Lou: Fifty Years of Kicking Dirt, Playing Hard, and Winning Big in the Sweet Spot of Baseball - Paperback

by Lou Piniella (Author), Bill Madden (Author)

In this candid, revealing, and entertaining memoir, the beloved New York Yankee legend looks back over his nearly fifty-year career as a player and a manager, sharing insights and stories about some of his most memorable moments and some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball.

For nearly five decades, Lou Piniella has been a fixture in Major League Baseball, as an outfielder with the legendary New York Yankees of the 1970s, and as a manager for five teams in both the American and National leagues. With respected veteran sportswriter Bill Madden, Piniella now reflects on his storied career, offering fans a glimpse of life on the field, in the dugout, and inside the clubhouse.

Piniella speaks from the heart about his teams and his players, offering a detailed, up-close portrait of the Bronx Zoo's raucous personalities such as Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter, as well as his close friendship with Thurman Munson and his unusual relationship with George Steinbrenner. He also delves deep into his post-Yankee experiences, from winning a World Series for the controversial owner of the Cincinnati Reds, Marge Schott, to transforming the perennial cellar-dwelling Seattle Mariners into one of the league's best teams. Some of the game's brightest stars are here: Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez, Piniella's supremely talented and controversial prot g .

Throughout his time in the majors, Piniella has witnessed MLB grow into a multi-billion-dollar business. Piniella reflects on those changes, voicing his highly critical opinions on a range of controversial subjects, including steroids. Hilarious and uproarious, filled with eight pages of photos, Lou brings into focus a man whose deeply rooted passion for baseball has defined his life.

Front Jacket

For over fifty years, Lou Piniella has been in Major League Base-ball, first as a player and later as a manager for the Yankees, the Reds, the Mariners, the Rays, and the Cubs. In this raucous memoir, Piniella opens up about his lifetime in the game, telling stories about wins, losses, and getting in umpires' faces. Tracing his career, he discusses the wild years of the Bronx Zoo, a time when personalities like George Steinbrenner, Reggie Jackson, and Billy Martin made the Yankee locker room the most controversial place in baseball.

But New York was just the start. From winning a World Series with the Reds, to transforming the Mariners into a winning team, he recalls his experiences with some of the brightest stars of the modern era, including Ken Griffey, Jr.; Randy Johnson; and Alex Rodriguez. Whether facing the dif-ficulties of managing in Tampa Bay or taking the Cubs to back-to-back division championships, Piniella shares stories about a huge cast of Hall of Fame characters, bringing his un-forgettable voice to a roller-coaster ride of a career.

--Bob Costas

Back Jacket

For over fifty years, Lou Piniella has been in Major League Base-ball, first as a player and later as a manager for the Yankees, the Reds, the Mariners, the Rays, and the Cubs. In this raucous memoir, Piniella opens up about his lifetime in the game, telling stories about wins, losses, and getting in umpires' faces. Tracing his career, he discusses the wild years of the Bronx Zoo, a time when personalities like George Steinbrenner, Reggie Jackson, and Billy Martin made the Yankee locker room the most controversial place in baseball.

But New York was just the start. From winning a World Series with the Reds, to transforming the Mariners into a winning team, he recalls his experiences with some of the brightest stars of the modern era, including Ken Griffey, Jr.; Randy Johnson; and Alex Rodriguez. Whether facing the dif-ficulties of managing in Tampa Bay or taking the Cubs to back-to-back division championships, Piniella shares stories about a huge cast of Hall of Fame characters, bringing his un-forgettable voice to a roller-coaster ride of a career.