Leo Durocher is credited with the now-famous phrase, “Nice guys finish last.” Was he right? Here’s my take.
Leo “The Lip” made that remark when managing the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 before a game against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. During batting practice, he talked to reporters about Eddie Stanky, Durocher’s pesky little infielder known as “The Brat,” whom the manager admired because of his combative ways.
When the Giants, led by manager Mel Ott, emerged from the dugout to take their warm-ups, Durocher remarked: ‘Take a look at that #4, a nicer guy never drew breath than that man there.’ He then called out the Giants’ names as they came out: ‘Walker Cooper, Mize, Marshall, Kerr, Gordon, Thomson. Take a look at them; all nice guys, and they’ll finish last. Nice guys finish last.
I speculate that some readers might find this column more interesting if I had written about the rotten apples among the professional athletes I have interviewed. Instead, this piece is about some of the “nice guys.”
Marquise Goodwin. Goodwin, who played with seven NFL teams during his career, was one of the fastest players in the league and one of the most generous with his time. He loves organizing summer youth football camps, and his wife, Morgan, helps. They are a genuine and lovely couple who have experienced some hard times and are very open about it. Quote (when asked if he and 49er quarterback at the time, Jimmy Garoppolo, were in a good rhythm in training camp): “I’m in a rhythm with anybody. I just run fast and catch the ball.”
Joe DiMaggio. “The Yankee Clipper” is considered one of MLB’s all-time greats. Even though biographers have revealed some not-so-nice aspects of DiMaggio’s personal life, when I interviewed him at the Yankees AA minor-league franchise in Oneonta, New York, in 1974. I was impressed by how unassuming, approachable, and congenial he was. Quote (when asked how the talent in the major leagues in 1974 compared to that of DiMaggio’s playing days): “They’re bringing along young ballplayers a little too quickly so that they come out of the minor leagues unrefined I remember when I was coaching for Oakland, Reggie Jackson first arrived He couldn’t catch a fly ball We’d hit it to him, he’d pound the glove a few times, and the ball would drop 20 feet behind him I’m not kidding.”
Gary Carter. This Hall of Fame catcher may be one of the nicest guys ever. Carter was sincere, friendly, and forthcoming in my interviews with him. Nicknamed “The Kid” for his enthusiasm for baseball, he was rarely too busy to sign an autograph or talk with a young fan. Quote: “I don’t ever try to underachieve I always try to overachieve.”
Brett Butler. Butler played for six MLB franchises and coached two more. I found him to be very open about his life and career, and he was more on the serious side than Carter. Giants fans would probably really like this guy if they could forgive him for jumping ship to the Dodgers in 1991 (bad enough) and then hugging manager Tommy Lasorda in front of 55,000 at Candlestick during pre-game introductions at San Francisco’s home opener (a mortal sin). Quote: “I’ve always tried to give it my very best in baseball, but as I’ve discovered, even your best is not guaranteed job security.”
Steve Alford. An Indiana University basketball star under Bobby Knight, this now-college coach is another frequent flyer, having served as head coach at six colleges, most recently at Nevada Reno. He also played in the NBA for four seasons, and I interviewed him when he played for the Warriors. A polite and honest young man who was 22 then, I was most impressed with what he didn’t say – not a single bad thing about Knight, who many considered a tyrant. Quote: “He (Knight) brought out more abilities than I thought I had. He made me a better player and person, and he made sure I graduated on time.”
Brent Jones. This former 49er tight end has the credentials (many feel) to be in the NFL Hall of Fame. At the very least, Jones should be in “The Nice Guy Hall of Fame.” When I interviewed him in 1992, he invited me into the Niners’ locker room at their Santa Clara training facility. Someone walked by, and Jones greeted him with “Hey, Flash.” I looked up, and there was the legendary Jerry Rice, not three feet from me, and that was quite a thrill for a young reporter. Jones gave me all the time and made me feel at ease. Quote (on retiring from football): “The toughest thing about playing football is that all my friends have ten years of experience in their jobs, and I’ll be starting back at stage one.”
Sparky Anderson. The Hall of Fame manager (Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers) made his mark with “The Big Red Machine,” a club some believe is the greatest baseball team ever. Anderson was more than a manager; he was an ambassador for baseball. I interviewed him after that 1976 season and found him to be affable, straightforward, and approachable. Quote (when asked about his comment after the 1976 World Series, which the Reds swept 4-0 from the Yankees, that New York’s catcher Thurman Munson was not in the same league as Johnny Bench): “I do think Thurman had a right to be upset. But again, nobody is Johnny Bench Not him or anyone else.”
So, back to Durocher ….
Durocher’s comment is ironic: in 1951, he managed the New York Giants when Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard’ Round the World” to beat the Dodgers and win the pennant. Stanky, then the Giants’ second baseman, and Durocher danced in the third-base coach’s box and grabbed Thomson as he reached the base during his home-run trot. That’s the same Thomson that Durocher had derisively referred to years before as “one of the nice guys.”
Sometimes nice guys finish first.
Matt Sieger, now retired sports reporter/columnist who worked for New York State and California newspapers, did his undergraduate work at Cornell University and received a master’s in journalism from Syracuse University. He is the author of The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978. This article, which has been contemporized for publication here, first appeared in The Vacaville (California) Reporter on June 21, 2019.
