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Leo Durocher Biography

Hardscrabble Childhood, Early Career, Captain Of Gashouse Gang, Becomes Player-manager, Creates ControversySELECTED WRITINGS BY DUROCHER:



1905-1991

American baseball player

Leo ("The Lip") Durocher will be forever identified with the phrase "nice guys finish last," which was the title of his autobiography and is in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Durocher is also famous for having said he would trip his own mother if she were rounding third base and he could prevent her from scoring a run. New York Times sportswriter Arthur Daley once called Durocher "the most hated man in baseball." He was known for his combative nature on the field and was constantly getting into arguments and fistfights with umpires, opposing players, and fans. Durocher was an outstanding shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers (among other teams) and the manager of four National League teams. He ranks seventh among baseball managers in career wins, with 2,009.



SELECTED WRITINGS BY DUROCHER:

(With Ed Linn) Nice Guys Finish Last, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1975.

Sketch by Roger W. Smith

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsBaseball