Williamsburg Regional Library

The saga of Sudden Sam, the rise, fall, and redemption of Sam McDowell, Sam McDowell, with Martin Gitlin

eng

autobiography

platesillustrations

index present

non fiction

The saga of Sudden Sam

1256627329

Sam McDowell, with Martin Gitlin

the rise, fall, and redemption of Sam McDowell

McDowell boasted one of the fastest arms in major league baseball. Here he holds nothing back, sharing the pressures and frustrations he felt as a baseball phenom in the early 1970s, and his time playing in an alcoholic fog, beset by addiction, depression, narcissism, and thoughts of suicide. Hitting rock bottom, he found hope, rehabilitation, and sobriety. He became the first counselor in major league baseball, and helped to turn around the lives of players who, just like him, had problems that were destroying their careers

Foreword / by Steve Garvey -- A gun to my head -- The melancholy child -- Unrecognized greatness -- The battle for Sam McDowell and beyond -- The debut -- Better pitcher, bigger boozer -- The battle with Birdie -- Dark brings Light -- Goodbye, Cleveland -- Hello, misery -- A sour bite of the Big Apple -- The lost years -- Gateway to sobriety -- My new life -- The triumphs of triumph -- Resistance and acceptance -- Expanding my horizons -- Going to B.A.T. -- A whole new ballgame -- Sudden Sam, Mayday Malone, and a new bride -- Vices bad and good

adult