Cubs, more than 35 years ago. He worked in Chicago for a dozen years and was in the front office when the Cubs won the National League East in 1984 and 1989, after which he moved on as director of baseball operations for the SF Giants. By 1996, he became the Assistant GM for the Giants, before being hired as the GM in Los Angeles in 2006. There he oversaw the Dodgers through the highly publicized and acrimonious divorce battle between Frank and Jamie McCourt that culminated in the equally highly publicized sale of the team. He was present at the press conference where Don Mattingly, having just watched his team eliminated from the playoffs, used the post-season conference to vehemently discuss his lack of a contract extension. He brought marquee names like Greg Maddux and Clayton Kershaw to LA, as well as marquee drama with the likes of Manny Ramirez and Yasiel Puig; hired future Hall of Famer Joe Torre as manager; and oversaw fourteen Dodgers playoff wins. And these are just a few of the highlights.*

Colletti serves up a huge dish of first-hand experiences with some of the biggest names in baseball history (Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Don Mattingly, Don Zimmer, Tommy Lasorda, Scott Boras, Vin Scully, and more). From his humble early years living in a Chicago garage to his path to one of the most prestigious positions in professional sports, his very public and illustrious career has left a permanent handprint in the history of America's sport-and now he's ready to share the insight only those who have sat in The Big Chair have ever seen.

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

A veteran baseball front-office executive for three teams details his life from his upbringing in Chicago to the nitty-gritty of his tenure with the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ned Colletti’s authentic narration extends throughout the audiobook, which offers a great vantage point for any fan who wants to understand what a general manager goes through every day. His only shortcoming is a tendency to muffle the ends of sentences, but it doesn’t take away from the listener’s enjoyment. Colletti keeps a consistent pace throughout the audiobook, whose highlights include the nonstop nature of the job as well as details of the grueling interview process he endured before he landed the Dodgers job. M.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

08/14/2017
“The Big Chair isn’t a recliner. It’s a hot seat that never relents,” writes Colletti, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ general manager from 2005 to 2014, in this entertaining and insightful mix of memoir and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. L.A. is a long way from working-class Chicago, where Colletti grew up a fan of the Cubs in an 899-sq.-ft. house that was actually an upgrade from his parents’ old digs, a converted garage. Colletti was working as a sportswriter when he took a job with the Cubs in 1981 as a member of the front office. Colletti faced an immediate challenge when he took the Dodgers GM job in 2005: building a decent team with little time—and dealing with a tumultuous ownership change (MLB commissioner Bud Selig took control of the team after the owners recklessly spent more than $100 million) and wrestling with difficult personalities such as pitcher David Wells (Colletti called the 260-pound Wells a “fat fuck” to get him to listen in a financial argument). Colletti mostly avoids self-congratulatory tedium, escorting readers through a typical day (which usually concluded around 3 a.m.) and a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox (the Dodgers received Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto in exchange for Iván DeJesús Jr. and James Lomey). Colletti’s description of the abrupt end to his job with the Dodgers comes with a touch of poignancy. There comes a time, Colletti admits in this earnest memoir, when “you only see and hear your memories.” (Oct.)

From the Publisher

One of the best baseball books I’ve ever read.”—Larry King

“As Ned helped me lead the baseball department for the Giants, he brought wisdom and perspective to our discussions. Now, in The Big Chair, readers will hear the wisdom and perspective that helped the organization change its culture and reach levels never before accomplished.”—Brian Sabean, three-time World Series champion, Executive VP, Baseball Operations, San Francisco Giants

“Ned Colletti is the best kind of baseball lifer. With a storyteller’s eye, he expertly pulls back the curtain on the games, the people, the days that made his journey unforgettable. The Big Chair is the worthy product of that life. Ultimately, it is a reminder that baseball—and the people in it—is not all about the numbers.”—Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports writer and New York Times bestselling co-author of Imperfect and The Phenomenon

“Ned Colletti's terrific account of the inner workings of a baseball team is engaging, honest, accurate and a great read. Baseball fans hungry to understand what it’s really like will devour this.”—Terry Francona, manager, Cleveland Indians and author of Francona: The Red Sox Years

“Ned has been a baseball lifer since long before he climbed up his professional ladder that stretches from Chicago through San Francisco to Los Angeles. His stories, observations, and his baseball experiences ring nothing short of profoundly wise. Sharing in his journey is a must for any baseball fan, including myself.”—Chris Berman, ESPN Sportscaster

“Former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti saw the team through a sale, 14 playoff wins, and the acquisitions of Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig. The Big Chair offers inside-baseball insight thanks to his decades-long career in the major leagues.”—Los Angeles Magazine

“Colletti’s voice is on every page telling the kind of stories we may never hear again. What puts this book in a category of its own, however, is its big, thumping heart. I don't think I've ever read any baseball executive reveal his love and passion for baseball the way Colletti does here.” –John Schulian, winner of the PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing

"Hard to put down.” –Boston Globe

“Part baseball handbook and part Cinderella story.” –Los Angeles Times

“A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of his 35 years working in the front office of the Cubs, Giants and Dodgers....More than anything, Colletti shows how being a GM is a 24/7 thrill ride.”—Chicago Tribune

“Highly recommended.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“Alternating among declarations of his unabashed love for baseball, neutral reportage, and score-settling (usually with a smile and a subsequent peace offering), Colletti provides a variety of insights [and] offers unforgettable, candid profiles of hundreds of players...A treasure trove of characterizations and insights bound to entertain any MLB fan.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“[An] entertaining and insightful mix of memoir and behind-the-scenes anecdotes...with a touch of poignancy.”—Publishers Weekly

“This is real inside baseball and fans will devour it. Colletti recalls his career with passion, humor, and telling details.”—Booklist

“An excellent addition to the growing library of sports executive books that will have broad appeal, beyond Dodger fandom.”—Library Journal

“Great book, great stories. . . If you love the game, he’ll take you inside of it.”—ESPN SportsCenter

“[Colletti’s] insider’s perspective of the ups and downs of this process make for revealing reading.” —Christian Science Monitor

“This is not so much a book as it is a late-night barstool chat. Forget love of baseball; the only prerequisite you need for The Big Chair is a thirst for an amusing raconteur.” –Golf Digest, Best of 2017

Library Journal

09/15/2017
Sports enthusiasts may enjoy imagining themselves in the role of the cutthroat, wheeling-dealing general manager, drafting players and putting together trades to build a winning team. What is it like to make those deals in real life—that is, to sit in the Big Chair? Colletti's career memoir takes readers into the frenetic world of major league sports, with all of its action and intrigue. He shares stories from his years working for the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and currently as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The best parts are when Colletti shares how some of his most famous deals came together; for example, bringing Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to Los Angeles. The author's moment-by-moment recall of each conversation and movement succeed in bringing the life of a general manager into focus. And while he writes affectionately about certain players, this does not overtake the narrative. VERDICT An excellent addition to the growing library of sports executive books that will have broad appeal, beyond Dodger fandom.—Brett Rohlwing, Milwaukee P.L.

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

A veteran baseball front-office executive for three teams details his life from his upbringing in Chicago to the nitty-gritty of his tenure with the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ned Colletti’s authentic narration extends throughout the audiobook, which offers a great vantage point for any fan who wants to understand what a general manager goes through every day. His only shortcoming is a tendency to muffle the ends of sentences, but it doesn’t take away from the listener’s enjoyment. Colletti keeps a consistent pace throughout the audiobook, whose highlights include the nonstop nature of the job as well as details of the grueling interview process he endured before he landed the Dodgers job. M.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-07-03
The longtime Major League Baseball general manager covers the bases in a chatty memoir.Alternating among declarations of his unabashed love for baseball, neutral reportage, and score-settling (usually with a smile and a subsequent peace offering), Colletti, whose career on the administration side covered decades with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers, provides a variety of insights—among other subjects, about putting out fires as a GM accountable to a wealthy team owner, negotiating contracts with and making trades for players, getting a handle on illegal steroid use, and second-guessing field managers without seeming to interfere. The author, who began his career as a newspaper sportswriter, offers unforgettable, candid profiles of hundreds of players, including Greg Maddux, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, and Yasiel Puig. Regarding the last, the immature, reckless behavior of players barely old enough to drink legally is a reminder of how much fans expect of athletes whose brains might not be fully formed yet. Superagent Scott Boras, a legend in his own time for his negotiating tactics on behalf of players, shows up in the text frequently, as do superstar players and managers that Colletti has hired and fired, a list that includes Joe Torre and Don Mattingly. Because the author grew up in the Chicago area, worked for area newspapers, and began his career with the Cubs, the book is larded with Cubs' anecdotes, including the breaking of the century-plus curse to win the World Series in 2016. During his decade with the Dodgers (2005-2015), Colletti's teams never won the World Series, but they finished strong during most of those seasons. The author could have broadened his memoir to discuss his mingling with celebrities beyond baseball, but he refrains from doing so except for a section about Frank Sinatra. A treasure trove of characterizations and insights bound to entertain any MLB fan.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169123548
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos