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5.0 out of 5 stars
A black comedy post morten on the New York Yankees in decline, circa the 1980s, January 15, 2006
This review is from: Damned Yankees: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Life With "Boss" Steinbrenner (Hardcover)
"Damned Yankees: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Life With 'Boss' Steinbrenner" was sold as a book that George Steinbrener was going to hate and baseball fans were sure to love. My its own admission this book is an "explosively revealing, mercilessly hilarious dissection of 'the Bronx Bombers' by two of the most experienced and insightful reporters in the game." Bill Madden covered the Yankees for the "New York Daily News" from 1978 to 1989, while Moss Klein was the Yankee beat reporter for the "Newark Star-Ledger," having covered the team for fourteen seasons at that point. The book is illustrated with cartoons by Ed Murawinski, just to keep things interesting (and amusing). In the middle of the book you will find a bunch of black & white photographs with cute captions.
This book presents itself as a firsthand, behind-the-scenes account of how the New York Yankees went from winning back-to-back World Championships in 1977 and 1978, and then became also-rans for the next decade. The book was originally published in 1990, which means the team was still six years away from Joe Torre showing up and winning four World Series in five years as the Yankee dynasty rose up from the ashes described in this book. "Damned Yankees" is not a chronological tale of this period of woe, but rather a topic look at the chaos, confusion, and craziness (in other words, Madden and Klein are not afraid to follow in the footsteps of Jim Bouton's "Ball Four"). The introduction looks season by season at the fortunes of the team from 1977 to 1989 as Steinbrenner fired managers Billy Martin, Bob Lemon, Martin again, Dick Howser, Gene Michael, Lemon again, Michael again, Clyde King, Martin again, Yogi Berra, Martin yet again, Lou Piniella , Martin one more time, and Dallas Green. Bucky Dent was left in charge at the end of that period and firing managers pretty much every year versus having Torre around for a decade is certainly the easiest way of contrasting then and now.
For each year Madden and Klein also detail the changes in pitching coaches, the comings and goings of various players, key examples of turmoil and tumult for each season, and a choice quote that serves as the epitaph for each year. This becomes ironic since the first chapter of the book begins with the death of Billy Martin on Christmas Day, 1989, and then goes back and looks at his five terms at the team's helm. The next bunch of chapters are devoted to other managers--Lemon, Howser, Michael, King, Berra, and Piniella--basically focusing on their respective run-ins with the Boss. But my favorite chapter is the eighth, "The Misfits," which chronicles the key blunders that Steinbrenner got the front office to make trading for the likes of Steve Trout and signing Ed Whitson and Davey Collins, and also includes a look at what the home grown talent was put through.
The other half of that equation, "The Survivors," are in the next chapter, where legends such as Reggie Jackson, Mickey Rivers, Goose Gossage and Lou Piniella the player, actually flourish. But then it is back to tracing the descent of the franchise in Chapte 10, "Such a Deal!" This one contrasts the four great trades that set up the championships seasons (getting CHris Chambliss, Dick Tidrow, Mickey Rivers, Ed Figueroa, Willie Randolph, Dock Ellis, and Piniella), with those that crippled the team (getting Dave Revering, Omar Moreno, John Mayberry, and Ron Kittle) and those that were not made because of Steinbrenner's meddling (for Darrell Evans, Andrew Dawson, and Rafael Santana). Fans of "Seinfeld" will enjoy the next chapter on "The PR Men," before the final chapter, "George Does Dallas," shows that even someone who seemed to epitomize the perfect manager for Steinbrenner the way Dallas Green did was also doomed before he started.
The Appendix starts off by listing "All the Man's Presidents" and "PR Men," then moves on to "Billy Martin's Ring Record." You will find some interesting lists here, such as "Ron Guidry's Catchers (1975-88)" and "Willie Randolph's Shortstop Partners (1976-88)." You will also find "Yankee No Home," which lists the homegrown Yankees who prospered elsewhere, "The One-Liners of Craig Nettles," and, as the final nail in the coffin, "Read My Lips," being "The quotes of George Steinbrenner that somehow just didn't ring true." So "Damned Yankees" ends up being a cross between "Ball Four" and "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Those that hate the "Evil Empire" will find reason to pity the Yankees and their fans during this period, while Yankee loyalists will agree not to question how and why Steinbrenner has "mellowed" (relatively speaking) in his old age and allowed the team to flourish once again (at least the current drought is just not winning the World Series and not finishing 5th in the division).
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4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read on the Yankees circa 1977-1990, October 3, 2006
This review is from: Damned Yankees: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Life With "Boss" Steinbrenner (Hardcover)
This book is probably the best overview of the George Steinbrenner Yankees from the mid-'70's to the total collapse of 1990. Madden and Klein saw it all during that time period, and they give it to the reader with a dash of humor. Each manager from the time period of 1977-1989 is given his own chapter. The book also touches on the "misfits" the Yankees acquired during this era such as Roy Smalley, Dave Collins, Steve Trout, and of course, Ed Whitson. It wouldn't be a book on the Steinbrenner Yankees without mention of the Boss's countless tirades, and those are in here as well. The only drawback of the book is the poor editing job, including an instance where Dale Berra is referred to as "Dave Berra." Still, this book is a very good read. The paperback version of "Damned Yankees" has a chapter on the 1990 season where Steinbrenner is forced to leave his post as general partner of the Yankees.
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