The Yankee Years by Joe Torre, Tom Verducci
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Book Reviews of The Yankee Years
Book Review: THERE'S A HEARTBEAT IN THIS GAME
Summary: 5 Stars
Joe Torre intimated to Brian Cashman to never forget that this game has a heartbeat as Cashman was seeming to be relying increasingly on complicated statistical analysis rather than the will and determination of a player when evaluating them. This is but one of the many observations of Joe Torre in this gem of a book which distinguishes the old school approach versus the new school approach of managing a team, along with many other aspects of playing winning baseball.
One thing that I want to make clear from the beginning is that if Torre is not quoted then it is Virducci's observation and not Torre's. In fact, the book is an insiders recounting of Torre's tenure as manager of the Yankees with many Torre quotes, and the quotes of others interspersed with the writers observations. I only mention this because some of the quotes that have been referenced as Torre's in the media are the author's writing.
Joe Torre came to the Yankees and the reporters immediately christened him as "clueless Joe." He responded by taking the Yankees to the postseason every year and winning four out of five World Series in which they appeared.
Relying heavily on Torre's recollections, which are uncannily precise, Verducci paints a telling portrait of what it was like to be in the eye of the storm that is the New York Yankees. It was at times heaven on earth and, at other times, it was abject misery due to the stratospheric expectations that are put on the team.
This book does a fantastic job of bringing you close to the players as human beings and not statistics by detailing their struggles and their triumphs. Most of the players of Torre's players during his years there are rendered with such striking frankness that the reader almost feels as if he knows them by the end of the book. At the very least you get a great perspective on what makes them tick whether it be Jeter's leadership, A-Rod's obsession with stats and himself, Rivera's reputation as the stoically, icy game closer, or the crazy brilliance of David Wells, you feel like you have a better understanding of the players and Torre's handling of certain situations.
This is a story of American striving and it has all of the elements of a classic. The striving, the complications, reaching the summit and, invariably failing after gorging on the fruits of success for too long.
The Yankees won their championships with largely homegrown players who were not marquee names. As those players aged and weren't playing as well the management of the team reverted going back to their ways of the 80's of assembling many high priced all stars and egos while retaining little team/family atmosphere and heart for the game that once beat in unison to the sound of applause and the rewards of gratifying success. This book does an incredible job of detailing the changes and how a great manager lost his job.
The dealings with the New York Zoo, management, steroids, trust, integrity, and playing great baseball are all covered in this book as well as the 12 year relationship between Torre and Brian Cashman. Cashman seems a little on the sleazy side at the end of Torre's tenure and their parting doesn't seem to be respectful.
This book covers a ton of territory and is a must read for any baseball fan. It's not just about the Yankees. It's about the heartbeat in baseball and how it can, at times, be overlooked in the grand scheme.
Kevin W. Mattingly
Harrisburg Times.
Book Review: The End Of A Dynasty Chronicled By Its Leader
Summary: 5 Stars
A few years ago, I was enthralled by Buster Olney's book "The Last Night of The Yankee Dynasty" for its ability to get to the heart of those 1996-2001 New York Yankee teams and understand both what made them tick, and eventually what caused their decline. "The Yankee Years" embarks on a similar task and actually eclipses that earlier effort due to the combination of Joe Torre's inside insight and Tom Verducci's captivating writing.
Basically, this book picks up on the day that Torre is introduced (to boos, of course) as manager of the New York Yankees before the 1996 season and continues until his dismissal following the 2007 season (in which he led the Yankees to a first-place finish). Over that span of time, Torre describes in detail each of those seasons, including what went right, what went wrong, and how he handled both of those issues.
What is easily the most interesting part of the book, though, are Torre's musings about how the Yankees changed after the 2001 season. Whereas the Yankees of the late 90s and early 2000s were built on home-grown talent (Jeter, Rivera, Posada) and ego-less players (Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, David Cone) who would do anything for a victory, that Luis Gonzalez blooper in the '01 World Series seemed to change everything, as Boss George Steinbrenner embarked on a spending spree the likes of which had never before been seen in baseball history. Each offseason, the Yankees would go out and buy the best player available, putting together an All-Star team of sorts that, on paper, looked pretty much unbeatable. Yet, as Torre points out time and time again within the text, that approach ultimately lead to the demise of one of the great dynasties in professional baseball. Sure, the Yankees bought enough talent to keep themselves in contention and make the playoffs, but by ignoring the "little things" like deep pitching, solid defense, and team unity, the Yankees have never been able to duplicate the success of that 1996-2001 run.
Of course, when a person (like Torre does) expresses an opinion that a failure has occurred, there are always going to be people to "blame". Being the gentleman that he is, however, Torre does not turn the book into a tell-all rag or a figure-pointing memoir. Does he have some harsh words for Steinbrenner, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Brown, and the entire Yankee organization? At times, yes. However, he does not take pot-shots at them and backs up his claims with personal stories. It seems as if he was just "telling it like it was", and sometimes the truth can be very uncomfortable for those involved.
Thus, I think that perhaps the real success of "The Yankee Years" is its ability to de-bunk the notion that the Yankees have always been just an Evil Empire. Though I hated the Yanks with a passion back in their "glory years" a century ago, and railed against the big-market strategy they stood for, I have now come to realize that, at least those teams, were built on the fundamentals of winning baseball and really cannot be criticized. Only in more recent years, when the Yankees started buying up the rest of the league's talent, did the real trouble begin, and it took the inside knowledge of Joe Torre to shed light on that fact.
Book Review: Deserves more than 5 stars....
Summary: 5 Stars
The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci has received a large amount of pre-release press especially from the New York media, but also the L. A. Times. I can't remember a book release in the recent past that has garnered so much attention before anyone has had a chance to read it. Even Steinbrenner is curious about the books contents. He should be.
The Yankee Years is a measured and thoughtful look at the years Joe Torre managed the Yankees, 1996-2007. During that time he got to and won four World Series out of five, not an easy task for anyone. Torre also stopped much of the ridicule he received from the New York media upon his appointment. If winning four World Series doesn't prove you're worthy of the job, nothing else will. The fact of the matter is that Joe Torre became the most beloved Yankees managers of all time winning the respect of the fans and his players.....also not an easy task given the list of outstanding players he worked with.
Not being a part of professional sports means that most of us read these kinds of books with a fascination made up of a combination of awe and disgust. Our only window into professional sports is comprised of the media, written and electronic and then watching the games as they come to us, one after another as the season progresses. I say this, because that means books such as the Yankee Years become our "inside" story; our life line and private peek into the insanity of what has become "professional sports."
The Yankee Years has already aggravated several A-list players that are mentioned in the book. A-Rod, reportedly referred to as A-Fraud by his team mates, and David Wells just to name two people who may not be happy with the publication of The Yankee Years.
Well written and very readable, the Yankee Years is above all else interesting and will be a book any baseball fan will want to read regardless of your team affiliation. Let's face it, the Yankees are the most storied of professional baseball teams and reading about them interests us even if we aren't fans.
Joe Torre's The Yankee Years is worth reading. I highly recommend.
Peace
Book Review: "The Yankee Years" is insightful, not vindictive
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been anxiously anticipating this book for quite some time, and now that it has arrived I am not disappointed. Let me be clear on one thing, despite the recent attention in the media about the criticisms of Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi and members of the Yankees front office, what stands out even more in this book is Torre's love of the Yankees, his respect for our captain Derek Jeter and our legendary closer Mariano Rivera, and all those who make up Yankee Fandom.
It is a deeply moving, thought provoking book -- not a rash vindictive accounting on Torre's part, but a careful consideration of his time with the Yankees.
I highly recommend this book to any baseball fan. Joe Torre is a class act and this is a great book that offers amazing insight into the most historic franchise in professional sports.
I enjoy reading as much as I can on the Yankees. I can also highly recommend with 5 star ratings these two fantastic books for all baseball fans, but especially for Yankee fans:
New York Yankees: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers)In this Sports by the Numbers title you will find many of the moments Torre discusses in his book, written in a creative and unique format that is a great read for any Yankee fan.
Confessions of a She-Fan: The Course of True Love with the New York Yankees And you have to love Jane Heller -- she's hilarious.
Yankee fans, three great books you have to read.
Book Review: I knew I was going to like the book from the beginning when Torre tells of how he got into the record books.
Summary: 5 Stars
Heard THE YANKEE YEARS by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci, the account
of the New York Yankees from 1996-2007 . . . this was a stretch when
the team made it into the playoffs twelve straight times, captured six
American league pennants and four World Series titles.
I knew I was going to like the book from the beginning when Torre tells of how
he got into the record books . . . when playing for the New York Mets, he
grounded into a record four double plays . . . for that effort, he thanked
Felix Milan (the player batting ahead of him) for making it possible
because he was the one who got on base.
Yet there's very little else about Torre's earlier career, so this should not
be considered a memoir . . . rather, it is a season-by-season account
of what it took for Torre to lead the Yankees to the success they had
over that era.
I liked hearing about inside stuff about the many players that I followed,
including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, David Cone and Marianno Rivera . . . in
addition, I was impressed how the authors shared this information
without slinging a lot of the dirt that had been hinted at by excerpts before
the book was published.
The story of what happened after Torre's last season was particularly gripping . . . I was saddened to learn more about how he was forced out of his job by
George Steinbrenner and the rest of his executive team.
By listening to THE YANKEE YEARS on CD, I received an added bonus--an interview that Verducci conducted with Torre after the book was completed.