I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dodger team historian Mark Langill while at Dodger Stadium a few weeks back. Mark has been with the Dodger organization for nearly twenty years and if you like talking Dodger history, Mark is a walking encyclopedia and he loves talking about the team’s rich history. After my all-too-brief chat with Mark, we exchanged business cards and went our separate ways.

About a week later I received a suspicious package in the mail. The return address was from Dodger Stadium and it wasn’t ticking, so I felt safe in opening it. Inside was a signed copy of Mark’s popular 2007 book Game of My Life – Memorable Stories of Dodgers Baseball. I was overwhelmed with gratitude that Mark would take the time to send me his book. (By the way – Mark has authored three other books about the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium). I immediately sent Mark an email thanking him for his generosity.

Langill's 'Game of My Life - Memorable Stories of Dodgers Baseball' is very easy to read but very hard to put down

Mark used a very unique format in writing this book. He broke it down into chapters comprised of interviews of many former Dodgers players and employees (from both Brooklyn and Los Angeles) and naturally included a chapter on Vin Scully. (Did you know that Vin played the outfield for Fordham Prep School in New York and would do a play-by-play of his games while standing in the outfield during the games?). In each chapter, the respective former Dodger player or employee would pick one single game and share their specific memories of that game; and while you might think that they would select a game of huge significance in Dodger history, most chose games that were not great moments in Dodger history but rather very personal memories in their own lives. The result is a collection of great stories that are incredibly interesting yet otherwise unknown even to the biggest of Dodger fans. It truly is an awesome book that is very easy to read but very hard to put down.

Those interviewed in Mark’s book include:

• Carl Erskine
• Buzzie Bavasi
• Vin Scully
• Willie Davis
• Maury Wills
• Wes Parker
• Sweet Lou Johnson
• Steve Yeager
• Jimmy Wynn
• Dr. Frank Jobe
• Steve Garvey
• Mike Brito
• Jerry Reuss
• Steve Sax
• Jaime Jarrín
• Nancy Bea Hefley
• Jim Gott
• Tommy Lasorda
• Don Drysdale

Although Game of My Life – Memorable Stories of Dodgers Baseball is currently out of print, you can still get it on-line through Barnes & Noble and eBay. It is well worth your time and investment.