No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Life of Hardball [Hardcover]

Dick Williams (Author), Bill Plaschke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There are many in baseball who will question whether Williams ever was Mr. Nice Guy, for he stepped on a great many toes in his 20-year managerial career. Yet he will always be acknowledged as a winner in both leagues with great teams like the Oakland A's of the early '70s and awful ones as well, like the Seattle Mariners of the mid-'80s. Because, as he notes here, he is a battler and disdains players who are not, he feels out of step with today's pampered, moody, overpaid athletes. The outspoken Williams, writing with freelancer Plaschke, even blasts certain owners, rare in a baseball autobiography: Tom Yawkey, Charley Finley, Ray and Joan Kroc, among others. But he has heroes, too, like Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Jackson and Goose Gossage, his type of stars. Diamond fans will enjoy the book immensely.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The title of this fast-paced memoir is an ironic one. During his 21-year managerial career, Williams was known for his hard-bitten, confrontational ways with players and management. He had a passion--indeed a compulsion--for winning. He won pennants for three different teams. His first pennant for the Boston Red Sox in 1967 was judged to be a baseball miracle. Williams shows baseball life as it is in his book. One of the main themes is the effect of the travel, daily grind, and pressures on a manager's family. His stressful baseball career nearly ruined Williams's family life. Late in his career Williams discovered that whatever joy he once felt in baseball had faded. As a manager in the new Senior League he is finding happiness and contentment. Recommended for larger sports collections.
- Paul Kaplan, Highland Park P.L., Ill.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; 1ST edition (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151667284
• ISBN-13: 978-0151667284
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,112,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How has the Hall of Fame overlooked this guy?, February 9, 2005

By 

Dunn Neugebauer (Palm Beach Gardens, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Life of Hardball (Hardcover)

Dick Williams writes the way he managed - honest, to the point, and in your face. 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' reads with the passion that he felt for the game and leaves you with a bit of sadness at, not only the way the game has changed, by how the Dick Williams's of the world have gone unappreciated. He took three different teams to the World Series, he perhaps saved the Padres from being sold, he took the Expos (yes the Expos) to winning seasons, he delivered nothing short of a miracle in 1967 with the Red Sox and he even pushed a couple of teams to winning even the players themselves weren't sure if that's what they wanted. This isn't to mention two rings with the Oakland A's.

It's sad the Hall of Fame has overlooked this guy. Not only is it a case of what more do you have to do, in the case of Dick Williams, it's what more could he have possibly done?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Mr No More Nice Guy has made it in Hall Of Fame, September 17, 2008

By 

R. Chee (Honolulu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Life of Hardball (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Dick Willams and the San Deigo Padres for a long time.This book has been a favorite of mine! I have always admired Dick Williams for his no nonsense approach and turning losing teams into winners. This book is entertaining and provides the inside thoughts and soul searching straight from the heart.Thank you to Dick and congratulations on the hall of fame.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quintessential Dick Williams: Blunt, honest and to-the-point, November 4, 2009

By 

Bruce Baskin (Chehalis, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Life of Hardball (Hardcover)

I have to admit that when I first logged on to write this review, I was tempted to give "No More Mr. Nice Guy" a 4 rating, mostly because Dick Williams really DOESN'T come across as a very nice guy. But you know what? The more I thought about it, the more it became apparent that was the exact reason this book has EARNED a five-star rating.

Whatever words people use to describe Williams, "nice" is rarely one of them. He is old-school all the way, a very direct and blunt individual who tells you what he thinks and damn the consequences. However, even if you disagree with some of what he says, you have to respect his honesty. There is absolutely no BS about the guy.

Williams could have taken the easy way out and told a rosy story about what a misunderstood guy he really is and how loveable he really is, but he doesn't. He knows he has a bad temper and a short fuse with people (including his long-suffering wife, Norma), and freely admits it. He speaks his mind and spares nobody with his criticisms. He is not a politician, and if there are things he's bitter about, he doesn't hide them. He is who he is.

I'd strongly recommend this for baseball fans who want to read an unvarnished autobiography of a Hall of Famer who has done it his way all his life and is unapologetic about that. A great read about a great manager.