Few and Chosen: Defining Yankee Greatness Across the Eras - Softcover

Ford, Whitey; Pepe, Phil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1572437227 ISBN 13: 9781572437227

Publisher: Triumph Books, 2005

Synopsis

Whitey Ford, a Hall of Fame pitcher with the Yankees for 16 seasons, gives unique insight and takes on the challenge of selecting the five best players at each position in the franchise's history, which includes 26 World Series championships and 36 American League pennants—a legacy no other team comes close to achieving. Featured players include Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Mize, and Enos Slaughter.

About this title

About the Author:

Whitey Ford is a former MLB pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Phil Pepe is the author of more than 40 books on sports, including collaborations with Yankees legends Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, and Whitey Ford. He is a former Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News and a former president of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Yogi Berra is a National Baseball Hall of Famer and a former MLB catcher, outfielder, and manager. He was named an All-Star player 15 times, won the American League MVP three times, played in 14 World Series games, and holds numerous World Series records including hitting the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history. As a manager, his teams won pennants in both the American and National Leagues during his career with the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

From Publishers Weekly:

Instead of the Grand Unifying Theory about what makes the Yankees great that Ford's title promises, his book simply offers his certainly eminent opinions about the all-time best Bronx Bombers at each position. He uncovers no explanations scientific, spiritual or otherwise for that elemental Yankee je ne sais quoi. Ford engagingly discusses his former teammates and coaches, divulging personal experiences and anecdotes. He is less successful on players who preceded or succeeded him. He adds no new insight, for instance, into Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig, protesting that he never saw them play. Still, charming anecdotes about his predecessors occasionally surface: once, Hall-of-Famer Tony Lazzeri secretly filled Babe Ruth's eyedrops bottle with water, then later complained of dry eyes and, borrowing Babe's "medicine," terrified his friend by drinking it. The book's problems are inherent to any such project, and Ford does as well as the next guy. His down-to-earth, sometimes simplistic writing makes for a quick read. Sidebars by other Yankee greats break up the text with additional opinions about the players being discussed, but they never quite disagree with the author, and therefore don't do much to enhance this workmanlike addition to Yankee lore. (Oct.)Forecast: Despite its flaws, Yankee loyalists will enjoy the book, and the Chairman of the Board's name will help sales. Fans of other teams might not buy it, for obvious reasons. With an October release, the book's fate could ultimately be decided by how far the Yankees go in the postseason.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Triumph Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1572437227
• ISBN 13: 9781572437227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224