Minnie and the Mick: The Go-Go White Sox Challenge the Fabled Yankee Dynasty, 1951 to 1964 [Hardcover]

Bob Vanderberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Through careful research and interviews with over 50 key players and managers, Chicago Tribune sportswriter Bob Vanderberg recaptures all the excitement of the passionate AL play between the scrappy Chicago White Sox and the dynasty of the New York Yankees.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chicago Tribune staffer Vanderberg tells of the fierce competition between the late Yankee Mickey Mantle and Minnie Minosa of the White Sox. His fair and nostolgic account of life during baseball's Golden Years is recommended for popular collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 339 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888698020
• ISBN-13: 978-1888698022
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YANKEE HATERS UNITE!, October 27, 1999

By 

jeffrey bednar ([e-mail]) (KANEOHE,HAWAII) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minnie and the Mick: The Go-Go White Sox Challenge the Fabled Yankee Dynasty, 1951 to 1964 (Hardcover)

BEING A DIEHARD CLEVELAND INDIANS FAN MEANS I AM GENETICALLY PROGRAMMED TO LOATHE THE YANKEES.ANY TEAM THAT GAVE OR GIVES THEM THE TROUBLE THE 1951-1964 CHICAGO WHITE SOX DID IS AOK IN MY BOOK. THE AUTHOR MUST RECEIVE KUDOS FOR THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH HE MUST HAVE COMPLETED FOR THIS BOOK. IT IS STATISTICAL WONDERLAND FOR US BASEBALL JUNKIES AND A PAGE TURNER FOR ALL THAT ENJOY A GOOD YARN.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yankee and White Sox Hearts, February 8, 2009

By 

Jinkyu - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minnie and the Mick: The Go-Go White Sox Challenge the Fabled Yankee Dynasty, 1951 to 1964 (Hardcover)

From 1951 to 1964, the Go-Go White Sox beat out the Yankees for the American League pennant only once, in 1959. That is not terribly impressive, but the only other team to do it was the Cleveland Indians, in 1954. It is the White Sox who can take pride in having been the most consistent leading rivals to the Bronx Bombers over this period.

Each year is introduced by "Setting the Stage" with general background on the season. Author Bob Vanderberg then presents write-ups of a "Most Glorious Victory" and a "Most Devastating Defeat." There and in separate chapters, players on each team give their personal memories of all aspects of the rivalry, down to park effects, managers, and controversies. Tom Tresh relates how difficult it was to hit Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleball, and Billy Pierce comments on pitching to Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Bill Skowron. There is even a chapter on fights: You guessed it, the name Billy Martin pops up, but there are many others. For the period, the appendices contain summaries and details of each game played, as well as extensive stats.

It is unfortunate that Minnie Minoso, the big White Sox star of 1951-57, was not on the 1959 AL champions (he came back after season's end in a trade), but the amusing title gives a correct indication that this book will not be dry. It rivals Peter Golenbock's "Dynasty" in aggregating quotes and anecdotes. Although a lot of stats are given, "Minnie and the Mick" is a book of memories, not narratives. The chemistry of the rivalry is captured effectively.

Maybe the writer's home team is the White Sox, but this book will appeal to Yankees fans as well, along with other fans who have a nostalgic interest in 1950s and 1960s baseball.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Baseball Read, May 13, 2007

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minnie and the Mick: The Go-Go White Sox Challenge the Fabled Yankee Dynasty, 1951 to 1964 (Hardcover)

Author Bob Vanderberg recounts the exciting Chicago White Sox - New York Yankees rivalry from 1951-1964. Readers learn about each of these exciting years, including detailed descriptions of each season's most nail-biting games. We sense the rivalry's tension from these pages, even if the ending was usually the same un-thrilling story. As many know, the Yankees won every pennant but two from 1949-1964, with only Cleveland and Chicago as consistent challengers. Strong pitching often had the White Sox in first place until August, but they usually faded down the stretch. Why? Chicago's batting order typically had two good hitters (Minnie Minoso, Nellie Fox) and was thus no match for powerful Yankee lineups of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron, Hank Bauer, Elston Howard, etc. When Chicago finally won the pennant in 1959 (their first in 40 years) they edged out Cleveland; the Yankees had an uncharacteristic off year.

This book provides an interesting and readable look at this tense but uneven rivalry. Older fans will recall many of the games and details, while younger readers get a nice sense of baseball from decades past.