Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees are always in the news, always making news.
There is even a strong Yankee "making news" in the world of publishing. All Roads Lead To October by Maury Allen (St. Martin's Press, 320 pages, $24.95) and Jeter - Hero In Pinstripes (Sports Publishing Inc., 128 pages, $24.95) are two books that are just hot off the press.
The Allen book is an in-depth look at George Steinbrenner's 25-year reign as owner of the New York Yankees. The Jeter book is a coffee-table tribute to the Yankee shortstop, fusing articles and full color photos from the "New York Daily News."
On a rainy morning in January of 1973, a young Cleveland industrialist named George Steinbrenner stood at the entrance to Manhattan's '21' Club and announced he was taking over the reigns of the Yankees. He added at that time that he would be too busy with his shipyard business to be that involved in the day-to-day affairs of running the team. Talk about famous first words!
Allen, who has covered the Yankees from Day One of the Steinbrenner era, takes us from that moment through all the twists and turns of the stormy and successful years. There is a lot of material on the current championship Yankees, the craziness of the Bronx Zoo days, the fiasco of Howard Spira/Dave Winfield, the wife (and family) swapping of Fritz Peterson/Mike Kekich in the early 70s. ALL ROADS LEAD TO OCTOBER is the title of this terrific book. Reading through page after page of commentary and insights about Steinbrenner, one comes to realize that the phrase is also his personal creed. Allen begins his fascinating book with these words: "Boss. There could never be a nickname enjoyed more." For Yankee fans and for baseball fans, this is a book for all to enjoy.
When Jeter was just a child visiting his grandmother in New Jersey, the two of them spent many summer weekends in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. The kid from Kalamazoo announced to his parents that he hoped to play shortstop for the Yankees when he grew up. Talk about a dream come true.
JETER - HERO IN PINSTRIPES is a vanity kind of book. Lush, large photographs fuse with essays by Bill Gallo, Lisa Olson, Ian O'Connor and several others from the award-winning "New York Daily News" sports staff. Like Jeter, this book is easy to take, easy to like.
Still in the New York Yankees' mood, there is Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners by Joe Torre with Henry Dreher (Hyperion, $23.95, 282 pages). This is a wonderful book that is on the money. In Torre's voice, with Torre's style, it combines all kinds of insights into baseball managing with rules for business and life. Everyone can come away from this book learning something. (2000)
» Harvey Frommer is the author of 30 sports books, including "The New York Yankee Encyclopedia" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball,"and "Growing Up Baseball" with Frederic J. Frommer. His latest A YANKEE CENTURY will be published by Berkley in October 2002.
Also by Harvey Frommer
» The Harmonica Incident: August 20, 1964
» "Fenway: A Biography in Words and Pictures": Sports Book Review
» Baseball's Mecca: The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown
» Trade a Player a Year Too Early, Not a Year Too Late
» The Yankee Mystique
» Satchel Paige: World's Greatest Pitcher
» "Red Smith on Baseball": Sports Book Review
» The Barry Halper Collection of Baseball Memorabilia: Sports Book Review
» Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson
» Remembering Irving Rudd
» Subway Series
» Midsummer Classic: Midsummer Mockery
» Yankee Stadium's First Opening Day
» The Birth of Baseball's First Professional Team
» Yankee Stadium's First Opening Day
» Gehrig's Streak
» Willie Mays and the Month of May
» Reese was no Pee Wee
» Yankees vs. Red Sox: Baseball's Greatest Rivalry
» Celebrating Hank Greenberg
» Bobby Thomson's Famous Homer Lives On
» Remembering the Yankee Clipper: Joe DiMaggio
» Shoeless Joe Remains a Scapegoat
» The Mets Have Always Been Amazing
» More submissions
Copyright © 2002 by Harvey Frommer. Posted August 6, 2002.
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