Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Prologue xv

I The Boss 1

A Student of Attila the Hun 3

George and the Yankee Doghouse 6

George's First Black Coach 9

The Man Who Missed Steinbrenner 12

The Seinfeld Steinbrenner 15

II The Crack of the Bat 21

So Many Hits, So Much Time for Jeter 23

Whew! Scooter Talks Circles around the Hall 26

Mantle and Herschkopf the Psychiatrist 29

A Final, Sweet Ovation for Mantle 32

DiMaggio, a Neighbor, the Quake 35

DiMaggio, Failing, Is 84 Today 38

Roger Maris Comes Home 41

Reggie: Old "44" Returns 45

Reggie Becomes Mr. Cooperstown 49

Blomberg: One Awestruck Rookie 52

O'Neill Moves On Gracefully 55

Murcer: Yanks' Last Link to Bygone Days 58

Mattingly's Elusive Dream 62

Winfield: One Definition of a Winner 65

Wiggins Touched the Hot Iron 68

Strawberry Attempts to Do It Over Again 71

This Bernie Is Not Some Banjo Hitter 74

Babe Ruth and John Dillinger 77

One for Eli Yale 80

Yogi: Baseball's Oddest Marvel 83

McDougald, Once a Quiet Yankee, Now Lives in Quiet World 86

For McDougald, the Miracle of Sound 93

III Atop the Hill 97

The Goose in His Old Nest 99

Era Ends: Gator Says "So Long" 103

Forty Years Later, Larsen Still Delights in His Perfection and His Luck 106

Come Home, Allie Reynolds 109

Niekro: Trying to Pitch Forever 112

A Yankee Dinosaur Called Rags 115

The Future Is Unclear for Howe 118

Anticipation and Drama at Stadium 121

Pettitte: The Trade Never Made Still Golden 124

Gooden: Conquering More than the Strike Zone 127

Clemens: Chin Music 132

Wells: Colorful Pitcher, but Not a Stand-Up Guy 134

Abbott's Inspirational Return 137

Waite Hoyt in theRain 140

Bouton and the Write Stuff 144

Cone Must Prove Himself Again 148

Catfish Hunter: The Obituary 151

IV The Hot Seat 159

Torre Knows Victory Isn't Everything 161

Time and Success Mellow Piniella 164

Rubbernecking on Billy Day 168

Remembering Billy Martin, Battler 171

"Stained-Glass" Casey Stengel 174

Clyde King Faces Another Challenge 177

Dallas Green Isn't Blue 180

V The Way It Was 183

Twenty-Five Years Fail to Dim Either Title or Turmoil 185

Some Old Faces in the Clubhouse 188

Healy's Gone, So Who's on First Now? 192

Yesterday Was Just Perfect for a Ballgame 195

Baseball Season: No Trespassing 199

Down Broadway 202

VI A Handful of Notable Rivals 205

Cookie Lavagetto's Double 207

Koufax Is No Garbo 210

Seaver: A Family Affair 214

Maddux: A Baseball Picasso 218

Manny Ramirez: Formidable, and Forgetful 221

Zimmer: Unlikely Hero of '55 Series . . . Well, Sort Of 225

Varitek and A-Rod Brawl 228

A-Rod in Japanese Translation 231

Ted Williams: An Evening with the Kid 233

About the Author 236