A Lefty's Legacy

Koufax is probably one of the least understood hero's of the baseball world. The final 5 years of his career were probably the best 5 consecutive years by any pitcher, ever. He walked away at age 30 with an arm on the verge of permanent disfiguring damage, and for the most part, has not been heard from since. He declined to participate in this book, so its all based on old interviews with Koufax and interviews with friends and family. What emerges is a portrait of Jewish kid from Brooklyn with a live arm, who after 5 years of riding the pine in the majors, suddenly emerges as the most dominating pitcher of his era. The book is interestly structured, with chapters alternating between his life story and an inning by inning account of his perfect game in Sept of 1965. I'm not certain the author really "figures him out," but I certainly enjoyed the book. You will too if you are a baseball fan.