George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire [Hardcover]

Peter Golenbock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2009

The biography of one of the most controversial figures in sports: New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner

For 34 years, he berated his players and tormented Yankees managers and employees. He played fast and loose with the rules, and twice could have gone to jail. He was banned from baseball for life—but was allowed back in the game. Yet George Steinbrenner also built the New York Yankees from a mediocre team into the greatest sports franchise in America. The Yankees won ten pennants and six World Series during his tenure. Now acclaimed sportswriter and New York Times bestselling author Peter Golenbock tells the fascinating story of "The Boss," from his Midwestern childhood through his decades-long ownership of the Yankees–the longest in the team's history.

• Draws on more than a hundred interviews with those who have known George Steinbrenner throughout his life to tell the complete story of "The Boss" and his long tenure as owner of the New York Yankees
• Gets inside Steinbrenner’s countless manager hirings and firings, from Billy Martin to Joe Torre; the legendary feuds and hard feelings involving famous figures such as Yogi Berra and Dave Winfield; and the ever-spiraling players' salaries
• Covers the astute business deals that transformed the Yankees from a $10 million franchise into a powerhouse worth over $1 billion today
• Written by Peter Golenbock, one of the nation's best-known sports authors and the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including Number 1 with Billy Martin and The Bronx Zoo with Sparky Lyle

Packed with drama, insight, and fascinating front-office details, George is essential reading for baseball fans and anyone who loves a terrific story well told.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From the time he bought the New York Yankees in 1973 until he handed control of the team to his sons in 2007, George Steinbrenner was the object of more media scorn than any other team owner in sports history-and most of the time he deserved it. Yet, amid the swirl of scandals, feuds, firings, banishments, bad trades, and even a felony conviction, he revived baseball's most storied franchise, won ten pennants and six World Series, and transformed a failing ten-million-dollar team into a billion-dollar sports and media empire. It's easy to say that there's no such thing as bad publicity; it's quite another to prove it over and over again for more than three decades. How did he do it?

In George, New York Times bestselling author Peter Golenbock, who has been writing about the Yankees since before Steinbrenner's first day on the job, tells the stranger-than-fiction story of baseball's biggest bully, worst boss, and most successful owner ever.

Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with those who have known Steinbrenner throughout his life, Golenbock tells the epic story of the "Boss," from his Midwestern childhood and family shipping business background through his thirty-four-year ownership of the Yankees-the longest in the team's history. He reveals the inside stories behind George's stormy relationship with manager Billy Martin, whom he hired five times and fired four, and his decade-long war with Yankee star Dave Winfield, which culminated in Steinbrenner's second banishment from the game. He also reveals how general manager Gene "Stick" Michael saved the Yankees' future by preventing the Boss from trading Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams early in their careers.

If you've ever wondered why Sparky Lyle and Graig Nettles were traded away when both were in top form, what it took to provoke Yogi Berra into declaring that he'd never set foot in Yankee Stadium again, or why the man who fired every manager he ever hired couldn't fire Joe Torre and had to insult him into quitting, you'll find the full stories behind these bizarre decisions and every other off-the-wall episode in Steinbrenner's controversial tenure as Yankee owner.

Complete with accounts of Steinbrenner's involvement in the creation of the Yes Network and the sweetheart deal between the Yankees and New York mayor Rudy Giuliani that enabled the construction of the House that Steinbrenner Built-the new Yankee Stadium-George is packed with drama, insight, and plenty of inside-baseball and front-office details. It should be required reading for every baseball lover and Yankee fan, and for anyone who appreciates an exciting and compelling story well told.

From the Back Cover

"Who but the master of the baseball biography, Golenbock, could finally get the fix on Steinbrenner, the most curious, fearsome, pathetic, seminal figure in the pastime's modern history. You'll hate and love George all over again in this fast-moving pageant of tales you never heard and old ones told truthfully."
—Robert Lipsyte, author, Heroes of Baseball

"Loathe him or hate him, he's the most famous owner in the history of professional baseball, the one and only Boss. Now, finally, from a writer who knows the Yankees inside-out, is a complete, rip-roaring portrait of the man behind the turtlenecks, tantrums, sky-scraping payroll and championship rings."
—Jonathan Mahler, author, The Bronx is Burning

"No one is better equipped to delve into George Steinbrenner's improbable, outsized life than Peter Golenbock, the undisputed king of baseball books. His latest is compulsively readable and chock-full of revealing anecdotes that are sure to make headlines. A fascinating account of a complex man who is both infuriating bully and beloved icon."
—Jane Heller, author of Confessions of a She-Fan: The Course of True Love with the New York Yankees

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470392193
• ISBN-13: 978-0470392195
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "THIS BOOK IS RIDDLED WITH MISTAKES-THE PUBLISHER SHOULD RECALL IT!", April 14, 2009

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire (Hardcover)

The author Peter Golenbock is a well known author and should be totally embarrassed with the shoddy final product presented here covering the life of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Any potential reader that is a true sports fan... and not just a dilettante... will find it hard to relax and enjoy this book, as error after glaring error is perpetrated regarding historical facts... locations... and times. As the reader wades through early blunders... even the roughest critics can cast them aside and continue. But as the pages turn and the missteps accumulate it creates a reading atmosphere akin to "a-dog-that's-been-hit-too-much". You find yourself wondering how much of the non-verifiable conversations and situations are not valid either. What makes this literary release so shameful is that in addition to the question of what type of individual proof-read this book... is that with today's infinite amount of data available at your fingertips... so much of these mistakes could be caught with a quick internet inquiry. It isn't like the old days where you would need a roomful of people reading day and night.

*A few shameful examples*

The author says George spent six weeks in basic training at Lackland Air Force base in Houston.

INCORRECT: Lackland AFB is in San Antonio. I know I served there.

The author states that "Hopalong" Cassady of Ohio State won the Heisman Trophy TWICE, in 1954 and 1955.

INCORRECT: He did NOT win the Heisman in 1954, only 1955.

The author states that a trade made that included Roger Maris and Hoyt Wilhelm resulted in both of them making the Hall Of Fame.

INCORRECT: Roger Maris is NOT in the Hall Of Fame.

The author states that Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees for $100,000.00 in cash plus other considerations.

INCORRECT: Babe Ruth was sold for $125,000.00 plus other considerations.

The author says the Yankees won the 1959 American League Pennant.

INCORRECT: The Chicago White Sox won the 1959 American League Pennant and then lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The author says Thurman Munson died in September 1979.

INCORRECT: He died in August 1979.

The author says the 1984 Detroit Tigers who started off the season 35 and 5 were led by pitcher Denny McLain.

INCORRECT: Denny McLain retired after the 1972 season.

The author says that Dallas Green as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies won a pennant and World Series in 1981.

INCORRECT: The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in 1981.

This is just some of the incorrect information provided in this book. As the reader becomes apprehensive about the facts being purveyed... perhaps the two most interesting "non-George" segments of the book are the "PREFACE" in which the author details the synergistic chain of events that led him from his goal of being a lawyer... to becoming a published author... which was all started by a "punch in the face by a mugger in the deserted Rahway, New Jersey, train station, and a few days later, in the elevator of the New York University law library, I had a seizure that knocked me out and put me in the hospital." This led to a Forrest Gump like culmination to the author he is today. The second extremely interesting "non-George" character study is that of the Yankee president during the CBS ownership days.... Michael Burke who among other things "ONCE DRANK BOURBON WITH ERNEST HEMINGWAY AFTER PARACHUTING INTO PARIS TWO WEEKS AFTER D-DAY"... and also had war experience in the OSS that was so intriguing that the movie "CLOAK AND DAGGER" was made based on his exploits.

The rest of the book ranges from the expected love-hate relationship between George and his Father... the lies... to almost everyone that crossed his path... his hiring's and firings... wins and losses... his legal problems included... but not limited to... illegal campaign contributions and lying to the federal government... and more lies... but by the half-way mark of the book... there are already so many incorrect statements that you just don't care as much as you did... when you first started.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Undone by all the mistakes, July 15, 2009

By 

R. C Sheehy "deadsox" (Foxboro,MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire (Hardcover)

I have to say that I found the book interesting and while it did not break anything new, other than try to portray Steinbrenner as this secret Samaritan, there were so many mistakes and factual errors in this book that I found it nearly impossible to finish. So many dates were wrong or contradicted by later information I wonder if George himself was the editor so the book would be discredited.

All in all this is a great waste and if I were the author or publisher would withdraw it to finish it properly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Get this guy a facts checker, July 11, 2009

By 

Catseyepub (Spokane) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire (Hardcover)

Just read this book ....what a disgrace...yes, after a while I kept reading it just to discover the next error the author would come up with.

It's a shame since he did such good work years ago, books that I still own such as Balls and Bronx Zoo.

I remember hearing of a fictionalized book he wrote recently regarding Mantle, and some of the crap in that book was trash.
This George book just adds the list of poor work he has done recently and especially in an age where folks can verify info via the internet, he goes ahead and releases a book full of errors, errors that any baseball fan could pick up on. Makes you question the whole damn book.