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This Ain't Brain Surgery: How To Win The Pennant Without Losing Your Mind Paperback – January 1, 2005

by Larry Dierker (Author)

4.3 14 ratings

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Nearly everyone in major-league baseball was surprised when longtime Houston Astros player and then broadcaster Larry Dierker was hired to manage the Astros following the 1996 season without previous managerial experience at any level of the game. In the five years that followed, however, Dierker confounded the experts and led the team to four National League Central division titles and four playoff appearances, and was named the National League Manager of the Year in 1998. Adroitly handling every sort of distraction and disaster than can befall a teamincluding suffering a nearly catastrophic seizure during a gameDierker excelled like no other manager in Astros history, until resigning at the end of the 2001 season. In This Aint Brain Surgery, Larry Dierker draws on his vast experience of nearly four decades in baseball to reflect on his tenure as Astros manager, telling the reader along the way that the game isnt so simple, that personalities clash, and that intuition isnt everything. Woven into the narrative of this book are thoughtful and humorous anecdotes from his playing days.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[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 (Dan McGrath Chiago Tribune )

“[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 (Booklist )

“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 (Rob Neyer ESPN.com )

“Dierker's prose is witty and easy-reading.”—Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly )

“A breezy collection of anecdotes and insights, carefully crafted and presented with a mixture of humor and thoughtfulness.”—Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle (Richard Justice Houston Chronicle )

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bison Books (January 1, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0803266510
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803266513
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.3 14 ratings

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COOL JEWEL

FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2012

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LARRY DIERKER DOES A NICE TELLING US ABOUT HIS LIFE BEING WITH THE ASTROS. HE WAS A PLAYER, SPORTSCASTER AND MANAGER. HE HAS SOME REALLY GOOD STORIES ABOUT ALL THREE JOBS HE HAD. LARRY WAS AN ABOVE AVERAGE PITCHER WHO WAS A 20 GAME WINNER AND USUALLY HAD A LOW ERA. HE ALSO WAS A VERY SUCESSFUL MANAGER. HIS TEAMS WON 4 DIVISION TITLES. ALL IN ALL I LIKE THIS BOOK. LARRY DOESN'T RIP ANYONE A NEW ONE AND HAS SOMETHING NICE TO SAY ABOUT MOST EVERYBODY. I RECOMMED THIS FOR ALL ASTROS FANS.

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Pelican Pointe

An Old Baseball Guy's Answer To A Ladies' Romance Novel

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

If you are an older baseball guy who likes autobiography, you will have a good time with Larry's book. Honest and happy with special details that any curious fan will appreciate.

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

There were a lot of good segments, but the book starts to slow down towards the end.

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

Larry is a fabulous author and incredible speaker. This book is fascinating and shows how one person can come through adversity and end up on top.

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2003

Verified Purchase

Read a review from ESPN praising the book and then read a sample. The book seemed to be a total winner. After reading it, I would give it a thumbs up but not great. The vocabulary used by Dierker was inconsistent - sometimes straight baseball talk while other times, a bit flowery and poetical. ESPN was impressed by this style but I found it distracting. The book has no set path as Dierker talks about many different things in an unarranged order. Still worth reading though if you are a baseball fan.

One person found this helpful

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brazos49

An interesting and entertaining guided tour of baseball

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2003

I enjoyed this book greatly. Larry Dierker is a very bright guy who seems to have a gift for looking at situations and seeing them from angles that other sports figures would never find. An example of this is his telling Darryl Kyle to improve his pitching by playing a lot of serious golf in the off season. He also has the capacity to be self critical in ways that appear to be quite honest. He has real writing talent, which I always enjoyed when he wrote columns for the Houston paper when he was in the broadcast booth. He comes across as a guy you'd love to tip a few with.
I like the way the book is organized, with chapters dedicated to individual baseball topics like spring training, scouts, etc. and relating Dierker's experience in the area. There's enough humor to generate plenty of smiles and enough serious stuff to let a reader get a feel for what baseball players, managers and broadcasters go through.
In my opinion, if you have any interest in baseball you should enjoy this book.

3 people found this helpful

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Jeff

Excellent reading for an Astros fan

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2003

This is an excellent book that gives insight into the game that the ordinary fan would never get a chance to see. The book has sections dedicated to different aspects of the game including managing, umpires, the farm system, and more, and Larry has great stories for each one. As an Astros fan my favorite parts were the ones that talked about his dealings with some of the current and former Astros. It was interesting to read about the interactions he had with the players, and how he regarded some of the players in the clubhouse. As a player, broadcaster, and manager he witnessed enough to come up with an excellent book that makes great reading for any Astros fan, and that baseball fans in general can appreciate too.

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Whoa Wrangler! Stop nibbling on the corners!

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2003

Big Dierker fan here, and bought it before it came out. The above review is correct. Very general, abstract, obtuse, lazy - whatever you prefer to call it. I'm a huge Astros fan and if there was anyone to write about them - and write well - it's Dierker. Too bad he only hints/skims at things and doesn't want to make anyone angry. I wanted anecdotes from his playing days, broadcast booth and managing in particular. Got that but nothing in depth. Maybe he doesn't want to break the code, but then why write the book? I had heard this was in the making for some time. His diary when managing was optioned but was so damning he pulled it.
Instead we get great info in passing or teased and then move on when you want alot more and know he has it. This book lacks an index and that should have told me something - he never dwells on any person for more than a paragraph.
Radar sounded hilarious. Chris Holt loser. Milo is goofy. We want more of that. We knew it but its great fodder.
All in all. I love the Wrangler. He's Mr. Astro and a very smart writer. He's a great guy and I think this was edited to keep him as the nice guy or at least not a distraction. He never mentions his nickname Wrangler. Which by the way he got by showing up as a broadcaster in spring training sporting Wrangler jeans. Not here.

10 people found this helpful

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