The New
York Yankees have come to symbolize "everything good and strong and
true about baseball and America and the human race in general. Either that, or
avarice and unrepentant evil," writes Rob
Fleder (former Executive Editor of Sports Illustrated) in the
introduction to Damn
Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World's Most Loved (and Hated)
Team. In this collection of diverse, original essays, an all-star
lineup of writers from the fields of sports (Tom
Verducci, Sally
Jenkins from Sports Illustrated),
literature (Nathaniel
Rich, novelist) and finance (James Surowiecki, The New Yorker) share their own unique
feelings and experiences about this quintessential sports dynasty.
The array of pieces resonate with immortals, legacies and
personal stories. Some are crafted with lyricism
and sensitivity and a select few showcase conflicted feelings by blending a
mixture of back-handed compliments with tongue-in-cheek and a bone-to-pick
tone. Passion and insight fuel each essay and shed light into the historical
Yankees from the Babe, Mantle and DiMaggio to Derek Jeter; the price of
wearing the pinstripes and winning at all costs; rivalries and the grueling duels between teams, players
and fans; and the foibles and scandals that have rocked the team. Other essays
explore the more human side of the
game including a visit with Catfish Hunter in his final days; the story of Jim Abbott (Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times), a one-handed pitcher whose rise to fame was
snuffed out by the 1994 Baseball Strike; and how rooting for or against the
Yankees
can transcend generations (J.R.
Moehringer, memoirist) and continents (Colum
McCann, novelist).
The essays, as a whole, render a multi-faceted portrait of the New York Yankees and why the team evokes
such strong, often polarized, feelings. The book is capped by a section that
offers facts, figures and statistics which support the many reasons why the
Yanks--whether revered or loathed--are considered an American institution and a
symbol of greatness.
Damn
Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World's Most Loved (and Hated)
Team edited
by Rob Fleder
Ecco Press (A Division of
Harper Collins Publishers), $27.99, Hardcover, 9780062059628, 304 pp
Publication Date: April 3,
2012
Please note: This review is a
reprint and is being posted (in a slightly different form) with the permission
of Shelf Awareness.
To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (4/13/12),
click HERE.