Born into a small-town California ranching family, Vernon “Lefty” Gomez rode his powerful arm and jocular personality across America to the dugout of the New York Yankees. Lefty baffled hitters with his blazing fastball, establishing himself as the team’s ace. Now, drawing on countless conversations with Lefty, more than three hundred interviews conducted with his family, friends, competitors, and teammates over the course of a decade, and revealing candid photos, documents, and film clips—many never shown publicly—his daughter Vernona Gomez and her award-winning co-author Lawrence Goldstone vividly re-create the life and adventures of the irreverent southpaw. A star-studded romp through America’s most glamorous years, with cameos from Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, George Gershwin, Ernest Hemingway, and Marilyn Monroe, Lefty is at once a long-overdue reminder of a pitcher’s greatness and a heartwarming celebration of a life well-lived.
“His story transcends sports and gives us a much-needed lesson in grit and grace.”—Jon Meacham
“A loving and beautifully written tribute . . . Be prepared to be transformed, and to discover stars who were stars in an age when that word really meant something.”—Mike Greenberg, co-host of ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning
“An amiable portrait of a baseball great—like Yogi Berra, Dizzy Dean and Satchel Paige—whose outsized personality looms even larger than his considerable athletic achievements.”—Kirkus Reviews
Author
Vernona Gomez
Vernona Gomez is the daughter of June O’Dea and Vernon “Lefty” Gomez. As a child, she bounced on Babe Ruth’s knee, made sandcastles on the beach with Joe DiMaggio at spring training and won at cards with the legendary 511 game winner Cy Young who pulled the “Old-Maid” from her hand, much to her delight. Growing up in a baseball family, Vernona was a tag-along with her parents at All-Star and Old Timers’ Games, World Series, spring trainings and Cooperstown Induction weekends. An eyewitness to many of the adventures chronicled in the book, Vernona has maintained life-long friendships with many of its contributors. She is an avid Yankees fan and has done extensive research on American history of the 19th and 20th century, with a special focus on baseball and musical-comedy theatre. Vernona is also a concert pianist who made her debut in Carnegie Recital Hall at the age of 8 years old. To learn more about Lefty, visit www.leftygomez.com.
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Lawrence Goldstone
Lawrence Goldstone is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction, including Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the Battle to Control the Skies. One of his novels won a New American Writing Award; another was a New York Times notable mystery. His work has been profiled in The New York Times, the Toronto Star, Salon, and Slate, among others. He lives on Long Island with his wife, Nancy.
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