Title/Author:
“Game of
My Life New York Yankees: Memorable Stories of Yankee Baseball” by Dave Buscema
Tags:
Baseball, history,
Yankees
Published:
March 1,
2013
Length:
304 pages
Rating:
3 of 5
stars (good)
Review:
Twenty
current or former players for the New York Yankees are interviewed and asked to
share the story of what was the best game he remembers while playing for the
New York Yankees in this book by Dave Buscema.
Because the interviews were done in 2004 or later, the time frame
covered in the book is from the 1950’s to 2009; the latest game chronicled by
current Yankee pitcher C.C. Sabbathia.
One
chapter is the story of one player’s memorable game, and the format is the same
for each chapter – an introduction to what the game is, a brief recap of the
player’s life and career, the lead in to the game and then the game
itself. The lead in may be a recap of
the regular season before a playoff game or a story behind why the game is
memorable for the player.
I found
the better stories to be those of games you would not expect to be included by
the player. For example, Mel
Stottlemeyer, the long-time pitching coach who was a good pitcher for the
Yankees in the early 1970’s, chose a regular season game in which he beat that
season’s Cy Young winner, Vida Blue, during the middle of the 1971 season. Why did he choose that one? Because his young sons told him that morning
that Dad didn’t have a chance to beat Vida Blue that day.
Another
unexpected choice was in the chapter on Dave Righetti’s memorable game. It wasn’t
the one that everyone else remembers – the no hitter against Boston on July 4,
1983. Instead, it was during the 1981
American League Championship Series against Oakland when he appeared in his
first playoff game in front of family and friends. Most of the other games are the ones that you
expect from the player interviewed, such as Reggie Jackson’s three home runs in
game six of the 1977 World Series or Bucky Dent’s home run in the one-game
playoff against the Red Sox in 1978.
I felt the
book, while fun and easy to read, had the feel of being written by a fan who
was very excited to be able to talk to his favorite Yankees. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it
felt at times like more of a Yankee booster publication instead of a book on
the recent history of the franchise as seen through the eyes of the
players. I also noted a factual error
that is minor in the grand scheme of the book, but did make me question how
much research and editing was done for the book. In the Righetti chapter, the Yankees defeated
the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1981 Division Series, and Buscema stated that “the
Brewers would go on to win their own World Series the following year.” That is incorrect – the Brewers lost the
1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Little inaccuracies like that drive me crazy
in non-fiction books.
Overall,
though, the book is an easy read and one that Yankee fans will certainly want
to add to their libraries as it recaps some memorable games in the history of
the franchise.
Did I skim?
No.
Pace of the book:
It is a
very quick read as the chapters are broken into short segments about the player
and his career, the build up to the game remembered, then the game itself. These are all told from the viewpoint of the
player interviewed.
Do I recommend?
Yankee
fans, especially those who have followed the team since the 1970’s will enjoy
this book as the memories of some great games come back to them.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying Links:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/game-of-my-life-new-york-yankees-dave-buscema/1110931268?ean=9781613212066
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