The Yankee Years
by Joe Torre, Tom Verducci
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Book Reviews of The Yankee Years
Book Review: The Fleeting and Fragile Nature of Greatness
Summary: 5 Stars
Before A-Rod, before Jason Giambi, and before a 2008 offseason that saw the paranoid and panicking Yankees throw money at players like Old Man Potter trying to buy George Bailey's soul, there was a simpler team, a largely homegrown team, and a better team. The Yankees of the mid-to-late 90s were a band of brothers whose collective play and chemistry defined the "whole is greater than the sum of the parts" utopic dream often referenced in sports but rarely seen. They won championships in four of five seasons and seemed destined to keep on winning.
But they didn't.
At the helm of those glory years was Joe Torre, the even-tempered manager who (along with Derek Jeter) became the face of the franchise. A native New Yorker, Torre fielded a team that somehow both appealed to the blue collar elements of the fan base and also remained true to the regal history of the pinstripes. Even people who hated The Evil Empire respected their skipper.
Torre writes about his tenure in the Bronx in ''The Yankee Years,'' a book penned with Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci. Like a good novel, Torre's tale contains three distinct acts: his rise to the top managerial job in sports, an unprecedented run with the Yankees and the inevitable decline. Maybe if he would have waited a few years, more attention would have been focused on the first two parts of the story. As it is now, the team's decline overwhelms the story. A more apropos title may have been "The Death of the Yankees", as the book obsesses over the failures at the expense of giving a thorough account of the achievements of Joe Torre's Yankee Years.
A chief component to the Yankees' demise (according to Torre) was the free-spending, fantasy baseball-like revolving door of superstars suited in pinstripes by the aptly named GM Brian Cashman. The irresponsible spending of the Yankees' cash man and the poor returns on his investments has caused many people to describe the Yankees of the last ten years as, "the place superstars go to die". Torre echoes this opinion, as he regrets that solid, yeomen like Scott Brosius and Tino Martinez disappeared and were replaced high-priced prima donnas. What's worse is that in order to land some of the biggest flops, the Yankees had to deplete their minor leagues, the same farm system that once gave them Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and other future greats.
An important note is that this is not a memoir. Torre is quoted in the book, sometimes in large passages, but he is more of the chief source of information than the author. Verducci stays largely absent from the book, allowing Torre's thoughts and remembrances fill the pages, but one must remember that direct words not assigned to Torre belong to the author. Along with Torre, Verducci uses interviews with many other subjects and his own thorough research to paint a complete picture of the Torre years and often interweaves the story of the Yankees into larger issues, like the steroids scandal.
So much of the publicity around this book relates to Torre's thoughts on Alex Rodriquez. Those looking for a sleazy attack on the third baseman will be disappointed. Torre does provide an interesting theory on how A-Rod's refusal to embrace failure actually leads to his troubles and that a more humble approach to superstardom and an understanding that all players are flawed would only help the superstar. Who knows? Maybe he is right. One thing's for sure: if A-Rod is going to hear that advice these days, he's going to have to read it in this book. Because Joe Torre's "Yankee Years" now belong to the ages.
Book Review: Pass me the Peanuts and crackerjacks!
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a Yankee fan. Growing up, I had listened to countless games on the radio in my dad's car, and watched the games on TV every weekend at my grandmother's house in Belleville, New Jersey. I went to my first Yankee game when I was 18 years old, with a bunch of friends, and we sat in the bleachers eating peanuts and Cracker Jacks, just how the song goes. It was a day game and the stands were fairly empty. The Yankees won that game, and I was hooked. It wasn't until I was fresh out of college in '96 with my first job, that I had the money to go and sit in the good seats -- about 14 rows up behind third base. My favorite date with my then-boyfriend/future husband, was a Friday night Yankee game. It was him, me, a cold beer, and my Yanks. I got to escape for nine innings. I will never forget that 1996 season...where The Yankee Years begin for Joe Torre, and for me.
It's no wonder why I loved this book, and why it took me so long to drink in the pages. The "mystique and aura" of New York, and Yankee Stadium, that other teams learned to fear, showed itself in the 12 years of Joe Torre's career as the Yankees Manager. Those early years, especially. This book gives fans such a clear memory of New York, the fans, the Red Sox Rivalry, and the greatest team ever to play in baseball. Joe Torre and Tom Verducci takes us through each of some of the greatest moments in baseball: Jeter's catch and throw behind his back to home plate; Wells' perfect game in '96; Cone's perfect game in '98 with Don Larson and Yogi Berra watching from the stands; the boy's glove catching the ball over the right outfield wall during the Playoffs (I was there for that one!); and more rallies from behind and walk-off home runs that the post-season had ever seen before, like Aaron Boone's in the bottom of the 11th Inning, Game 7 of 2003.
Baseball in New York was not all hearts and flowers, though, and The Yankee Years address each ugly factor of being a Yankee. The "Evil Empire" had as many enemies as it did fans. The Boston rivalry created especially tense moments, like when Pedro Martinez and Jorge Posada had words, before Martinez threw Don Zimmer to the ground. Torre and Verducci address the issues of steroids and HGH in the Mitchell report, and their players that were named. The media added to the tension of playing in New York, as displayed by Alex Rodriguez. The authors also talk at length of aging pitchers, "pitching is an act of violence," without whom they could not win. The enormous profits generated by the Yankees sparked the creation of some of the highest salaries ever known to major league baseball.
I am a huge fan, yes, but The Yankee Years can be a little erratic, since they chose to organize the book into themed chapters, instead of writing in chronological order. So, it did seem a little all over the place and, at times, a bit repetitive.
If you're a guy, and like to read pages of baseball stats, this book is right up your ally. The stats were not overdone, though, in my opinion. I found the relationship between Joe Torre and Derek Jeter to dominate this book, but again, not in a way that was overdone. Instead, I want my sons to read this book so they learn what makes a great player, a great teammate, and a great sportsman.
All in all, The Yankee Years is a great read for any baseball fan, but especially to anyone who wants to relive those magical games of Joe Torre's early Yankee years. I found myself smiling, remembering those moments.
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Book Review: Entertaining but Disconcerting
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a very quick and entertaining read, particularly for Yankee fans who followed the great teams of the Torre era. The book is written by Sports Illustrated reporter Verducci, not Torre -- though Verducci has access to extensive interviews with Torre. As a result, some of the sources for the book are third persons, sometimes even anonymous ones. Press reports that Torre was ripping A-Rod and others are not quite true. Third persons, not Torre, called A-Rod "A-Fraud." Torre was concerned about perceptions of A-Rod and his concern about A-Rod's fear of failure as undermining his performance is something he told A-Rod directly. One surprise to me is that Damon essentially lost interest in baseball at the beginning of 2007 and almost walked away from the game. He ended up playing catch-up the rest of the season.
Given the extraordinary performance of both Sheffield and Giambi as clutch hitters, I was a bit surprised to hear criticism of those two. Yes, it was stupid for the Yanks to go after Sheffield instead of the younger Guerrero. But I was surprised that Torre was never a fan of the Giambi deal -- the guy was a terrific hitter and clubhouse presence. He is criticized, somewhat unfairly, for telling management that he was too lame to play defense in the 2003 World Series. Yet, this is precisely the kind of honesty Torre wanted from his players. Still, Torre emphasized defense and reliability, which I suppose was his root problem with Giambi.
The real problem of the Yankees from 2004 to 2007 was not Giambi or Sheffield or A-Rod, but their pitching. Their offense was terrific in this period. But all great offenses are prone to being shut down against post-season pitching, and the Yankees lacked the top starters necessary to match up with the pitching of the Red Sox, Angels, Tigers, and Indians in these years. The book makes a very good case that the Yankees went after the wrong pitchers in this period -- Vazquez, Pavano, Contreras, Brown, Johnson, Wright. Vazquez may not belong on this list, but he certainly was not the number 1 or number 2 pitcher the Yanks were looking for.
One of the problems, however, was what was the alternative? As Verducci points out, the rest of the league was on to the Yanks. They were signing their young pitchers to long term deals to keep them away from the Yankees. Still, the Yanks just plain blew the opportunity to get Schilling and should have held on to Pettite and Lilly. This would have made a huge difference and may have produced another championship during the end of the Torre era.
My criticism of the book is threefold. First, it is poorly organized and repetitive. Second, the criticism of Cashman is unfair. Yes, he blew the pitching moves. But he was a big supporter of Torre and put his neck out for him to help save his job. Only when the franchise was irretrievably committed in another direction does Cashman back away from Torre. I think Torre should have seen Cashman's conduct as simple business as opposed to a personal betrayal. Third, and most importantly, if Torre's management is based on trust, doesn't he breach it by doing a tell-all book so soon after his departure? Revealing locker room secrets is a betrayal of trust. I could see writing this book several years after the fact, but writing it now was unfair to A-Rod, Giambi, Damon, Sheffield, Cashman, and some of the others who do not come off well in this book. As an admirer of Torre, this lapse in judgment is very disconcerting.
Book Review: THERE'S A HEARTBEAT IN THIS GAME
Summary: 5 Stars
Joe Torre intimated to Brian Cashman to never forget that this game has a heartbeat as Cashman was seeming to be relying increasingly on complicated statistical analysis rather than the will and determination of a player when evaluating them. This is but one of the many observations of Joe Torre in this gem of a book which distinguishes the old school approach versus the new school approach of managing a team, along with many other aspects of playing winning baseball.
One thing that I want to make clear from the beginning is that if Torre is not quoted then it is Virducci's observation and not Torre's. In fact, the book is an insiders recounting of Torre's tenure as manager of the Yankees with many Torre quotes, and the quotes of others interspersed with the writers observations. I only mention this because some of the quotes that have been referenced as Torre's in the media are the author's writing.
Joe Torre came to the Yankees and the reporters immediately christened him as "clueless Joe." He responded by taking the Yankees to the postseason every year and winning four out of five World Series in which they appeared.
Relying heavily on Torre's recollections, which are uncannily precise, Verducci paints a telling portrait of what it was like to be in the eye of the storm that is the New York Yankees. It was at times heaven on earth and, at other times, it was abject misery due to the stratospheric expectations that are put on the team.
This book does a fantastic job of bringing you close to the players as human beings and not statistics by detailing their struggles and their triumphs. Most of the players of Torre's players during his years there are rendered with such striking frankness that the reader almost feels as if he knows them by the end of the book. At the very least you get a great perspective on what makes them tick whether it be Jeter's leadership, A-Rod's obsession with stats and himself, Rivera's reputation as the stoically, icy game closer, or the crazy brilliance of David Wells, you feel like you have a better understanding of the players and Torre's handling of certain situations.
This is a story of American striving and it has all of the elements of a classic. The striving, the complications, reaching the summit and, invariably failing after gorging on the fruits of success for too long.
The Yankees won their championships with largely homegrown players who were not marquee names. As those players aged and weren't playing as well the management of the team reverted going back to their ways of the 80's of assembling many high priced all stars and egos while retaining little team/family atmosphere and heart for the game that once beat in unison to the sound of applause and the rewards of gratifying success. This book does an incredible job of detailing the changes and how a great manager lost his job.
The dealings with the New York Zoo, management, steroids, trust, integrity, and playing great baseball are all covered in this book as well as the 12 year relationship between Torre and Brian Cashman. Cashman seems a little on the sleazy side at the end of Torre's tenure and their parting doesn't seem to be respectful.
This book covers a ton of territory and is a must read for any baseball fan. It's not just about the Yankees. It's about the heartbeat in baseball and how it can, at times, be overlooked in the grand scheme.
Kevin W. Mattingly
Harrisburg Times.
Book Review: Good read
Summary: 4 Stars
As I started reading the Yankee years, it was all I excpected. I have read other books by other coaches but believe it or not, none about the Yankees. I must admit that I am a fan, a real fan of the Yankees. I am not a biased, out of touch fan that thinks they can do no wrong and never make mistakes. I take what they give me, good entertainment and hope for their success. Other books by other coaches, Phil Jackson, Coach K, John Wooden, have offered insight into coaching styles, a day by day account of a winning season or motivational words of wisdom. I think "The Yankee Years" is great mixture of all of that.
The book does throw one for a loop, unless you are closely paying attention. It jumps back and forth through the Torre years and does not go in chronological order. I find at times it does get a little boring but then I am sucked back in by an amazing account of a certain game or situation in an important game. I found it interesting to learn a little about some of the personalities. I always thought O'Neill was a quiet guy who always stayed to himself. The personality accounts of some of the players will intrigue you throughout this book.
I found the recounting of certain situations or games or at bats very intriguing. You may remember these great Yankee years but you forget how amazing they were, the things that some of the players did and importance of some of the players. Some of the recounts brought tingles to my skin as I felt myself back in those situations.
I had previously read the article written in a magazine about the "core four" and it made me realize just how amazing Derek Jeter was/is. He was sent up and down in '95 and to come back in '96 and have a good year really shows the kind of player he is. I am a true fan of Jeter's. I love the way he takes his at bats, love the way he runs the bases, diving back if necessary, love the way he fields the ball going deep into the outfield. Little did I know until I read this he struggles to go to his left! My respect for Jeter has nothing to do with looks. I just love how he loves and respects the game. I love his child like enthusiasm and think he is a rare bird these days. I always say to Jeter bashers, number one, if you cannot at least respect him as a player, you cannot be a true fan of baseball and number two sure he makes lots of money, would you say no to that kind of money, it has never changed the way he plays or feels about the game. I was so glad to read in this book that the way I view Derek Jeter is completely accurate.
Overall I would say this book is a good read. The Torre years were special to me because I feel like they bought me back to baseball. I was lost for a while, almost like the way I am now with the NBA, and those years brought me back. I truly appreciate Joe Torre and while there are other people involved in quotes and recounts, I feel as though Torre gave his true feelings on the subjects approached. I would recommend this book for Yankee fans and non-Yankee fans alike. It is not biased, it is not greedy and if offers some insights people may not have been aware of.
I am going to save this book for my son who just under 1.5 years old. He already missed out on Torre, he missed out on Bernie, Tino, Paulie, Brosius and other important players of those years. Eventhough I am teaching him to say Jeter, I know he will never get to see and remember Jeter, Mo, Jorge, Pettite and other quality, true Yankee players of today's Yankees play the game they love to play.