The Last Innocents
The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers is a book by author Michael Leahy, centered around the Los Angeles Dodgers teams of the 1960s. The book was the winner of the 2016 Casey Award as the best baseball book of the year.[1]
Overview
The book examines the tumultuous political and social changes, paranoia and racism of the 1960s through the eyes of the seven "principle" players, covering events such as the
Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement and integration within baseball, as well as its impact on the game, and the movement to unionize amongst Major League players.[2]
The principle players were chosen by Leahy due to their different backgrounds, upbringings, ethnicities, and political affiliations:
- pitchers in baseball history. The book covers Koufax's prime years, his career-ending chronic arm troubles, and his highly publicized contract disputes with the Dodgers' front office, including the 1966 holdout with teammate Don Drysdale. It also covers his encounters with antisemitism within baseball.[3][4]
- Maury Wills, who sparked an offensive change in baseball by reintroducing the stolen base, then considered to be a lost art. The book covers Wills' early struggles in the minor leagues, his unexpected rise to stardom, and his leadership qualities within the team. It also covers his later struggles with drugs and alcohol.[3][4]
- Dick Tracewski, a utility infielder who came from a Polish immigrant family. The book covers Tracewski's relationship with Koufax, his roommate and close friend on and off the field, as well as his unexpected roles in both the 1963 and 1965 World Series due to the injuries of teammates.[4]
- first basemen in the 1960s. The book covers Parker's upper-class upbringing in California, the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother as a young boy, and his unlikely rise to the Major Leagues.[4]
- minor leaguer.[4]
- Lou Johnson, a journeyman outfielder who played a large role in the 1965 and 1966 pennant-winning Dodger teams. Johnson's early struggles in the minors and his early experience in the Majors is covered extensively as is his sudden rise to prominence after Davis' season-ending injury in 1965.[4]
- Jeff Torborg, a backup catcher who graduated from Rutgers University and came from a middle-class, white suburban family. Torborg is best remembered for catching Koufax's perfect game on September 9, 1965.[4]
References
- ^ "CASEY Award: Best Baseball Book". Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine.
- ^ Ulin, David L. (June 24, 2016). "The Dodgers of the 1960s: riots, antiwar protests, tumultuous politics". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Leahy, Michael (May 18, 2016). "Excerpt: Sandy Koufax, Maury Wills and the Dodgers in 1960s America". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Meet the Players". michael-leahy.com.
External links
- The Last Innocents – "Baseball By the Book" podcast.
- Leahy, Michael (2016). The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers. HarperCollins.