Finding the Left Arm of God - by Brian M Endsley (Paperback)

About the Book

Finding the Left Arm of God: Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1960-1963 is the story of the Dodgers' volatile fortunes during the transformation of Sandy Koufax from a wild young left-hander with a career losing record on the verge of quitting the game to an artist with exquisite control of the baseball--a veritable Mozart on the mound. It continues the story begun in Bums No More: The 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, World Champions of Baseball which chronicled the Dodgers' first two years on the West Coast. It is a broad view narrative history of the Dodgers in the first four years of the 1960's set against the backdrop of the world changing events of John F. Kennedy's fleeting New Frontier presidency. Readers will travel with the team through these tumultuous years, from their sudden plunge into the baseball wilderness in 1960, to their return to pennant contention in Sandy Koufax' breakout year of 1961, through their catastrophic collapse of 1962 precipitated by Koufax' freak mid-season finger injury, to their redemption in 1963 culminating with their second World Championship in Los Angeles. Finding the Left Arm of God is the second book of a trilogy on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Sandy Koufax Era: 1958-1966.

Book Synopsis

This is the story of the L.A. Dodgers' volatile fortunes during Sandy Koufax's transformation from a wild left-hander with a losing record on the verge of quitting the game, to an artist with exquisite control of the baseball--a veritable Mozart on the mound.

From the Dodgers' sudden plunge into the baseball wilderness in 1960, to their return to pennant contention in Koufax's breakout year of 1961, through their catastrophic 1962 season--precipitated by Koufax's freak midseason finger injury--to their redemption in 1963 with their second World Championship on the West Coast, the narrative is set against the backdrop of John F. Kennedy's fleeting New Frontier presidency.

Review Quotes

"In this, the second volume of a trilogy on the Dodgers in the Koufax era (1958-1966), Endsley details Koufax's crucial contributions to the transplanted Brooklynites' struggle to return to pennant contention. The early '60s were heady and hopeful times and Endsley paints them vividly and ably, contextualizing what was still a fundamentally conservative sport even as the times they were a changing"-The Daily Beast; "an effective examination of the transformation of one hurler's career. Endsley's work demonstrates the powerful impact of combining pure athletic talent, statistical analysis, and coaching in order to bring out the best in a player...highly informative and enjoyable work that baseball fans, both of the statistical and 'regular' variety will surely enjoy"-Sport in American History.

About the Author

Attorney Brian M. Endsley lives in Pleasant Hill, California.