This book shows off some of Tony’s secrets with his personal lineup cards and complete methodology, which he only understands, as to how he broke down the competition for each game, along with his longtime pitching coach/guru Dave Duncan. That makes this book a solid purchase right off the bat.

The book starts with a backwards journey through last year’s most improbable championship run. That again is pretty interesting to see how he broke it down, kept a lot of what was going on internal, and yet achieved the goal of winning it all in what was his last season. He announced that to his team but not the press.

In 2010 when his team fell short it was amazing to see how he dealt with that first in his own mind and thoughts and later within the organization deciding what changes needed to be made.

I noticed a sense of personal growth and ownership in this group especially when the word “steroids” came up. He was a lot more open and honest about this subject than ever before and I have a new found respect for the man as a result.

I had a chance to see Tony in action after a game in his manager’s office. It was on the road and to be honest I found him to be a bit surly at times but now I think I understand where he was coming from especially if you challenged his game plan for that night. I knew he was a statistician/stat geek and that’s what made him one of the best but when I saw all of his charts, etc. I now see that he may have been the best-ever in this department.

This book is perfect for all baseball fans. Publisher William Morrow has a gem here.

Purchase it here now:
One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and a Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season