Train or bus rides to baseball games are often spent by me reading a baseball book. On my rides to and from a recent Twins-Mets game, I read a book on…the Yankees! Here is my review of “The Yankee Way”
Title/Author:
“The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era” by Andy Martino
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Given the frequency with which the late George Steinbrenner hired and fired field managers and general managers through much of his tenure as the owner of the New York Yankees, it seems hard to believe that the current general manager (and now senior Vice President), Brian Cashman, is in his 27th year at the position. His tenure is the subject of this excellent book by New York baseball journalist Andy Martino.
The book, despite words to the contrary by both Martino and Cashman, could be considered a biography of sorts on Cashman. His upbringing, college years and how he became interested in the business side of baseball are all mentioned. His break came in 1986 when while still attending the Catholic University of America (on a baseball scholarship) he worked as an intern for the Yankees. He got his first paid gig for the team as a baseball operations assistant. He gradually worked his way up in various positions until being named Yankee GM in 1998.
No one, including Cashman himself, will say that his rise in the front office as well as the immediate success the Yankee had under him as GM with three consecutive World Series championships and five American League pennants in his first 6 years, was all due to him. The core of that team was recruited, signed and developed under Gene “Stick” Michael, who ran the club when Steinbrenner was banished from baseball between 1990 and 1992. Micheal and his work is covered quite extensively in the book as well as that of Bill Livesey, the scouting director who had his own system of grading and developing players.
Cashma’s handling of the team never truly wavered during his tenure, during the early championships and the advent of analytics. The Yankees were the forefront of the use of this data along with a few other teams, most notably the Houston Astros. Other issues affecting the Yankees and Cashman’s handling of the drama are included. Most notably, these include the tense relationship between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and the free agency winter of 2022-23 when Aaron Judge became a free agent and ended up re-signing with the Yankees.
It helps if the reader is at least somewhat knowledgeable about baseball in the 21st century as if they are not, they may get lost in all the analytics. However, if the reader does have at least a rudimentary understanding of the sport this is a great read, even if one is not a Yankee fan.
I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
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