This Ain't Brain Surgery - by Larry Dierker (Paperback)

About the Book

Witty, forthright, and wonderfully well-read, Dierker was that rare manager who knew how to work hard and have a good time doing it. Dierker shares his singular take on the daunting task of trying to manage 25 men with agents, cell phones, and titanic egos.

Book Synopsis

Plenty of people were surprised when Larry Dierker was named the manager of the Houston Astros at the end of the 1996 season, but perhaps no one was more surprised than Larry Dierker. Despite his status as a fourteen-year ace starter in the big leagues (thirteen of them with Houston), two-time All-Star, and well-regarded longtime TV colorman for the Astros, Dierker's hiring refuted conventional wisdom and deeply confounded most major league observers. For one thing, Larry had no managerial experience at any level of the game before taking over the 'Stros; for another, former pitchers rarely become managers (especially former pitchers with a taste for Hawaiian shirts and a talent for amateur songwriting); and, well, managers are supposed to become broadcasters, not the other way around!
But, in his five years at the controls, Dierker guided the Astros to four National League Central division crowns and four playoff appearances, and was named the National League Manager of the Year in 1998. Employing on-the-field strategies at once cerebral and daring, adroitly handling every sort of distraction and disaster that can befall a team -- including suffering a nearly catastrophic seizure during a game -- he excelled like no other manager in Astros history, until resigning at the end of the 2001 season.
Let's face it, after nearly four decades in baseball, Larry Dierker has been there and done that like no one else before him. In This Ain't Brain Surgery he reflects on his memories of growing up in the majors -- from learning the fine art of locker-room pranks at his first spring training to deciding what to say to the crowd when the Astros retired his number ("Aloha," naturally). With the unique perspective that comes from having studied the sport's angles from the mound, the broadcasting booth, and the dugout, Dierker draws from his vast experience to take on everything in the game with sharp wit, keen insight, and startling candor, inviting us farther onto the field, deeper into the clubhouse, and more fully into the baseball mind than we've ever been before.
Brimming with indispensable analysis, thoughtful reflection, and raucous humor, This Ain't Brain Surgery is the finest baseball book since Ball Four, and marks Larry Dierker as a writer at the top of his game.

Review Quotes

"[Dierker] has a healthy perspective about the game and his role in it, as reflected in the title of this literate, humorous, and entertaining memoir. As he recounts his tenure as manager, he splices in anecdotes from his playing days, effectively contrasting the life of the ballplayer in both eras."--"Booklist"


"[Larry Dierker] came to be known as one of the brightest and most engaging minds in baseball . . . and his book shows why. It''s an unvarnished insider''s view of what goes on within the game at many levels and a refreshingly honest exercise in self-discovery. . . . Dierker''s observations remain as fresh and as stimulating as they were when the book was first published in 2001."

"Dierker''s prose is witty and easy-reading."--"Publishers Weekly"

"It''s a book that. . . has reenforced everything I love and have always loved about baseball. Above all else, baseball is a game that inspires wonder and Dierker -- former player, broadcaster, and manager for the Houston Astros--Illuminates that nicely."

"Needless to say, a book entitled "This Ain''t Brain Surgery" makes no pretence to scholarly profundity, but it is a witty, breezy, intelligent account of baseball as experienced by Larry Dierker." -- William M. Simons, "Journal of Sports History"

"There's a richness to the language in This Ain't Brain Surgery that isn't typically found in a book with an ex-player's (or ex-manager's) name on the cover."--Rob Neyer, ESPN.com


"[Larry Dierker] came to be known as one of the brightest and most engaging minds in baseball . . . and his book shows why. It''s an unvarnished insider''s view of what goes on within the game at many levels and a refreshingly honest exercise in self-discovery. . . . Dierker''s observations remain as fresh and as stimulating as they were when the book was first published in 2001."--Dan McGrath, "Chicago Tribune"


"A breezy collection of anecdotes and insights, carefully crafted and presented with a mixture of humor and thoughtfulness."--Richard Justice, "Houston Chronicle"


" [Dierker] has a healthy perspective about the game and his role in it, as reflected in the title of this literate, humorous, and entertaining memoir. As he recounts his tenure as manager, he splices in anecdotes from his playing days, effectively contrasting the life of the ballplayer in both eras. " -- Booklist


" A breezy collection of anecdotes and insights, carefully crafted and presented with a mixture of humor and thoughtfulness. " -- Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle


" Dierker''s prose is witty and easy-reading. " -- Publishers Weekly

" There ' s a richness to the language in This Ain ' t Brain Surgery that isn ' t typically found in a book with an ex-player ' s (or ex-manager ' s) name on the cover. " -- Rob Neyer, ESPN.com


"[Larry Dierker] came to be known as one of the brightest and most engaging minds in baseball . . . and his book shows why. It''s an unvarnished insider''s view of what goes on within the game at many levels and a refreshingly honest exercise in self-discovery. . . . Dierker''s observations remain as fresh and as stimulating as they were when the book was first published in 2001." -- Dan McGrath, Chicago Tribune


"Needless to say, a book entitled This Ain''t Brain Surgery makes no pretence to scholarly profundity, but it is a witty, breezy, intelligent account of baseball as experienced by Larry Dierker." -- William M. Simons, Journal of Sports History

"A breezy collection of anecdotes and insights, carefully crafted and presented with a mixture of humor and thoughtfulness."

"It's a book that. . . has reenforced everything I love and have always loved about baseball. Above all else, baseball is a game that inspires wonder and Dierker -- former player, broadcaster, and manager for the Houston Astros--Illuminates that nicely."

"Needless to say, a book entitled "This Ain't Brain Surgery" makes no pretence to scholarly profundity, but it is a witty, breezy, intelligent account of baseball as experienced by Larry Dierker." -- William M. Simons, "Journal of Sports History"

"ÝDierker¨ has a healthy perspective about the game and his role in it, as reflected in the title of this literate, humorous, and entertaining memoir. As he recounts his tenure as manager, he splices in anecdotes from his playing days, effectively contrasting the life of the ballplayer in both eras."-"Booklist"

"ÝLarry Dierker¨ came to be known as one of the brightest and most engaging minds in baseball . . . and his book shows why. It's an unvarnished insider's view of what goes on within the game at many levels and a refreshingly honest exercise in self-discovery. . . . Dierker's observations remain as fresh and as stimulating as they were when the book was first published in 2001." -- Dan McGrath "Chiago Tribune"

"Dierker's prose is witty and easy-reading."-"Publishers Weekly"