Lefty : an American odyssey
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York : Ballantine Books, 2012.
ISBN
9780345526489, 0345526481
Status

Description

Loading Description...

Also in this Series

Checking series information...

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Batavia Public Library District - Adult Nonfiction796.357092 GOMOn Shelf
Park Forest Public Library - Stacks796.357 GOM BiographyOn Shelf

More Like This

Loading more titles like this title...

More Details

Published
New York : Ballantine Books, 2012.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xx. 393 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780345526489, 0345526481

Notes

General Note
Includes index.
Description
"A baseball legend distinguished by his competitive nature, quick wit, and generous spirit, Lefty Gomez was one of a kind. Told for the first time, this is his remarkable story. Born to a small-town California ranching family, the youngest of eight, Vernon "Lefty" Gomez rode his powerful arm and jocular personality right across America to the dugout of the New York Yankees. Lefty baffled hitters with his blazing fastball, establishing himself as the team's ace. He vacationed with Babe Ruth, served as Joe DiMaggio's confidant, and consoled Lou Gehrig the day the "Iron Horse" removed himself from the lineup. He started and won the first-ever All-Star Game, was the first pitcher to make the cover of Time magazine, and barnstormed Japan as part of Major League Baseball's grand ambassadorial tour in 1934. Away from the diamond, Lefty played the big-city bon vivant, marrying Broadway star June O'Dea and hobnobbing with a who's who of celebrities, including George Gershwin, Jack Dempsey, Ernest Hemingway, Marilyn Monroe, George M. Cohan, and James Michener. He even scored a private audience with the pope. And even when his pro ball career was done, Lefty wasn't. He became a national representative for Wilson Sporting Goods, logging over 100,000 miles a year, spreading the word about America's favorite game, and touching thousands of lives. In 1972 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Three baseball fields are named for him, and to this day the top honor bestowed each year by the American Baseball Coaches Association is the Lefty Gomez Award. Now, drawing on countless conversations with Lefty, interweaving more than three hundred interviews conducted with his family, friends, competitors, and teammates over the course of a decade, and revealing candid photos, documents, and film clips--many never shown publicly--his daughter Vernona Gomez and her award-winning co-author Lawrence Goldstone vividly re-create the life and adventures of the irreverent southpaw fondly dubbed "El Señor Goofy." "I'd rather be lucky than good, " Lefty Gomez once quipped--one of many classic one-liners documented here. In the end he was both. A star-studded romp through baseball's most glorious seasons and America's most glamorous years, Lefty is at once a long-overdue reminder of a pitcher's greatness and a heartwarming celebration of a life well-lived"--,Provided by publisher.

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Gomez, V., & Goldstone, L. (2012). Lefty: an American odyssey . Ballantine Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Gomez, Vernona and Lawrence Goldstone. 2012. Lefty: An American Odyssey. Ballantine Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Gomez, Vernona and Lawrence Goldstone. Lefty: An American Odyssey Ballantine Books, 2012.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Gomez, Vernona., and Lawrence Goldstone. Lefty: An American Odyssey Ballantine Books, 2012.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.