When it comes to sports autobiographies, the usual rule is that anyone who is in his sport's Hall of Fame probably deserves to write one. It's always good to hear what immortals encountered along the way, especially since their lives usually popped up in famous moments.
So what do we do about Dwight Evans?
The outfielder played 20 years in the majors, mostly with the Boston Red Sox. What's more, he was very good during much of that time. Was he good enough for induction in Cooperstown? The answer so far has been no. But he's still on the radar of the Veterans Committee to some extent, and there's a chance that he'll be voted in down the road. His stats match up well with players like Luis Gonzalez, Torii Hunter, Chili Davis and Billy Williams - all good, solid players, but Williams is the only one of the bunch in the Hall of Fame.
Evans isn't taking any chances with the book stuff, though. He's out with his life story, called "Dewey." (Give Erik Sherman the assist with the manuscript.) Right away, there's a story about his name that's a surprise. It seems that Evans never particularly liked the first name of Dwight, since he had no connection to a certain 1950s President of that name. So his friends used Dewey.
Evans mostly reviews his life in baseball in this book, which is to be expected and welcome. He broke in with the Red Sox in the fall of 1972 after a relatively short apprenticeship. Evans arrived shortly before a couple of rookies turned up in Boston by the names of Jim Rice and Fred Lynn. By the mid-1970s, the three of them comprised one of the best outfields in baseball ... if not the best. If Evans didn't hit as well as his teammates, he probably was the best fielder of the bunch. Right field in Fenway Park, a notoriously difficult place to play, was never patrolled better than when Evans was standing in the middle of it.
Still, there was a feeling that he had more to offer offensively. A couple of pitches to the head were part of the problem in the 1970s. But eventually he recovered, and he also changed his batting approach under the coaching of Boston's Walt Hriniak. When the 1980s arrived, Evans was ready. He piled up the numbers during that decade, finishing first in homers in the American League during that decade and playing in some All-Star Games. Some of his value was hidden by the fact that we didn't value on-base percentage and fielding statistics back then. You could argue that he's still underrated because of that.
Along the way, he certainly teamed up with some great players and was involved in some memorable moments. Evans was right in the middle of the 1975 and 1986 World Series, which both ended in heartbreak for the Red Sox. At least Dwight was a member of the Boston organization in player development in 2004 when they finally ended the Curse.
Evans always seemed like a friendly enough person from a distance, and there are good words about most of his teammates and rivals here. A very good friend was and is Carl Yastrzemski, a Hall of Famer who did write a couple of autobiographies. One exception that surprised me concerned John McNamara, the Red Sox manager in 1986. Evans says he had a good relationship with McNamara, but did say the skipper had a drinking problem - news to me. Even when Dwight took a misstep in his relationships with co-workers, he managed to apologize and repair the damage.
What you probably don't know about Evans is the full story of his personal life. He had two sons, Timothy and Justin, who were afflicted with Neurofibromatosis, (By the way, they also had a daughter, Kirstin, did not have NF.) The illness caused a variety of health issues throughout their lives, and it was a difficult life at times for Dwight and wife Susan. The ballpark sometimes was a refuge, even though Evans sometimes felt guilty for leaving the burdens of the situation on his wife. Both boys died in their 40s. The parents credit their faith in moving on to the next day, but it's tough to imagine their daily routine ... or lack of it.
After retirement, Evans has had a variety of positions in baseball. I recall that one time in the 1990s, he turned up in the press box of the Buffalo Bisons when I was there. He came across as smart, knowledgeable, and nice in our brief encounter. (An aside: Evans said that day that if baseball writer Peter Gammons wanted to be a team general manager, he'd be one of the five best such people in baseball in that position. I always remembered that.)
"Dewey" isn't filled with sensational details, but it seems as if it's an accurate representation of Evans' thoughts on his life. The Red Sox fan in your household will find it to be a quick and pleasant read.
Three stars
Learn more about this book from Amazon.com. (As an Amazon affiliate, I earn money from qualified purchases.)
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