The Big Chair

August 14, 2017
“The Big Chair isn’t a recliner. It’s a hot seat that never relents,” writes Colletti, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ general manager from 2005 to 2014, in this entertaining and insightful mix of memoir and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. L.A. is a long way from working-class Chicago, where Colletti grew up a fan of the Cubs in an 899-sq.-ft. house that was actually an upgrade from his parents’ old digs, a converted garage. Colletti was working as a sportswriter when he took a job with the Cubs in 1981 as a member of the front office. Colletti faced an immediate challenge when he took the Dodgers GM job in 2005: building a decent team with little time—and dealing with a tumultuous ownership change (MLB commissioner Bud Selig took control of the team after the owners recklessly spent more than $100 million) and wrestling with difficult personalities such as pitcher David Wells (Colletti called the 260-pound Wells a “fat fuck” to get him to listen in a financial argument). Colletti mostly avoids self-congratulatory tedium, escorting readers through a typical day (which usually concluded around 3 a.m.) and a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox (the Dodgers received Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto in exchange for Iván DeJesús Jr. and James Lomey). Colletti’s description of the abrupt end to his job with the Dodgers comes with a touch of poignancy. There comes a time, Colletti admits in this earnest memoir, when “you only see and hear your memories.”

August 1, 2017
The longtime Major League Baseball general manager covers the bases in a chatty memoir.Alternating among declarations of his unabashed love for baseball, neutral reportage, and score-settling (usually with a smile and a subsequent peace offering), Colletti, whose career on the administration side covered decades with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers, provides a variety of insights--among other subjects, about putting out fires as a GM accountable to a wealthy team owner, negotiating contracts with and making trades for players, getting a handle on illegal steroid use, and second-guessing field managers without seeming to interfere. The author, who began his career as a newspaper sportswriter, offers unforgettable, candid profiles of hundreds of players, including Greg Maddux, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, and Yasiel Puig. Regarding the last, the immature, reckless behavior of players barely old enough to drink legally is a reminder of how much fans expect of athletes whose brains might not be fully formed yet. Superagent Scott Boras, a legend in his own time for his negotiating tactics on behalf of players, shows up in the text frequently, as do superstar players and managers that Colletti has hired and fired, a list that includes Joe Torre and Don Mattingly. Because the author grew up in the Chicago area, worked for area newspapers, and began his career with the Cubs, the book is larded with Cubs' anecdotes, including the breaking of the century-plus curse to win the World Series in 2016. During his decade with the Dodgers (2005-2015), Colletti's teams never won the World Series, but they finished strong during most of those seasons. The author could have broadened his memoir to discuss his mingling with celebrities beyond baseball, but he refrains from doing so except for a section about Frank Sinatra. A treasure trove of characterizations and insights bound to entertain any MLB fan.

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September 15, 2017

Sports enthusiasts may enjoy imagining themselves in the role of the cutthroat, wheeling-dealing general manager, drafting players and putting together trades to build a winning team. What is it like to make those deals in real life--that is, to sit in the Big Chair? Colletti's career memoir takes readers into the frenetic world of major league sports, with all of its action and intrigue. He shares stories from his years working for the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and currently as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The best parts are when Colletti shares how some of his most famous deals came together; for example, bringing Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to Los Angeles. The author's moment-by-moment recall of each conversation and movement succeed in bringing the life of a general manager into focus. And while he writes affectionately about certain players, this does not overtake the narrative. VERDICT An excellent addition to the growing library of sports executive books that will have broad appeal, beyond Dodger fandom.--Brett Rohlwing, Milwaukee P.L.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017
Colletti grew up as a Cubs fan in a blue-collar Chicago suburb. He hopped around sports journalism before moving to front-office baseball jobs, eventually becoming only the tenth general manager in Los Angeles Dodger history, a position he held from through the 2014 season. The Dodger years are the focus of this memoir, though Colletti drifts easily back into his earlier tenures in the San Francisco Giants and Cubs organizations. He offers real insight into what a baseball general manager does, especially the visible parts of the job: making trades and signing free agents, moves that are always subject to rampant second-guessing. His portrayal of the trade process is especially interesting, as he describes rival GMs circling and tentatively jabbing, much like a pair of heavyweight boxers. This is real inside baseball and fans will devour it. Colletti recalls his career with passion, humor, and telling details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)