Book Summary: Pinstripe Empire is the official/unofficial history of the New York Yankees. This book may be the most in-depth look back at 100 years of Yankees baseball, told by former team public relations director Marty Appel.
The New York Yankees were born on January 4, 1903, some 117 years ago. In over a century of baseball, the boys in pinstripes have gone on to become the most successful professional sports team on the planet. In the dugout and the clubhouse, you’ll see reminders of the past and present. Trophies, banners, baseballs, bats, and other artifacts speak of a history rich in tradition and rich in success.
The Yankees have hoisted the World Series trophy 27 times and been to the dance 40 times. During those pursuits, the Bronx Bombers smashed their way into the record books and the hearts of fellow New Yorkers. Other teams have come and gone from the Big Apple (The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants), but the Yankees have remained. The New York Mets moved to town in 1962, but even most of their fans know that New York City belongs to the Yankees.
Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss will probably be the most comprehensive book you could ever read about the team. Thoroughly researched through countless newspaper articles, interviews, clubhouse stories, and personal recounts, Marty Appel gives fans the most in-depth insight into one of the greatest sports teams of all time. If you have been a fan since the day you were born, or you’ve only been a fan since yesterday, there is so much for you to gain by picking up this book. I guarantee that even the die-hard fans will be blown away by the full year-to-year coverage.
Baseball fans know that there are 162 games in a season (less back in the day) and know that the boys of summer have a thousand stories to tell. It is a detailed process, but Appel goes through them all to showcase the high and lows of playing baseball in New York, win or lose.
When you have a history that is 117 years old, you will have every type of ballplayer, general manager, and owner come through the doors. Whether it was the iconic Babe Ruth or the feisty player turned manager Billy Martin, or the kid known as Derek Jeter, their stories are in these pages and are there to be told.
Everything you could want to know about the Yankees is here. Whether it was about life at the Polo Grounds or their move to Old Yankee Stadium, you are there for a front-row seat as they lay the building blocks on and off the field. It was fascinating to see how bad they were the first few years, and then after one historic trade, go on to have one of the greatest seasons ever in 1927.
The Yankees dominated the game as no one had ever seen, and the superstar linage from Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig to Joe Dimaggio to Mickey Mantle is where the history of this team truly lies. The line of champions continued from Mantle to Thurman Munson to Don Mattingly to Derek Jeter. No matter what the organization does today or tomorrow, it owes its reputation to those early teams in the first half of the 20th century.
I have already read the Pinstripe Empire twice. I will probably read this book again and then again. When I think I remember all the stories, the characters, or the statistics, I forget and want to soak it up again. As a fan of the team since 1996, there was so much for me to learn. This book gave me a deeper appreciation of the team and the players who have come to symbolize what the New York Yankees are today and will be tomorrow.
Keeping the Stats 