Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy

Linksys · #1 07-08-2006, 02:21 PM

This book by Jane Leavy was recommended by a friend and I just finished reading it: I thought it was fantastic. It's more of a baseball history book but it uses Koufax's life and career as the barometer of change. I saw a side of the man that I never knew existed. He was truly an amazing guy and has passed on so much of his wisdom to fellow pitchers of past and present. I recommend it to all of you if you haven't read it.

I don't want this thread to turn into a stupid argument about how Koufax is overrated and so and so is better, so please don't do that. I will say, however, that if I was going to pick one pitcher to pitch a game 7 for me, it would be Koufax. Statistics be damned. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

If some of you have read the book, i'd love to hear your comments on it- maybe we can get a discussion of it going. if you haven't and would just like to comment on Koufax in general, then that's fine too.

One of the ideas that I found more interesting in the book was that if Koufax hadn't been a bonus baby and had been allowed to start out in the minor leagues, he might have had the coaching that he needed to start being the dominant Koufax in maybe 1958 instead of 1961-1962. I think it is clear that the bonus baby rules hampered his development as a pitcher from 1954-1960. He was used inconsistently and rarely trusted by the manager, though he did show flashes of incredible brilliance.

Jack of Arcades · #2 07-08-2006, 05:50 PM

Sandy Koufax in Dodger Stadium = best pitcher of all time.

andyfox · #3 07-08-2006, 07:35 PM

He belongs to a golf club that a friend of mine belongs to. My friends say Koufax is a quiet, unassuming, polite guy, who never make a big deal of himself. A gentleman.

I enjoyed the book, she's a fine writer.

Linksys · #4 07-08-2006, 10:45 PM

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Sandy Koufax in Dodger Stadium = best pitcher of all time.

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Ford, Gibson, Marichal- all heralded Koufax as one of the greats. Dodger Stadium helped but Koufax was good in the WS in the Metrodome, Yankee Stadium etc.

Like I said, I'll take Koufax in a game 7 and you can take whoever you want in their prime- Clemens, Pedro, Randy, whoever. I feel confident in Koufax beating any of them.