THE LAST MANAGER: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball

Uncovers the story of Weaver's St. Louis childhood with a mobster uncle, his years of minor-league heartbreak, and his unlikely road to becoming a big-league manager, while tracing the evolution of the game from the old-time baseball of cross-country trains and "desk contracts" to the modern ear of free agency, video analysis, and powerful player agents. Illus.