Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue

By Fred Claire

Al Campanis' appearance on Nightline, the selling of the Dodgers to corporate giant Fox and the trading of Mike Piazza. All great stories that have never been fully told, but are now laid bare by a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582617325
• ISBN13: 9781582617329
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Sports Pub
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

fabulous

This was a great book to read for all baseball fans to get a look behind the scenes into the business aspect of each and every game. The level of detail in this book was remarkable, really accentuating Fred Claire's passion for baseball. He writes very honestly, conveying emotions beyond the words on the page. He describes his experience with the Dodger's team but moreso in detail of every singly person who makes it work on a daily basis, who sweat and cry and laugh for the "family members" in this family culture that they've developed. Claire is not only talking about the last 30 years of his professional experiences but of the last 30 years of his life in general, ending with life beyond the Dodgers. Even to someone as clueless about the world of baseball, I was emotionally captivated by this book and the pages just flew by. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in baseball, his objective story-telling makes it very easy to read.

Excellent Insight into the World of a Baseball Exec

Fred's book offers an excellent first-hand account into the world of a baseball GM. His stories and experiences help to shed some light on what it takes to become a successful sport executive. I don't think there is any better way to learn how to become successful in this business than through someonee who did it himself. This book is excellent for sport management classes as it shows students what skills are necessary in different situations. A MUST READ, I will put this book in my baseball library as one of the most useful books on the business of baseball.

Solid, candid facts..

Fred Claire writes in detail and is very candid about what went on for 30 years behind the scenes of a successful professional baseball organization. If you want to learn more about a storied baseball franchise, this is an excellent book. It was also very interesting from a business perspective. Fred's point of view and the way he takes responsibility for all of his decisions is refreshing. This is a must read for the sports fan, the business person or anyone else who likes to learn from people who have done it the right way.

Behind the Scenes Look At Dodger Business

If you are looking for a book that describes the business side of baseball with lots of personal experiences and honesty, this is one of the best. As a lifelong Dodger fan, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and re-living many of the great Dodger moments through Mr. Claire's eyes and work. Fred Claire is a first-class G.M. and his ethical, honest way of doing business is sorely missed in today's game. Fox Baseball made a huge blunder when they fired him from his position. But as you will see, Fred Claire's personal beliefs and moral compass were too much for the idiotic "don't know nothin about baseball" folks at Fox.

An interesting and candid look at the Dodgers

Anyone who is a Dodger fan (or was a Dodger fan until the bumbling Fox regime got their grubby hands on the team) will find this book to be an interesting and candid look at three decades of Dodger baseball. Claire's book is great because it lets you know what made the Dodgers win with class (a front office under Walter O'Malley all pulling in the same direction), and what recently made the Dodgers a sad laughingstock (a Fox TV exec making a terrible trade to finalize a cable TV deal). And the best part about the whole book is that Claire isn't out to glorify himself or grind an axe towards the Fox people --- he simply tells his story like it was at Dodger Stadium.