A new 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 draws on more than a hundred interviews with those who have known Steinbrenner throughout his life to tell the fascinating story of "The Boss," from his Midwestern childhood and family shipping business background through his decades-long ownership of the Yankees-the longest in the team's history. He gets inside the countless manager hirings and firings (and sometimes rehirings) 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, as well as the astute business deals-with cable television and others-that transformed the Yankees from a $10 million franchise into a powerhouse worth over $1 billion today. Packed with drama, insight, and fascinating front-office details, George will be essential reading for baseball fans and anyone who loves a terrific story well told.
Annotation:
Sports Illustrated reporter Peter Golenbock has been the co-author on a number of memoirs written by prominent members of the New York Yankees organization, including NUMBER ONE with Billy Martin and THE BRONX ZOO with Sparky Lyle. But Golenbock is on his own here, as he presents the most comprehensive biography yet of the most colossal (and controversial) figure in the team's recent history, owner George Steinbrenner. Golenbock depicts Steinbrenner's modest Midwest childhood and his ascension through the shipping industry, before focusing primarily on George's turbulent and triumphant years as the most notorious owner in sports. From Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin to Alex Rodriguez and Joe Torre, all of George's love/hate relationships with his million-dollar "employees" are examined in-depth, complete with many outrageous anecdotes about the owner's wild temper. But these incidents are balanced with a concise analysis of Steinbrenner's ingenious business acumen, which has transformed the Yankees from a team worth ten million dollars into a billion dollar sports franchise.
|
