The Saga of Sudden Sam
I was excited to read that Sam McDowell was writing an autobiography. This Cleveland baseball fan wanted to read all about his best games, his part in a very underrated rotation, and his thoughts on manager Alvin Dark moving him to second base when Frank Howard came to the plate.
Well, it's not that kind of biography. While he covers his time in baseball, the 'saga' in the title refers to his battle with alcohol.
Like all stories involving addiction, it is a hard read. From the beginning he makes it clear this story is about alcohol, denial and living in a fog. But as is usual, it makes the ending all the sweeter.
From a baseball fan's perspective, perhaps the most interesting part of the book is his role in counseling for several major league teams, and his thoughts on the game itself, such as sabermetrics, Greg Maddux, strikeouts (too many), and the near extinction of the drag bunt.
But most of all it is a story of redemption, of a man seemingly obeying a higher calling to counsel his fellow athletes. At one point he talks of his son Tim boasting of his accomplishments. But Tim "would eventually be far prouder of me for my recovery and forty years of sobriety, [and] the 3 a.m. calls from panicked athletes that I never let ring their way to voicemail."
Considering where Sam McDowell once was, we too should be proud of him.