Table of Contents
A Fan's Notes xi
Part 1 Screwballs and Blazers 3
Mighty Mo and the Rating System 7
Mariano Rivera's Childhood 13
The Yanks' Biggest Riddle 17
Pitch Count Phil 23
What Pitch Count? 29
Memory Lane: Bob Feller and the Motorcycle 33
Assembling the Bullpen in the Off-Season 35
Spring Training 45
The Yankees' Minor Leaguers 49
Between the Lines: Why Grades? 57
Behind the Scenes: Visiting the New Yankees' Bullpen 61
Part 2 April 2010 67
Memory Lane: The Home of Champions 101
May 2010 107
Memory Lane: A Truly Blown Save 153
June 2010 157
Memory Lane: Yogi, Joe, and Knuckleballers 189
July 2010 193
July 12-15, All-Star Break 203
July 2010 and Old-Timers' Day 207
A Hot August Night, Triple-A Ball, and Yankee Hopefuls 235
August 2010 249
Memory Lane: Johnny Mize's Bat 283
September-October 2010 287
Part 3 Memory Lane: An Imperfect Day, Don Larsen, and Me 319
Bullpen Grades for the Entire Regular Season 325
The Playoffs 331
The Yankees' Winning Formula: Past 349
The Yankees' Winning Formula: Future 353
My Stadium Misadventure 361
Memory Lane: All the Way Home 365
Acknowledgments 369