Synopses & Reviews
andlt;bandgt;and#8220;From the outside looking in, the Dodgers have been a bubbling cauldron of personality, talent and moods, with the occasional dollop of jealousy. In andlt;iandgt;The Best Team Money Can Buyandlt;/iandgt;, it's as if Molly Knight ushers you behind the closed clubhouse doors to see it for yourself.and#8221; and#8212;Buster Olney, ESPNandlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;News-making, inside revelations about the tumultuous years when the Los Angeles Dodgers were remade from top to bottomand#8212;from the ownership of the team to management to the players on the fieldand#8212;becoming the most talked-about and most colorful team in baseball.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In 2012 the Los Angeles Dodgers were bought out of bankruptcy in the most expensive sale in sports history. Los Angeles icon Magic Johnson and his partners hoped to put together a team worthy of Hollywood: consistently entertaining. By most accounts they have succeeded, if not always in the way they might have imagined.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Now Molly Knight tells the story of the Dodgersand#8217; 2013 and 2014 seasons with detailed, previously unreported revelations. She shares a behind-the-scenes account of the astonishing sale of the Dodgers, and why the team was not overpriced, as well as what the Dodgers actually knew in advance about rookie phenom and Cuban defector Yasiel Puig and how they and teammates handled him during his first two roller-coaster seasons. We learn how close manager Don Mattingly was to losing his job during the 2013 seasonand#8212;and how the team turned around the season in the most remarkable fifty-game stretch (42-8) of any team since World War II, before losing in the NLCS. Knight also provides a rare glimpse into the infighting and mistrust that derailed the team in 2014, and resulted in ridding the roster of difficult personalities and the hiring of a new front office.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Knight also reveals new facts behind the blockbuster trade with the Red Soxandlt;bandgt;. andlt;/bandgt;She paintsandlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;an intimate portrait of star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, probably the best pitcher in the game today, including details about the recordandlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;contract offer he turned down before accepting the richest contract any pitcher ever signed.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Exciting, surprising, and filled with juicy details, Molly Knightand#8217;s account is a must-read for baseball fans and anyone who wants the inside story of todayand#8217;s Los Angeles Dodgers.
Review
and#8220;From the outside looking in, the Dodgers have been a bubbling cauldron of personality, talent and moods, with the occasional dollop of jealousy. In andlt;iandgt;The Best Team Money Can Buy,andlt;/iandgt; it's as if Molly Knight ushers you behind the closed clubhouse doors to see it for yourself.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;With unprecedented access, Knight brings readers inside the clubhouse and the front office as no other writer has with any team, showing us a modern-day soap opera playing out at 60 feet 6 inches.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;In andlt;iandgt;The Best Team Money Can Buy,andlt;/iandgt; Molly Knight lifts the curtain on one the premier franchises in sports, taking readers beyond the field and into the clubhouse, board rooms and homes of some of the most compelling athletes of this generation. It is a rocky pathand#8212;but a rollicking rideand#8212;for a glamour team bankrolled by billionaire owners who lifted the team from bankruptcy and will try anything to win a championship. With keen observations culled from tireless reporting, Knight deftly paints an intimate, nuanced portrait of the people behind it all, bringing these characters to life as nobody has before.and#8221;
Review
"Fascinating perspectives. . . . [Knight] knows her way around the clubhouse, and she writes about the game with authority."
Review
and#8220;A well-written book that offers a nuanced look into the dynamics of a big league clubhouse. . . . A must-read.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;For any self-respecting fan, putting this book down would be like trying to eat just one garlic fry. . . . An agile exploration of the Dodgersand#8217; vertiginous 2013 season. Knight had her notebook out for all of it.and#8221;
Review
"Knight delivers an elegant prand#233;cis of a baseball team's season, and you don't have to be a Dodgers fan to enjoy it."
Review
"A compelling, well-examined book that exemplifies what occurs behind the scenes. A must-read for fans of the Dodgers and all Los Angeles sports teams. Knight's undercover work is like none other."
Review
"Consistently absorbing. . . . Knight is a talented journalist, and there's enough tumult in these pages to hold the attention of even a casual fan."
Review
and#8220;An entertaining chronicle of two Dodger seasons. . . . Knight supplies plenty of juicy clubhouse details.and#8221;
About the Author
Molly Knight wrote about baseball for andlt;iandgt;ESPN the Magazine andlt;/iandgt;for eight seasons. Her work has also appeared in andlt;iandgt;The New York Times Magazineandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Glamourandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;SELFandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Baseball Prospectusandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Varietyandlt;/iandgt;. A native of Los Angeles and lifelong Dodgers fan, she lives in LA.