The Yankee Years
by Joe Torre, Tom Verducci
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Book Reviews of The Yankee Years
Book Review: I knew I was going to like the book from the beginning when Torre tells of how he got into the record books.
Summary: 5 Stars
Heard THE YANKEE YEARS by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci, the account
of the New York Yankees from 1996-2007 . . . this was a stretch when
the team made it into the playoffs twelve straight times, captured six
American league pennants and four World Series titles.
I knew I was going to like the book from the beginning when Torre tells of how
he got into the record books . . . when playing for the New York Mets, he
grounded into a record four double plays . . . for that effort, he thanked
Felix Milan (the player batting ahead of him) for making it possible
because he was the one who got on base.
Yet there's very little else about Torre's earlier career, so this should not
be considered a memoir . . . rather, it is a season-by-season account
of what it took for Torre to lead the Yankees to the success they had
over that era.
I liked hearing about inside stuff about the many players that I followed,
including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, David Cone and Marianno Rivera . . . in
addition, I was impressed how the authors shared this information
without slinging a lot of the dirt that had been hinted at by excerpts before
the book was published.
The story of what happened after Torre's last season was particularly gripping . . . I was saddened to learn more about how he was forced out of his job by
George Steinbrenner and the rest of his executive team.
By listening to THE YANKEE YEARS on CD, I received an added bonus--an interview that Verducci conducted with Torre after the book was completed.
Book Review: Great insights. Read with B. Olney's The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a terrific book for baseball fans. I started following the baseball with the Yankees of 1990 and recall the day in newspapers when Torre was hired and Buck Showalter was let go, and remained a die-hard fan with their eventual rise of to the Dynasty status until the chemistry of the Yankee culture started to change to we-can-buy-any-freeagents around 2001-2002.
This book offers an extremely rare glimpse into the ballplayers' personalities, styles, and power struggles, just like you and I also do in life and corporate, and how Torre was able to maximize his returns with his players. Torre's style is one that is built on trust, and it worked for him throughout the years. You will be able to see how players responded, how some didn't, and also surprising insights into private parts of players life that I was surprised Torre publicized (Rocket crying, Mo crying, Brown crying).
I highly recommend baseball fans buy this book and also Buster Olney's The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty. The combination of both books offers a great perspective on team culture, and how this dynasty engine worked, and why it didn't and probably won't in the near future.
Lastly, this book offers a great view on the changing nature of the game, the young GMs in the business today, the role of numbers and analytics, and how the new-school is beating the old-school, in exploiting market inefficiencies in players.
I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one pass on an international flight 3 days ago. Def worth the bucks spent and something any baseball fan can enjoy reading.
Book Review: Classy Joe! Some love from Red Sox Nation....
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a proud, card carrying member of Red Sox Nation. I love the team and what the new ownership has accomplished. It's exciting. Still, I have New York roots (childhood, parents). I think Joe Torre is one of the most skilled and classiest managers in baseball. And I love Derek Jeter. Why? For the very reasons highlighted in the book... these are true, genuine baseball greats. I really liked this book... especially Joe's quotes and the player quotes. At the end, quite frankly, my eyes filled up and my heart ached because it's not the way the great Joe Torre should have left Yankee Stadium. It's another example of "limited vision" by people who happen to be a position to call the shots. My challenges with the book are to the author and publisher: 1. a little more on steroids than I think was necessary (though I understand you did a lot of writing on this hot topic); 2. a little repetitive on some of the items that Joe wanted to state for the record about his record, and about how the front office behaved (poorly, for sure); and 3. Doubleday: shame on your editor. It is rare that I read a book with seven or more errors: this book has 'em. Somebody missed some clean-up work, which is just plain sloppy. However, the book cover design and photos are awesome. Joe Torre is an important voice in baseball and the "voice of reason" between an information-centric approach to recruiting and remembering that players are people... with a heartbeat... and passion always has a lot to do with winning (and can defy the analysts). Great read. Thanks, Joe!Book Review: Well-written, interesting, informative
Summary: 5 Stars
Very high quality of prose style, although too many grammar and spelling errors - the book needed better proofreading. Those who believe Torre actually wrote any of this are clearly wrong: only a highly talented, professional writer on the top of his game could write so well.
The story is inherently interesting, not just interestingly told. Much detailed information that one had always suspected but had not appeared in print with this much detail: on the details of team chemistry, on the dysfunctional Yankees hierarchy, on the various personalities. The bizarre way in which Steinbrenner's sons-in-law, with no baseball experience (one was a gardener before marrying Steinbrenner's daughter) somehow started making baseball decisions was amazing.
The information not just on the Yankees but also on the other teams and on baseball generally is fascinating too. The description of the Red Sox breaking the curse and the recruitment of Schilling was deep and informative. The way in which the Indians GM outmaneuvered the Yankees although he had far less money was well told and interesting.
Good use of historical statistics throughout.
Torre comes across, to me, as perhaps overreacting to some of the perceived slights (like the YES interviewers being told to ask him tough questions - why take umbrage at that?) and there is too much profanity.
Overall though, well-executed, well-written, informative. In fact, I couldn't put it down, go through it in a night.
Book Review: Great history...terrible approach
Summary: 2 Stars
Feel a little guilty submitting this review as I did not read the book cover to cover. All due respect to Mr. Verducci but there's zero reason Torre, an eloquent and articulate man, could not have done, a superb job, telling his own story in his own way. Did someone deciode that Verducci would be the literary "fall guy" for some of the more controversial statements? We all know JT, now Legendary Manager, is still, in spirit, "in the trenches" with his men.
I don't have a clue as to the preparatory stage of this tome, but I surmise that it was decided that the famous sports writer would present the story of the famous sports figure - I got nothing of the Soul of Joe, the guy who guided that historic 1996 team to full victory, against the odds. The comparatively unsuccessful maanger of other teams now was in the biggest game in town, being watched by the biggest owner in history. While the understated "players' manager" had to adjust to the more com,petitive game, to the most demanding fans, to the toughest media...ge learns that his Brother Frank is seriously ill. Joe himself got ill in 1998. And that year the Yankees won 114 games.
Something tells me that fans/historians would not have minded a format where Verducci tells "the story" and Torre expands on it. A friendly style used in bios for musical stars.
For what Torre really put into this thing, a five page interview in Sports Illustrated would have worked just as well.