Customer Reviews

The Bronx Zoo

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though I grew up a total Yankee Hater (and was 15 yrs old when this season took place), the book ranks right up there with "Thin Ice - A Season in Hell with the New York Rangers" as a top quality read for a baseball focus. Probably the best thing about this book is how Golenbock and Lyle are able to put a real personal touch to some of the Yanks that played on that team that year. Nettles is a total cut-up, Munson is a real gamer, Jackson is a media hog, Billy Martin is part psychotic and part genius, and Ron Guidry is the quiet, yet dominating athlete that just goes out and does his job. Some of the more amusing antedotes are the ones involving Fritz Peterson in Lyle's earlier days, and Rawley Eastwick's escapades in the present day. Previous reviews talk about Lyle being "whiny", and I can agree with that perception. It's kind of hard to relate to someone complaining about his stature in life as a professional baseball player, when Joe Schmoe is out there trying to eeke out a living doing whatever. But I have to admit that if you had won a Cy Young the previous year before and all of a sudden was relegated to "mop-up" status, it would be a blow to one's pride. But the book does hit its mark on one thing . .the perception of George Steinbrenner is TOTALLY dead-on.

This book follows the "Ball Four" formula of a seasonal diary, in this case the 1978 season through the eyes of Sparky Lyle. And what a season it was - Lyle goes from Cy Young award winner to set-up man as he is beat out for the closer job by the younger, faster, stronger Goose Gossage. At the same time Lyle is trying to deal with his professional decline, the Yankees make an astounding comeback, catch the Red Sox, beat the Royals in the ALCS and then win the World Series defeating the Dodgers. But the real focus of the book (or at least Lyle's attention) is off-the-field - especially the interaction with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and Lyle's demands to salvage his professional honor and career. In a sort of sad post-script Lyle got his wish and was traded to the Rangers, yet never reattained the form that made him the Cy Young winner in 1977.

First, the problems with the reprint of the best-seller that opened up a wealth of first-person accounts of those wild years with the Yankees:

* Sparky Lyle was not in favor of having the book reissued;
* There is not any new material and the typographical mistakes remain from the first edition;
* Unless you followed baseball in the 1970s or have an appreciation of baseball history, you may have trouble following the personalities and situations chronicled.

My rating is based on the controversy that exploded surrounding Lyle's candid accounts of the crazy 1978 season. Lyle does not shy away from the seemingly daily madness of The Boss, Reggie, Billy, and the closer wars of Goose and the co-author. It makes the stuff that swirled around the 2006 Yankees seem like agate type for the tabloids.

In the spring, Peter Golenbock was pushing the book pretty hard on local and national sports talk shows. I wish he would have done more than just put a nearly 30 year old sports book back in print.

But even the professional laziness of Golenbock cannot lesson the importance that book had in chronicling the Yankees and on Lyle's pitching career. The following season, Lyle was on the mound for the Texas Rangers.

Sparky Lyle was one of the greatest relief pitchers in the history of baseball, and he would always make his entry from the bullpen accompanied by the song "pomp and circumstance." In this tell all memoir he describes the inner workings of the Yankee dynasty of the late 70's, how Reggie Jackson was a glory hound and pathological liar. And the managerial blunders of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. This is baseball from the inside.

Lyle's book is terrific. It starts off a bit slowly, but once he really gets started this book becomes great. The thing I thought was most interesting anout the book was looking at the game and the controversies surrounding it from the players' point of view as opposed to the media's. This book clearly brings out many of the differences between what we read about in the papers and what is actually going on in the clubhouse.
You also gain an appreciation for players that is difficult to get by just looking at the stats. When you look at the way Lyle respects Munson and Nettles for giving it their all and playing through pain, you see that there's a lot more to value with those guys than simply the number of homeruns they hit.
And, like "dnamed Yankees" by Bill Madden and Moss Klein and most of the other books that discuss this era, you get a good look at what George Steinbrenner is all about, especially when Lyle discusses the tumultous relationship between Steinbrenner and Billy Martin. Steinbrenner has learned a lot since then (or has he?), but it's interesting to see how he dealt with issues back then.

a classic baseball book without a doubt, lyle tells it like he sees it, and i loved every page of it. with a team with personalities like billy martin, lyle himself, mickey rivers, reggie jackson, graig nettles, and the boss, george steinbrenner. if you liked this book like i did read balls by graig nettles.

A true baseball classic recounting the Yankees return to the champions throne. Intense, hysterical and a must read for any true Yankee fan. Learn about the way baseball is supposed to be played both on the field and how not to play it off the field.

In this "diary" (what diary has a co-author?) of his season with the Yankees in 1978, Lyle reveals the tension and lunacy of that memorable year. Only problem is, Lyle's frequent whining about being put on the back burner for the younger, stronger, and better Goose Gossage gets tiresome after awhile. It almost made me want to put down the book. While his inside info is nice, he puts himself ahead of the team at times by leaving before a game ends. At times you felt bad for Sparky for being shunned, other times you want to slap him for being so selfish. At any rate, I'd recommend getting Roger Kahn's "October Men" as a reference for the 1978 Yankees before this one.

What can I say? The Bronx Zoo is a deffinet 5 star read! Sparkey Weaves a story that should be made into a movie! Lyle finds himself in a paradox. He is coming off a year in which he won the CY Young award and yet how does he get rewarded for his success? the Boss goes out and signs the hottest Free Agent releif pitcher on the open market to take Sparkey's job. All that plus the trinity of drama that was George Stienbrenner, Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson. Inspite of turmoil the Yankees Manage to come from 14 games back in June to go on to humble my favorite team (LA Dodgers)in the world Series! A must read for anyone who calls themselves a baseball historian!

A must read for any fan of baseball, not just Yankee fans. The fact that the 1978 season was so turbulent is just the tip of the iceberg. Sparky Lyle speaks from the heart in a work that at times rivals the brilliance of Ball Four. He is honest and doesn't sugar coat anything. After reading this work you will be amazed that the Yankees won the World Series let alone survived each other.