What made the gift extra special were the autographs that adorned the first two pages of the book. My Dad, who covered the Dodgers as the beat writer for the Long Beach Independent, Press-Telegram from 1958-1968, had asked manager Walt Alston and ten players (including several of the best known) to sign the book for me. Alston, Don Sutton, Ken Boyer, Ron Fairly, Claude Osteen, Jim Lefebvre, Rocky Colavito, Jim Brewer, and Don Drysdale personalized their signatures by adding "To Richard" and either "Good Luck," "Best of Luck," or "Best Wishes." Alston even added, "Get well quick." Boyer wrote, "Hope you become a major leaguer."

Although the Dodgers didn't fare all that well that season, Drysdale broke Walter Johnson's consecutive scoreless innings mark of 56. The Big D's streak was almost snapped during his fifth shutout when he hit Giants' catcher Dick Dietz with a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. But as Vin Scully told those of us listening to the game, "It hit the bat said Wendlestedt. It hit the bat." In actuality, the home plate umpire ruled that Dietz had not made an attempt to get out of the way and called the pitch a ball rather than awarding the batter first base. Drysdale retired Dietz, Ty Cline, and Jack Hiatt to end the game and preserve his streak.

The Hall of Famer epitomized what the book was all about. He never quit. With the help of Wendlestedt, he persevered and went on to record 58 consecutive scoreless innings. Although Drysdale wasn't one of the subjects in Winners Never Quit, the book featured a couple of my favorite players from that era. In junior high school, I wore number 22 and could twitch my head at the free throw line better than anybody not named Elgin Baylor. Being a righty, I couldn't imitate Sandy Koufax nearly as well but, suffice it to say, I knew everything about him--from his birthday to his stats to his mannerisms on the mound.

I read the book from cover to cover. At least twice. I bought into all the messages conveyed from one chapter to the next as well as the Introduction.

Call it courage. Call it guts. Call it desire. There are many names for it, but what is it, really, this indefinable quality that makes a man put out that extra something just when it seems there is nothing left to give?

It takes courage merely to try out for the team. It means willingness to suffer, to sacrifice, to work harder than the next fellow. It means you ran that extra lap, practiced the jump shot a half hour longer, ran the dive play a few more times. It means you got home a little later, a little wearier, a little hungrier and with a few more aches and pains. Maybe you thought it wasn't worth it. Maybe you considered skipping practice tomorrow or quitting the team altogether. But you didn't. That is courage.

Missing ten baseball games that summer turned out to be a small price to pay in the big picture of life. You see, the games come and go. But the values we learn stay with us forever. Just like that book, tucked away neatly on a shelf in my home office.