Lefty: An American Odyssey (2012)

I thoroughly enjoyed this terrific biography of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Vernon (Lefty) Gomez that was written by his daughter. Normally, baseball biographies, especially of old-timers (Lefty quit playing in the 1940s and died in the late 1980s) are dry. Typically, little information is available to the author, outside of statistics, newspaper reports, and teammate remembrances, in rare cases.

However, this terrific biography is chock full of personal anecdotes and family stories. Though his nickname was Goofy, Lefty was a smart, interesting guy. He was a good friend of Babe Ruth's and was a long-time friend of Joe DiMaggio's. His wife was a star on Broadway. Lefty loved to travel and had plenty of entertaining stories to tell.

This is a very interesting biography with as much information about his life outside of baseball as it has about his baseball career.

Highly recommended!! ( )

I first heard the name Lefty Gomez, while listening with my Dad to a 1956 Yankee-Dodgers World Series game: “Whitey Ford is my favorite Yankee, after Mickey Mantle.” Dad replied, “When I was your age my favorite Yankee was Lefty Gomez, after Lou Gehrig.” I would guess all kids learn about baseball players this way: fathers and sons playing catch and (today) watching games.

Lefty: An American Odyssey (New York : Ballantine Books ; imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, 2012) is a book about one of the great New York Yankees pitchers in the 1930s and early 1940s who appeared in seven All-Star games (1933 through 1939) and a member of five New York Yankees World Series championships (1932, 1936 through 1939). Vernon ‘Lefty’ Gomez was a 20-game winner four times. Unlike teammates Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth who were inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame almost immediately after retirement, Lefty was not inducted until 1972, nearly thirty years following his in 1943. Verona Gomez, Lefty’s daughter, and co-author Lawrence Goldstone, have written an informative and hilarious biography of Vernon ‘Lefty’ Gomez and at the same time a nostalgic review of the America’s national past time for most of the last century.

The book’s Prologue gives the reader a nostalgic look at the August 4th, 1962 Old Timers Game at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park where veterans of the Giants (who had recently in 1958 been in New York) played veterans of the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, which Triple-A franchise closed in 1957 to make way for the Giants. The Seals veteran ball players included outfielders Dom, Vince, and ‘Yankee Clipper’ Joe DiMaggio, and pitcher Vernon ‘Lefty’ Gomez. We learn that the taciturn Yankee Clipper roomed with the gregarious Lefty his first six years with the Yankees. Also, that Lefty and his wife June O’Dea, a Broadway actress, a few days after the game were to attend the ‘re-marriage’ of Joe DiMaggio and his wife Marilyn Monroe in Los Angeles. Tragically, Monroe died the next day at home from a drug overdose. During DiMaggio’s grief Lefty would call him twice a week just to talk. “That’s what roomies are for.” This bitter-sweet narrative tone gives Lefty a truth-stranger-than-fiction appeal and moves autobiography firmly into the realm of social history. This is a book not only about a great player until recently forgotten by most fans, but a book that remembers the greatness of the game itself. I highly recommend it to all who love the game. My Dad would have loved Lefty. ( )

Well, it's long and not overly engaging, so I resorted to skimming large sections, but I did come across an interesting bit every now and then. ( )

Lefty Gomez was a very interesting person, and I really enjoyed learning about him. That said, I would have to say that this book was very dense and took a long time to get through. It was jam-packed with detail about his pitching career, friends and family. And at times, it was confusing as to whom was speaking.
Lefty Gomez was a small-town California boy who made it big in the big leagues as one of the great Yankee pitchers. He got there with hard work, determination and an irreverent sense of humor. The book details his journey through stories and quotes from friends, family, teammates, and Lefty himself. His antics with the Yankee players and management are well-documented. As are all his pitching stats.
Lefty's wife, June O'Dea, was famous in her own right. She was a singer and dancer on Broadway. These two ran with quite an elite New York crowd, though Lefty never lost his small-town charm. He was extremely generous with his time and touched many lives. He was a true free spirit. Any person with an interest in baseball will find lots to enjoy in this book. There are hundreds of anecdotes, many hilarious, all giving us insight into the man known as El Goofo. ( )

Vernon Gomez, nicknames 'Lefty' (for obvious reasons) pitched for the NY Yankees from 1930-1942. This is rather amazing as this was the time when pitchers were in the game till their arms fell off. They virtually pitched themselves out of their careers. Vernon was the type of pitcher that would pitch everyday if asked, he had a fierce drive to compete and to win.

This is the account of his life from the beginning to the end. We follow along through the early years of baseball, the good and the bad, we are introduced to other greats such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey and Phil Rizzuto. Other players who were well known and stars at the time but whose names are not familiar to me. Even after his baseball career was over he stayed connected to the game. He had a reputation as a man you could trust and his work ethic on the baseball diamond carried on, it was a legacy left to him by his parents.

Much of the account is related in stories from people that were there or heard of it, where there is a conflict that is brought out too, in one event of his life, where not much is known the author simply states, "He never said why he did what he did."

This was an easy to read book, the narrative was flowing and while not compelling, was not boring or tedious. It had the background information of Lefty and June's life that you expect from a biography making it a well rounded account. ( )