The Yankee Years
by Joe Torre, Tom Verducci
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.85 You Save: $23.10 (86%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Yankee Years
Book Review: Not quite as controversial as the media portrayed it
Summary: 5 Stars
As a lifelong Yankee fan I have to say that this book is absolutely invaluable because of all the information within. I'll be perfectly honest in saying that at the end of the 2007 season I thought it was time for Joe Torre to move on. My reasoning had more to do with maybe the team needing perhaps a new viewpoint from a manager. I know that it came with the price of the Yankees missing the postseason in 2008, and to be honest I was fine with that because it was something that I personally had been waiting for since the 2004 season. Joe just managed to stave off the eventual end of the Yankee postseason runs for a few more years and he did a hell of a job in spite of the parts he was given. After reading this book I will say that I'm very glad Joe didn't come back for the 2008 season with the Yankees because I think the unfair pressure on him would have continued, but it also brings up a complaint about the book which I will address at the end of the review.
The book is a very candid look at the Yankee run under Joe Torre from the 1996 thru 2007 seasons. It reads nicely, I've always been a huge fan of Tom Verducci's writings in Sports Illustrated and he doesn't fail to disappoint here. It's very nice to get a rare glimpse of the Yankee team behind closed doors and all of the problems that individual players brought to the team ranging from the moody Kevin Brown to the high maintenance Alex Rodriguez. In addition as others have mentioned the book does a wonderful job of detailing how MLB as a whole changed over the past 15 years thanks to the Yankee dominance during the Dynasty.
Now the excerpts released to the press prior to the publication of this book were designed to drum up interest, and it worked without a doubt. What I can say is that reading those excerpts within the context of the book as a whole, they really aren't that controversial. I was initially annoyed by what Torre said when I heard about it, but after reading the book, it brought me back to the times when some of the events occurred. To be honest, it wasn't really a big secret that David Wells was lazy, or that Kevin Brown was perpetually pissed off about something (and yes he could make your life miserable due to his attitude and frequent stints on the DL). Alex Rodriguez always was known as a high maintenance kind of guy. Joe Torre wasn't really dishing dirt in my opinion, but he was rather reinforcing what was already public knowledge. It is interesting to read what he had to say about different players, and I don't think any less of him for saying what he said.
Much like Buster Olney's book The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty New Edition: The Game, the Team, and the Cost of Greatness, this book outlines many of the problems/mistakes the Yankees made in trying to continually win the World Series every single year. They missed completely what brought them the 4 World Series in 5 years, and they paid a price that most fans of other teams have not realized. Spending the money they did was not a guarantee of any championship and it was something I realized going back to the 2002 season. As a fan of the team, when they lost Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, I felt the magic of what made those teams slip away, and I never have felt it since that night. Unfortunately the Yankee front office missed that completely and because of the greed they had to win, they haven't won since.
I don't really feel I can do justice to the book with a review, so what I can say is that every baseball fan whether a Yankee fan or Yankee hater or whatever else, should read this book. While about the Yankees, there are plenty of lessons to be learned from it. I also as a Yankee fan can only hope the front office reads this book and can truly understand where they went wrong. But knowing them, it wouldn't matter if they read this book. They probably still have no idea what they lost. In spite of looking forward to the 2009 MLB season, I'm dreading the Yankees aspect of it because the team did themselves no favors by creating even more expectations with the signings of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira.
My only complaint with this book is that Joe Torre says he was willing to come back to the Yankees for the 2008 season with a 2nd year added to the contract. He discusses just how uncomfortable he was becoming with the overall situation, yet he would be ok with putting up with it for another year? Supposedly having a 2nd year would have made it easier to deal with managing even though the team could fire him at the end of the 1st year and made him a lame duck for the entire season? Sorry, I just found it to be a bit confusing logic.
Anyhow, that aside, it's a must read as I mentioned for all baseball fans and highly recommended!!!
Book Review: The Yankee Years - A review by Jim Colyer
Summary: 4 Stars
Tom Verducci chronicles the 12 years in which Joe Torre managed the New York Yankees 1996-2007.
Torre was actually owner George Steinbrenner's fourth choice as the Yankees' manager for 96. Torre had a losing record as a manager up to that point, but he was a man who believed in honesty and trust. He was a calming influence. He also had a way with the media. Torre was elated to have the job.
The Yankees' starting rotation for 96 included David Cone, Jimmy Key and a young Andy Pettitte. Tino Martinez was on first. Wade Boggs was on third. Rookie Derek Jeter was at shortstop. Bernie Williams was in center field. Paul O'Neill was in right.
The Yankees faced the formidable Atlanta Braves in the 96 World Series. It was catcher Jim Leyritz who turned the Series around with a three-run home run in Game 4. Under Joe Torre, the Yankees became World Champions for the first time in 18 years.
Under Torre, the New York Yankees won 4 out of 5 World Series. They reached the Series 6 times in 8 years. They got to the postseason 12 years in a row. Torre managed the greatest dynasty in modern baseball.
Verducci says the success 1996-2000 was based more on the character of the players than on their talent. They played as a team. Winning was more important to them than individual statistics.
Verducci calls the 1998 Yankees the "pinnacle of the dynasty." He goes into detail about the players and what they meant to that special team. He praises the leadership of Cone, the ferosity of O'Neill and the humility of Jeter. That team won a total of 125 games, more than any other team in baseball history. They had a "desperation to win." The 98 Yankees swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series with unlikely Scott Brosius as the Series MVP.
1999 saw fan favorite David Wells traded for Roger Clemens. Clemens got off to a shaky start with the Yankees but came on strong with the help of steroids administered by strength coach Brian McNamee. It is regrettable that Clemens' use of steroids and his lingering denial has jeopardized his legacy. This was the infamous Steroids Era. Players like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds broke records which had stood for decades. Fans loved it, and baseball looked the other way because of the money. But as the abusers morphed into grotesque giants, it became evident that their prowess was the result of performance-enhancing drugs. Some admitted it. Others continued the lie.
The Yankees went on to win the Fall Classic in both 1999 and 2000. In 2000, they lost 15 of their last 18 games but hung on to win the American League East. Verducci milks the ongoing clash between Roger Clemens and Mets catcher Mike Piazza. "The Yankee Years" reads like a novel.
Steinbrenner is portrayed as a demanding, unforgiving master. It adds drama to the book even while there is some truth in it. Steinbrenner for some reason never fully appreciated Andy Pettitte even though Pettitte was a big game pitcher and an integral part of the dynasty.
Verducci dwells on the ill-fated 7th game of the 2001 Series. Mariano Rivera blew the save in the 9th inning. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling posted two wins apiece for the Diamondbacks. Paul O'Neill had already announced his retirement. An era had ended.
After Alex Rodriguez, or A-Rod, came in 2004, the Yankees were a different team. Players resented A-Rod and his salary. He was at various times known as A-Fraud, Stray-Rod and A-Roid. He finally admitted using steroids after having denied it. Why did he admit it? Because the truth leaked out. He got caught.
Players came and went during the Bush years. The Yankees continued to make the playoffs only to fold their tent and go quietly.
The last part of "The Yankee Years" shows Joe Torre drifting away from George Steinbrenner and General Manager Brian Cashman. Steinbrenner was aging, and his sons Hank and Hal were assuming responsibility for daily operations.
Torre's 12 years at the helm were filled with controversy. I try to avoid the squabbling and report on the greatness of the New York Yankees, the baseball franchise which has won the World Series 26 times.
Mike Mussina is a postscript to Torre's reign. Mussina had been dubbed "Mr. Almost." He was almost a 20-game winner. He almost pitched a no-hitter. He almost got a World Series ring. He almost won a Cy Young. In the last game of his career, Mussina erased one of those "almosts." He won a 20th game, giving him a total of 270 career victories. It now looks like Mussina will make baseball's Hall of Fame.
Book Review: A unique and somewhat baffling presentation
Summary: 4 Stars
The former manager of the New York Yankees --- and one of its most successful --- teams up with Sports Illustrated's senior baseball writer for this unique and somewhat baffling presentation. Although Joe Torre gets top billing as the nominative author, the reader will get the impression that Tom Verducci is telling the story, since the narrative is written in the third person.
Torre was a former All-Star and Most Valuable Player during his 18-year career. He also managed the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals before taking over the reigns of the New York Yankees.
For the most part, this is a standard baseball tale of hard work, success and frustration. The last element is especially so when one understands that Torre's employer, George Steinbrenner, has been one of the most hands-on (or meddlesome, depending on one's point of view) owners in the long history of the game. He went through mangers like a cold sufferer goes through a box of tissues. Since acquiring the team prior to the 1973 season, he had hired --- and fired --- 13 field generals, including Billy Martin five times and four others at least twice. Torre added a stability to the team that hadn't been known since Casey Stengel led them to a constant stream of pennants and world championships from 1949-60.
From the very beginning, Torre took control over a mix of veterans and rookies and molded them into a team, as trite as that might sound: The Yankees ran off a string of three consecutive World Series titles and four in five years.
Ultimately, THE YANKEE YEARS is a sad tale on the natural order of things in the sports world. Athletes grow older, lose their prowess and are replaced by others who may be better or worse, with different drives and agendas. That was part of Torre's downfall. In his first few seasons, he was surrounded by the likes of Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and others who meshed so well together, working for that common goal. But the ones who followed seemed less interested in the Yankee tradition and more in individual performances. Some --- like David Wells, Kyle Farnsworth, Carl Pavano and Kevin Brown, to name a few --- were a constant source of disappointment. The Yankees kept winning, but the spark and joy were missing.
Working for Steinbrenner and his minions presented its own set of difficulties, constant scrutiny and job security being two of them. Despite 13 consecutive postseason appearances, someone was always looking over Torre's shoulder, quick to criticize if some bit of strategy backfired or if things weren't running smoothly. After an initial euphoria, the tone of THE YANKEE YEARS becomes more forlorn with every chapter. Baseball fans know the inevitable outcome --- Torre was not retained following the 2007 season and was named manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers (which he led to the postseason) --- but Verducci hammers the point home with passages such as "It was the 1,294th win with the Yankees for Torre, including postseason play, over 12 seasons. It would be the last," and "He showered, dressed and left his office and the clubhouse believing this would be the final time he would do so as manager of the New York Yankees. He did not look back." It is telling that the book jacket features a picture of Torre walking away from the camera.
The pre-publication hullabaloo over THE YANKEE YEARS, Joe Torre's "autobiography/memoirs," can be summed up with a Shakespeare title: Much Ado About Nothing. Like the trailer of a two-star movie, the media --- many members of which admitted not to have read the book in its entirety as they made their comments --- cherry-picked parts for maximum bang. In particular, they focused on Torre's remarks about Alex Rodriguez, whom he characterized as high-maintenance, more concerned with how he looked and performed than with his contributions to the team's success. They failed to mention that Torre also praises Rodriguez: "Nobody has ever worked harder in my memory than this guy," he writes.
Torre also expresses disappointment in his deteriorating relationship with Brian Cashman, the Yankees general manager, whom he accuses of not supporting him when the chips were down.
Taken as a whole, THE YANKEE YEARS is a standard bit of baseball memoir, no worse and perhaps better than others that have been published in recent years. Too bad it couldn't have had a happier ending.
--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
Book Review: The Verducci Years
Summary: 5 Stars
I got off to a bad start with "The Yankee Years" when I spotted a factual error at the top of page two. Author Tom Verducci describes the 1995 Yankees as having blown a 2-1 lead in games to the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series. Well, that's technically accurate... as it is to say later that the Yanks blew a 3-2 lead to the Red Sox in 2004. Technically accurate, but still wrong.
After that, fortunately, it's smooth sailing. Just keep your expectations in check. This is NOT Joe Torre's comprehensive autobiography. This is not a blow-by-blow account of how Torre managed all those playoff games, and there's not a whole lot of actual scoops. This is simply Tom Verducci's biography of baseball in the early 21st century, in which Joe Torre's Yankees played a pivotal part.
Verducci uses Torre largely as on-the-record source material, and Torre's commentary improves a lot of Verducci's stories and relevations. News to me were the Yankees near-signing of Albert Belle in 1999 (thankfully they chose to retain Bernie Williams instead), and Billy Crystal's DVD roast sent to the team on the eve of the 2007 playoffs.
A large portion of this book has very little Torre at all. Verducci is most interested in two things: how steroids affected the game in the late '90s, and how the information revolution (and revenue sharing) helped close the gap between the Yankees and the rest of the American League after the 2000 World Series. The chapter on steroids and the chapter on Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and its progeny have very little Torre in them. Other more comprehensive books exist on each subject, but Verducci does a good big-picture job of tying them into a larger theme -- how baseball corrected the spending gap caused by the Yankees' enormous wealth.
Other Yankees personnel and Torre admirers have large roles in the book. Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi and Larry Bowa evidently made themselves available for lengthy interviews, and their perspective is quoted throughout. Three rival general managers (Billy Beane, Theo Epstein and Mark Shapiro) show their respect to Torre while at the same time explaining how they lapped Brian Cashman in the intelligence-gathering field.
Even if this is clearly Verducci's pet project, you still can't tell the story of baseball over the last 15 years without Joe Torre's blessing. Even as the 2001 - 2007 Yankees stacked up failure after playoff failure, even as their minor league pool dried up and their free agent picks got worse and worse (David Cone and Jimmy Key yield to Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa), Torre was still good for 100 wins a year.
The most original parts of "The Yankee Years" are the final few chapters, detailing the eclipse of George Steinbrenner's faculties and the Yankees' tumultuous 2007 season. Verducci gets pretty far inside the clubhouse door and gives a very entertaining recounting of the swarm of midges that helped the Indians push past New York in the '07 ALDS.
And as for A-Rod... as much heat as Torre took the week of his book's release, for putting his name on a book where Verducci revealed clubhouse secrets... doesn't Torre look vindicated now? Or, as Jose Canseco would have said... Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball?
I still feel that another Joe Torre biography is out there, but without Verducci's research and reporting on broader topics, that book might turn out to be as generic as Chasing the Dream: My Lifelong Journey to the World Series, or as useless as Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners: 12 Keys to Managing Team Players, Tough Bosses, Setbacks, and Success.
Book Review: An insightful look at America's game
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not a Yankee fan. I am not a Red Sox fan. I have no dog in this fight.
Now, with that out of the way, I hope you'll give me a fair shake at this.
My opinion: this is a good read, at times even gripping. Its value lies beyond what gossip it contains about A-Rod or how it gets back at the Steinbrenners. It's an inside look at how baseball has changed, in ways that are often not that good.
I thought The Yankee Years would be a routine behind-the-scenes tell-all, but its ambitions are bigger. It chronicles the end of an era in baseball, a more innocent time before steroid scandals, big money and executive decisions based on advanced statistical analysis.
This is not a Joe Torre memoir. Torre provides his voice and viewpoint throughout the book, but Verducci also quotes dozens and dozens of other key personalities. He weaves it all into a fascinating narrative that covers all the highs and lows of the Yankee's dynasty years.
The book throws a spotlight on many key players from this era. Some shine, others don't. David Cone, Mike Mussina and Derek Jeter shine. Jeter, in particular, impresses throughout with his sunny optimism and quiet leadership. If you weren't a Jeter fan before, you will be after reading it.
There has been a lot of buzz about Torre dissing players in these pages. The "A-Fraud" reference to Alex Rodriguez is a throwaway reference to what guys in the clubhouse -- not Torre -- called A-Rod in 2004, about how the player tried to fit in during his first season as a Yankee. "People in the clubhouse, including teammates and support personnel, were calling him `A-Fraud' behind his back." Instead, Torre offers his clear-eyed assessment of Rodriguez as a player who can't succeed as a team player because of his fear of failure. "There's a certain free-fall you have to go through," he says, "when you commit yourself without a guarantee that it's always going to be good. There's a sort of trust, a trust and commitment thing that has to allow yourself to fail. Allow yourself to be embarrassed. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. And sometimes players aren't willing to do that."
It's almost biblical the way it all ends. A cloud of midges on a hot Cleveland night dooms the Yankees in a key playoff game. Thousands of the irritating insects descend on the mound, thoroughly rattling the pitcher. Bug spray makes the torment worse, not better. This perfect swarm seals Torre's fate. He leaves the Yankees not long after the loss, after a painful 10-minute meeting where he realizes his own personal Judas is his long-time general manager, Brian Cashman. "Cashman had retreated to silence with Torre's job on the line. The allies of Joe Torre had dwindled to zero."
Throughout the arc of this tale, Torre comes across as calm, determined and fair.
I should admit I do have a slight bias. When I was in junior high growing up outside St. Louis, Joe Torre taught me to play infield. He was playing third base for the Cardinals then. He appeared at the community center in my neighborhood outside the city one day and gave a handful of us kids a free lesson. I'll never forget it; he was patient and explained the game in detail, like he actually cared that we understood it. I learned a lot in that hour, from a decent man.
Here's the chapter list:
1. Underdogs
2. A Desperation to Win
3. Getting an Edge
4. The Boss
5. Mystique and Aura
6. Baseball Catches Up
7. The Ghosts Make a Final Appearance
8. The Issues of Alex
9. Marching to Different Drumbeats
10. End of the Curse
11. The Abyss
12. Broken Trust
13. "We Have a Problem"
14. The Last Race
15. Attack of the Midges
16. The End