Product Description

The definitive narrative history of the world's greatest sporting franchise, published to coincide with the centennial of the team. Pinstripes and pennants. Aprils and Octobers. The House That Ruth Built in the city that never sleeps. A century of greatness embodied in one city and its team. Over the past one hundred years, the New York Yankees have dominated baseball as no team has ever dominated another sport. They have won 38 pennants and 26 world championships. More often than not, they have shown just how the game is supposed to be played. Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Mattingly, Jeter -- dozens of legendary players have worn the signature NY proudly. They have provided the very definition of a dynasty. But it hasn't always been that way, and it has never been easy. Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball chronicles the full history of this storied franchise, with the most compelling and authoritative narrative of the team ever written, more than 250 stunning photographs, and essays by some of the game's colorful scribes. Here you'll read about the unlikely scheme to build a ballpark in Manhattan atop solid rock, the magic of the Bambino rounding the bases, the stately DiMaggio taking the field, Lou Gehrig's poignant goodbye, Yogi Berra's hilarious verbal gaffes, Jack Chesbro's legendary spitball, Derek Jeter's mind-bending plays, and much more. Yankees Century takes you on an unforgettable journey through time and shows how the Bronx Bombers have managed to win again and again. More than a story of the New York Yankees, this is the saga of baseball in America. A must-have for any student of the sport, this indispensable volume is the guide to baseball greatness, a lasting record of a city and its team.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121485 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-07
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.31" h x 9.30" w x 10.84" l, 4.19 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Stout, funnily enough the author of Red Sox Century, documents decade by decade the ups and downs of the most storied franchise in sports, a team that almost never was. In 1903, Ban Johnson, then president of the American League, sat in his office in the Flatiron building fighting his two-year-old battle to place a new franchise in New York. At a time when "the subway system took shape underground, [when] working farms still dotted the upper reaches of Manhattan," Johnson had to compete with then Giants owner Andrew Freedman, who legally could do little to keep Johnson out, but as a Tammany Hall member "practically" could stop the franchise before the first pitch. Johnson eventually won out, and the Yankees soon erected their first stadium in Washington Heights and signed their first star, Wee Willie Keeler. From this departure point the book examines various eras of Yankee dominance, usually centered on the star of that age, be it Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle, Jackson or Jeter. The book (which includes writings by Ira Berkow, Howard Bryant, Charles Devens, David Halberstam, Ring Lardner and Molly O'Neil) traces the key games and events of the years and blends them into a strong narrative. A well-written and thorough look at the Yanks, it will nevertheless take a true (and devoted) fan to devour all the play-by-play of past games. Still, this is essential for Yankees fans.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Love them or hate them, the Yankees have undeniably been the premier team over the last century. This book does ample justice to their great history, with essays by such contributors as David Halberstam on George Weiss (the great behind-the-scenes maker of the 1940s-50s Yankees) and Ira Berkow on legendary manager Casey Stengel. The chapters are divided chronologically into each particular dynasty. The more than 250 photographs provide an added dimension to the tale of "Yankee Pride," while appendixes provide year-by-year statistical details. Stout, series editor of The Best American Sports Writing, and Johnson, curator of the Sports Museum of New England, have previously collaborated on Red Sox Century: 100 Years of Red Sox Baseball. This book will have more than regional appeal and it is highly recommended for most libraries. Even Yankee haters will find much to enjoy. Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This is the one-hundredth season of Yankees baseball. Stout takes an exhaustive look at that phenomenon, going back to original newspaper reports and documents, from the team's humble--not to say sordid--beginnings through the legendary champions of the '20s and '50s, the disasters of the late '60s, and the magical late '90s. While his prose isn't always scintillating, Stout is opinionated, knowledgeable, and steeped in the kind of historical minutiae fans adore: In 1905, a game usually took about 90 minutes; Yankee Johnny Murphy (and later general manager of the Mets) was the first relief pitcher to be called a "fireman" in 1939. Sidebars listing Yankee MVPs, Gold Glove winners, leaders in saves, and so on reveal the astounding richness in talent assembled by the Yankees over a century. Stout understands that the Yanks are utterly connected to New York, and his vision always ties the team to the city. A profusion of photographs, some familiar, some not, and a few well-chosen reprints, like Molly O'Neill's "It's only a game. It's more than a game," add to this volume's hefty charms. GraceAnne DeCandido
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