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Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager | 
 enlarge | Author: Buzz Bissinger
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $3.76
You Save: $31.19 (89%)
New (10) Used (4) from $3.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 1394961
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 600
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.3 x 4.3 x 2.7
ISBN: 1565119754
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3570977866
EAN: 9781565119758
ASIN: 1565119754
Publication Date: April 7, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new, factory sealed, in our warehouse, and ships right now.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 88 more reviews...
 Great insight into leadership April 23, 2008
If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a leader -- the commitment, the focus, the almost obsessive compulsion that drives excellence then this book is a great backdrop. La Russa demonstrates what it takes to lead a team at such an elite level, the impact winning and losing has on his players and himself and how he develops the talent and manages ego...sounds eerily similar to the business world.
OK, so I'm a BIG Cardinal fan... March 19, 2008
I must admit I'm a Cardinal fan of more than 50 years, but I really felt this is one of the FIVE BEST BOOKS I've ever read about baseball. The description of the inner workings of today's clubhouse and management structure were fascinating and very well written. I can see where people get the impression that LaRussa is a self-absorbed egotist, as this book would seem to support that impression. I am a 59-yearold male.
 Worthwhile for the Baseball Aficionado January 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Loving baseball, though not necessarily the Cardinals, is a pre-requisite for enjoying this book. I've never been much of a LaRussa fan, but Bissinger does a very nice job of capturing LaRussa's intensity and philosophy of baseball.
The book uses a three game series against the Cubs in August 2003 to structure a narrative that includes flashbacks to the careers of LaRussa and others to give context to the particular moves and situations confronted during the series. It's a very nice narrative device, used effectively by Jane Leavy in her biography of Sandy Koufax, which was structured around Koufax's perfect game against the (who else?) Cubs in September 1965.
LaRussa's appeal is his ability to combine Joe Torre's approach to managing personalities, the instincts of an old time baseball man, and a willingness to question old baseball dogmas in the light of experience and new data. I've always thought that LaRussa overmanaged games, but Bissinger's book does a lot to promote LaRussa as one of the game's top managers.
Bissinger credits LaRussa with the major innovations in the evolution of the bullpen (i.e., one inning closers, set up men, and the idea of the bullpen as a calling rather than as a dustbin for rejected starters) and use of videotape. That's a bit of an overstatement. I remember the Yankees using Ron Davis to set up Gossage and even before then I remember Dick Williams using Knowles to set up Fingers. But LaRussa certainly was an important part of this trend.
The true baseball fan will love LaRussa's experimentation with replacing the one starter with a cadre of relievers, LaRussa's rejection of the closer-by-committee concept, his strategic calculus during the series, his handling of difficult player personalities, and how LaRussa deals with the beanball. Also, Dave Duncan comes across as one of the great pitching coaches, rivaling old timers like Sain and the more recent gurus like Mazzone. Finally, I was unaware of the influence of Paul Richards on LaRussa and the generation of managers who came to the fore in past 25 years.
On the downside, Bissinger overwrites. His flowery and overblown language gets in the way of the story. And he is, of course, too close to LaRussa given the constraints of a project in which he is essentially hired by LaRussa to tell LaRussa's story. Should LaRussa have gotten more out of a player like J.D. Drew? What about the tension between him and a class act like Rolen? Does his intensity and tactical assumptions get in the way of managing personalities to get the most out of them? What about his handling of steroid and substance abusers? These issues would have been explored more thoroughly by a more objective observer.
This is definitely a worthwhile book for the baseball aficionado. The general reader may want to steer clear.
Day to Day Life of Professional Ballplayers November 16, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
3 Nights in August provides an interesting narrative to talk about a baseball team including the players, managers and all of the supporting staff. By limiting the book to just one series of three games, it uses small incidents to imply season-long issues. Yet, the author does blend in backstory to provide context.
This is one of the first books I have read that effectively counters sabermetric studies by giving more a detailed view of how a manager is treating particular players on a given night. The book includes glimpses such as LaRussa trying to manage the hurt feelings of millionaire players. Rather than showing sympathy for anyone, it provides a straight look at why LaRussa, who has never been known as a softie, must balance player personalities with their skills or risk having professionals act unprofessional.
Since the book is essentially told from LaRussa's point of view, it does gloss over some of the most significant criticisms of the manager. However, that is not the point. Since LaRussa is known for being a manager who feels the weight of every loss, this does a nice job of communicating how last night's game impacts this manager's view of tonight's game. All-in-all, I would recommend the book to any baseball fan who wants a closer look into the dugout.
 The Bad Outweighs the Good October 31, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This could have been such a wonderful book. The prose was elegant, the story was intense and everything came together well.
Except for the fact Buzz Bissinger has a vendetta against sabermetrics and sabermetricians. The attacks on the book "Moneyball" and the flipant remarks attacking others (like me) who love the game was sickening.
I would avoid this book and look elsewhere for that "summer classic."
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