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Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees have been an American institution for nearly a century. With their rich history and colorful cast of characters, the Yankees never fail to inspire or provoke. In this exciting compendium, some of our most acclaimed writers—including Pete Dexter, Colum McCann, Roy Blount Jr., Dan Barry, Jane Leavy, Charles P. Pierce, J. R. Moehringer, Bill James, and many more—step up to the plate to take their cuts. The result is a collection of original essays as idiosyncratic and expansive as the team that has inspired them: ruminations on Babe Ruth's gravestone, Derek Jeter's swing, and every other subject that spans from the hilarious (the Yankee wife swap of the seventies) to the sublime (the grace of Catfish Hunter). Superbly written, deeply insightful, and full of both passion and humor, Damn Yankees is a completely fresh look at baseball's most enduring franchise.
Introduction Rob Fleder 1
First
1 "I Have Feelings for the Yankees" Roy Blount Jr 9
2 Street Heart Sally Jenkins 20
3 Take Me Out to the Oedipal Complex Bruce McCall 25
4 The Errors of Our Ways Pete Dexter 32
5 True North Charles P. Pierce 50
Second
6 Gone Fishin' Michael Paterniti 59
7 The Queens Speech Nathaniel Rich 65
8 The Latin King Steve Wulf 79
9 The Oldest Living Yankee J. R. Moehringer 88
10 Billion-Dollar Baby James Surowiecki 98
11 Media Babe Leigh Montville 106
Third
12 A Baltimore Chop Frank DeFord 121
13 An Innocent Abroad Will Leitch 124
14 Sully and the Mick Jane Leavy 132
15 The Deal of the Century Daniel Okrent 146
16 Death by Baseball Richard Hoffer 151
17 One True Pitch Rick Telander 160
Home
18 The Long Way Home Colum McCann 175
19 Day of the Locust William Nack 181
20 My Season's Better Than Your Season Bill James 191
21 The Dog Days Dan Barry 208
22 A Bad Case of the Yankees Roger Director 216
23 Captain America Tom Verducci 222
24 Yankee Mortals Steve Rushin 234
Yankees by the Numbers
Hitting 243
Pitching 251
Honors, Awards, and Titles 262
Sabremetrics 270
Baserunning and Fielding 272
Managers, Owners, and Stadiums 277
Acknowledgments 283
The Contributors 286
Jdemet
Posted June 4, 2012
It was the last day of work in December 2010 when I was on my way to meet a former colleague for dinner at Pete's Tavern on 18th Street in Manhattan. Just before getting there I noticed an array of books, hardcover and softcover, laid out on a ledge of one of the old buildings in the area. There were cookbooks, animal books, novels, and the 2010 edition of 'The Best American Sports Writing,' edited by Peter Gammons. I said to myself if that book was still there when I finished dinner, than I was meant to have it, and I'd take it. That's exactly what happened, and I occasionally peck away at it still. It contains 26 pieces by 26 different writers about a wide variety of sports figures. All pieces were previously published. 'Damn Yankees' is nothing like that book. 'Damn Yankees' is an anthology by invitation of 24 stories by 24 writers about the New York Yankees; likes and dislikes. It is the brainchild of Rob Fleder, a former executive editor of Sports Illustrated who got in touch with a variety of writers and asked them something simple: deliver some writing about the Yankees; whatever you like. The pieces never appeared anywhere before being published in this book. Not your typical sports anthology. You can't assemble 24 of anything and include everything. Significant to me is that none of the 24 writers in 'Damn Yankees' have a piece in the 2010 book I helped myself to from the widow ledge. Mr. Fleder's mission is accomplished. Aside from the excellent essays, pro or con, is an array of statistics that is laid out with novel finesse. There are even some photos, although this is not meant to be a book of photographs. You don't have to be too old to remember these stories. Most of this is current stuff, and even Babe Ruth is updated with a Twitter account. One thing that might hit you, is the money. Not what the book costs, but what the players cost. What no so long ago seemed like mind-numbing numbers now seem like petty larceny. Could you really care these days if someone were signed for $3 million? It wasn't that long ago we all did.
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Posted April 22, 2012
Don't you guys that have a nook think that the title is not gor kids i mean i am nine and the is wack my opinion
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Overview
Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees have been an American institution for nearly a century. With their rich history and colorful cast of characters, the Yankees never fail to inspire or provoke. In this exciting compendium, some of our most acclaimed writers—including Pete Dexter, Colum McCann, Roy Blount Jr., Dan Barry, Jane Leavy, Charles P. Pierce, J. R. Moehringer, Bill James, and many more—step up to the plate to take their cuts. The result is a collection of original essays as idiosyncratic and ...