Golden Anniversaries, Childhood Idols & Generations Connected Through Pinstripes
Each year, many statistical, historical and biographical books are written about our National Pastime. The year 2011 is no different, though one team is prominent with the publishers this year – the New York Yankees.
What makes this summer’s Yankees-themed books special is the way that almost three generations of fans can be tied together. Below are four titles that are readily available at our Mercer County Library System Branches:
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy
Jane Leavy does a fantastic job of portraying one of baseball’s most popular players ever, really detailing Mantle’s youth and inner workings from his beginnings in a mining town in Oklahoma all the way to the City That Never Sleeps. It’s a read that doesn’t really feel like a biography, but more like a classic novel.
1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase by Phil Pepe
Pepe chronicles one of the greatest seasons in the history of the game, the race for 61 home runs in 1961, involving the above-mentioned Mickey Mantle and his very own teammate, Roger Maris. Two players sharing the same uniform is where the comparisons end - Mantle being the well-known star of New York, Maris the quiet, aloof, professional hitter not interested in the spotlight; both players battle struggles throughout the season with Mantle’s injuries, Maris’s stress, and the famous New York media trying to pin the players against each other. 2011 marks the 50-year anniversary of this special season.
Donnie Baseball: The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly by Mike Shalin
The idol of Generation X Yankees fans, Don Mattingly was greatest player on the leanest of Yankees teams in the 1980’s/1990’s. Through mostly interviews, readers learn about the hard work Mattingly put into his game, and how ultimately it may have been the reason for his quick decline. Mattingly had the ability to rise to the occasion, and the description of his only Playoff appearance in his final season (1995) is worth the read alone.
The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O’Connor
The next generation of Yankees star, Derek Jeter, is the quintessential star. Every young ballplayer wants to (or should) emulate Jeter, with the way he handles himself on and off the field. O’Connor brings forth some of the struggles Jeter overcame as a young ballplayer who very much missed his tight-knit family, so much that it was affecting his play. The author also chronicles Jeter’s ability to rise to any occasion, almost as if Jeter could ‘will’ himself at any time. Jeter’s story is not yet finished being written, as in fact, just this month Jeter joined the prestigious 3,000 Hit Club.
What makes this summer’s Yankees-themed books special is the way that almost three generations of fans can be tied together. Below are four titles that are readily available at our Mercer County Library System Branches:
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy
Jane Leavy does a fantastic job of portraying one of baseball’s most popular players ever, really detailing Mantle’s youth and inner workings from his beginnings in a mining town in Oklahoma all the way to the City That Never Sleeps. It’s a read that doesn’t really feel like a biography, but more like a classic novel.
1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase by Phil Pepe
Pepe chronicles one of the greatest seasons in the history of the game, the race for 61 home runs in 1961, involving the above-mentioned Mickey Mantle and his very own teammate, Roger Maris. Two players sharing the same uniform is where the comparisons end - Mantle being the well-known star of New York, Maris the quiet, aloof, professional hitter not interested in the spotlight; both players battle struggles throughout the season with Mantle’s injuries, Maris’s stress, and the famous New York media trying to pin the players against each other. 2011 marks the 50-year anniversary of this special season.
Donnie Baseball: The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly by Mike Shalin
The idol of Generation X Yankees fans, Don Mattingly was greatest player on the leanest of Yankees teams in the 1980’s/1990’s. Through mostly interviews, readers learn about the hard work Mattingly put into his game, and how ultimately it may have been the reason for his quick decline. Mattingly had the ability to rise to the occasion, and the description of his only Playoff appearance in his final season (1995) is worth the read alone.
The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O’Connor
The next generation of Yankees star, Derek Jeter, is the quintessential star. Every young ballplayer wants to (or should) emulate Jeter, with the way he handles himself on and off the field. O’Connor brings forth some of the struggles Jeter overcame as a young ballplayer who very much missed his tight-knit family, so much that it was affecting his play. The author also chronicles Jeter’s ability to rise to any occasion, almost as if Jeter could ‘will’ himself at any time. Jeter’s story is not yet finished being written, as in fact, just this month Jeter joined the prestigious 3,000 Hit Club.
- John R., Hopewell Branch
Comments
Post a Comment