Review of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”

Keeping up with my theme of reading a book about the team or sport I am attending, I read this book on the New York Yankees on a bus trip to Yankee Stadium. Even though it’s been out for a long time, I have had it on my TBR pile for a long time and now it’s finally on the “previously read” file. 

Title/Author: “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty” by Buster Olney

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: In the six year period from 1996 to 2001, the New York Yankees played in the World Series 5 times, winning 4 of them in 1996 and in 1998-2000. This book by ESPN baseball expert Buster Olney examines the only one they lost in that time frame and specifically game 7 in which they lost when Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks their first, and so far only, championship.

The book digs deeply into the Yankee organization, from owner George Steinbrenner and his micromanagement of the club to players who were important to the success of the team. This included the superstars like Derek Jeter, other key players like Tino Martinez and David Cone (even though Cone was not on the team in 2001) and Chad Curtis. Even if a reader has read other books or material on the Yankees during that time frame, this is still a very interesting look at the team and one might find new information on those Yankee teams. 

This type of information is inserted between chapters that describe an inning of game 7 on the 2001 World Series. If there is anything that makes the book less than enjoyable for a reader, it could be this back and forth between game 7 and the sections on the Yankee organization. I thought that structuring the book in this manner worked well, especially when the chapter on game 7 ended with a Yankee player making a hit or out and the next chapter would lead with something about that player. 

It’s a different look at that time frame of the storied Yankee history. It also isn’t too critical of the team but doesn’t sugar coat the problems that were building up beneath all the winning. It’s a fair and balanced book that baseball readers should enjoy.  

Link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BM2ZM2/ref=ku_mi_rw_edp_ku

Review of "Roberto Alomar"

Sometimes a book on a famous player will allow the reader to learn much more about that player than what they learned in the media or through fandom.  That was the case for me with this book about Roberto Alomar.  Here is my review.

 

Title/Author:

“Roberto Alomar: The Complicated Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hall of Famer” by David Ostrowsky

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review:  The subtitle of this book by David Ostrowsky is very accurate when discussing the baseball legacy of Roberto Alomar, a Hall of Fame second baseman who played for seven different major league teams but found his greatest success as a Toronto Blue Jay.  Alomar’s entire career, as well as his personal life and the controversies that surrounded him both on and off the field are captured here.

From the very beginning it is clear that Ostrowsky is not going to sugar coat Alomar’s life as the book begins with the infamous incident in 1996 when Alomar, then a member of the Baltimore Orioles, spit on umpire John Hirschbeck after a disputed called third strike. Alomar then further enraged fans and media when he mentioned that Hirschbeck had become more bitter since his son passed away.  While easily the most famous of the controversies involving Alomar, there are others that did not get as much attention but are noted by Ostrowsky.  These included allegations of sexual assault that led Major League Baseball to ban him from the game in 2021, although it would not change his Hall of Fame status.

Lest one thinks this book only covers this side of Alomar, it is also full of food writing about Alomar’s baseball career, from his excitement about the game as a child to his determination to keep playing late when his diminished skills in his mid-30’s would not allow him to hang on with a team.  His brief time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox (twice) illustrate how much he had declined.

But when his star shone bright, it was brilliant as his accomplishments in Toronto made everyone who saw him believe he was one of the best, if not the best second baseman in the game.  His knowledge was considered to be off the charts, and he was always sharing it freely with teammates or anyone else who wanted to learn more about the game.

 In short, this book was a very fair, balanced, and informative account of Roberto Alomar.  A reader will come away from this agreeing that he certainly deserves to be considered a Hall of Fame player but will also understand why there are also detractors given the many controversies, justified or not, that surround his legacy.

 I wish to thank the author and publisher for providing a review copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

 Link: Roberto Alomar: The Complicated Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hall of Famer: Ostrowsky, David: 9781538158029: Amazon.com: Books