Gator, Ron Guidry
Gator, Ron Guidry
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Gator
My Life in Pinstripes

Author: Ron Guidry, Andrew Beaton

Narrator: Ron Guidry

Unabridged: 6 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/20/2018


Synopsis

Legendary New York Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry recounts his years playing for one of the most storied and celebrated teams in sports history--the world champion New York Yankees during their heyday in the Bronx Zoo years, with manic manager Billy Martin, headline loving owner George Steinbrenner, and an ego-driven all-star cast that included everyone from slugger Reggie Jackson and All star catcher Thurman Munson to Cy Young Award winners Sparky Lyle and Catfish Hunter.

Ron Guidry, known as Gator and Louisiana Lightning to his teammates, quickly rose in 1977 to become the ace of the Yankees' stellar pitching staff, helping the team regarded as the most famous and notorious in Yankee history win the World Series. In 1978, he went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA and won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in baseball, helping to bring home the Yankees' second straight World Series championship. A four-time All Star and five-time Golden Glove winner, he played from 1976 to 1988, served as the Yankees' captain in the 1980s, and remains one of the greatest pitchers in Yankee history. In Gator, Guidry takes us inside the clubhouse to tell us what it was like to play amidst the chaos and almost daily confrontations between Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner, Martin's altercations with star slugger Reggie "the straw that stirs the drink" Jackson. He talks poignantly about the death of Thurman Munson in 1979, and the impact that had on Ron and on the club. He tells stories about players like Lou Pinella, Willie Randolph, Bucky Dent, Catfish Hunter, Chris Chambliss, and Mickey Rivers, and coach Yogi Berra (who in 1984 became the Yankees' manager) and Elston Howard.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Gary on March 14, 2023

This 220 page gem of a book is a must-read for any Yankee fan, especially if you grew up during the ‘70s and ‘80s when Guidry was pitching, as I did. When he was on the mound, I always felt like something magic could happen. He was one of those rare players that you couldn’t take your eyes off of. Y......more

Goodreads review by Donald on April 09, 2018

Nice little recounting of familiar Yankees stories. Not much new, but it was good to hear from Guidry's point of view. I really enjoyed hearing about his Cajun upbringing, and wish there was a little more in that section. The final chapter is about his close friendship with Yogi Berra. This makes a......more

Goodreads review by Kev on October 23, 2024

My favorite biography so far this year. The last chapter alone about Yogi Berra is worth the price of the book. Guidry stopped by to see Yogi about a month before he passed away in 2015: "So I drive there that day, and she (Yogi's caretaker) pokes her head into Yogi's room. He's sitting in bed. 'Look......more

Goodreads review by Lafourche on November 01, 2018

Growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, Ron Guidry loved baseball and hunting. He played baseball for the University of Southwest Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). He is best known for his time as pitcher for the New York Yankees, winning 2 World Series, the Cy Young Award, 4 All......more

Goodreads review by Ray on July 11, 2018

Rod Guidry's book "Gator: My Life in Pinstripes" was a fun read for fans of Yankee baseball in the late 70's and early 80's. Guidry tells a little of his story as a youngster in rural Louisiana, of learning to pitch as a minor leaguer in the Yankees organization, and of his troublesome relationship......more