Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball

My years as a Yankee fan have coincided almost directly with the number of years they've been owned by Steinbrenner - so nothing here was groundbreaking news for me. Nevertheless, Madden simply did a great job of giving readers an inside look of the man - the good, the bad and the ugly. Great read!!

Bill Madden writes a rollicking and very funny book on the life and times of Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner. You will laugh and cringe at the same time readin this book, George ruled with an iron fist and it hit everyone.Very entertaining and insightful, also bings back memories and names from the past, some u may have forgotten about. Great book.

This is the book many of us lifelong fans have been eagerly awaiting for quite some time now. With Steinbrenner's health failing relentlessly, I was beginning to despair that it would ever be written. But here it is, and thank goodness it was written by the guy best qualified to write it. It will undoubtedly go down as the definitive Steinbrenner biography, and deservedly so. It is not a hatchet job, but neither is it a valentine - it is an accurate account (to the extent that that is possible without Steinbrenner's direct cooperation) of the Steinbrenner Era, the greatest and most tumultuous period in Yankee history since Ruth, Gehrig, and the rest of Murderer's Row prowled the Bronx. Madden is a long-time Yankee beat reporter who knows Steinbrenner better than anybody, and has first-hand knowledge of the entire Era except the early, Gabe Paul days; and he was given exclusive access to first-hand materials from that period by Paul's family. Nobody has a more intimate knowledge of the Steinbrenner Yankees except Steinbrenner himself, and he clearly is no longer capable of writing his own memoir, nor would he be nearly as objective a narrator if he were. There are surprising stories you wouldn't expect to read about a relentless publicity hound. For example, Steinbrenner quietly financed numerous college educations -- the total number will never be known -- for many people, some complete strangers, out of his own pocket. And unlike earlier books -- particularly the error-riddled Golenbock biography -- Madden gets his facts straight. Plus, the account is as accurate and objective as can possibly be expected from a writer who was right in the middle of many of the wacky high jinks he describes. It is also the best book yet about the Yankees organization itself, in any era, with the possible exception of "Damned Yankees" (also written by Madden, along with Moss Klein). Steinbrenner and the Yankees are the Churchill cigars of sports: world famous, impossible to ignore, and either loved or reviled by everybody. Fans and abominators alike will find plenty of anecdotes to bolster their preconceived opinions; but any fan of sports or human nature, regardless of his or her Yankee leanings, will enjoy this book, both as a history lesson and as a rollicking, funny memoir by a really good sportswriter who really was there.

George Steinbrenner is an intense man; no doubt. Those eyes; he always looks like he's about to fire somebody, which of course, he's done with great regularity since first taking ownership of the New York Yankees in 1973. One would think that his abrasive management style would produce less than stellar results; a team in turmoil seldom succeeds. However, this particular team has succeeded like no other sports franchise in history, and they've got the trophies to prove it. In a most compelling biography, Bill Madden has chronicled the tumultuous reign of King George, from its shaky beginnings to its glorious present. In between, we observe the good, the bad, and the ugly of this fascinating and perplexing personality. Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner and his assorted cast of characters have been quite a show; at times rollicking; at times poignant; but always great theater. Along the way, Madden has done a superb job of taking the reader along for a most enjoyable and wild ride with baseball's "last lion". Certainly, there will be no one quite like George Steinbrenner again.

If you're a New York Yankee fans, a NY sports fan, a baseball fan, a sports fan in general, or just want to read the humorous and crazy happenings of the New York Yankees under George M. Steinbrenner, this book is a must read. In fact, when you consider the impact today in sports on ticket prices, free agency and player movements, and cable TV and network contracts, the impact that the Yankees and Steinbrenner have had is not to be underestimated. Bill Madden is the New York Daily News longtime Yankees beat writer and MLB columnist since the 1970's. Madden was there for the "Bronx Zoo" years of the 1970's when contract jealousies, fights, backstabbing, and personal hatred seemed to go hand-in-hand with the winning of those late-1970's Yankee teams. Madden continues into the 1980's, when despite a World Series appearance in 1981 and the signing of the biggest free agent of the decade (Dave Winfield) and one of the all-time Yankee greats in Don Mattingly, the decade was barren for the team. Not until the 1990's (more below) would things turn around. Madden gives you all the details: how Steinbrenner and a consortium bought the team for $10 million (with George putting up less than $200,000); the crazy antics involving Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, and Reggie Jackson; the plunge into free-agency with Catfish Hunter and later Don Gullet which revolutionized baseball; the seedy antics involving the undermining of his managers, GM's, and team presidents; the Howie Spira episode which got George suspended by Fay Vincent; and how the expulsion from baseball in the 1990's ironically led to the Yankees rebirth. It's all there and a whole lot more. It is ironic that Steinbrenner has had such phenomenal success with the Yankees, but mediocre success with his other businesses like shipbuilding and horses. Anyone who remained in George's good graces - client or ballplayer - did well by him. For instance, when the Yankees signed their historic 12-year, $500 million contract with MSG Network, it was considered a disaster for MSG. Midway through the deal, it was such a lucrative goldmine for MSG that the Yankees eventually created their own YES Network whose value today might be worth more than the Yankees and the new stadium combined. Madden is sympathetic to Steinbrenner and his personal like and respect for the man clearly comes through. That does NOT mean that he is not fair or objective, he certainly is. Steinbrenner's many good deeds toward people, even those who he fired, ripped, or treated badly are well-documented here (and there are probably numerous other cases and charities that Madden did not include). The gradual dissolution of the Joe Torre-Steinbrenner relationship, after the spectacular dynasty of 1996-2003, is also detailed at length. It's easy to see why the current regime, led by sons Hal and Hank, felt no attachment towards keeping Torre after 2007. Steinbrenner's personal side is also explored, along with the humorous recount