Jack of All Trades

This rollicking autobiography by the vice-president of baseball operations for the San Diego Padres and a Washington Post sportswriter emphasizes McKeon's years as a manager and the zany characters he encountered. Aided by Branch Rickey, McKeon became a manager in the minor leagues at age 23. There he met such people as Spoonie, who was afraid of anything that moved; Don Koudis, who could never remember instructions and developed hurt feelings when reminded of his lapses; and Joe Ring, an umpire who could be talked into virtually anything. McKeon finally made it to the majors, as skipper of the Kansas City Royals, where he replaced the popular Bob Lemon and suffered because of that, and then with the Oakland A's, where he received hundreds of phone calls from owner Charley Finley telling him how to run the team. There's never a dull moment. (May)