The New York Yankees Illustrated History

We gave this book as part of a gift for a real Yankee fan. Each time we visit we see more bookmarks and notes in the book which is always next to his favorite chair. That shows us how much he loves it.

Bought this for the die-hard Yankee Fan and he loves this DVD

A transient American League franchise was plunked down in New York in early 1903, which made last year the 100th anniversary of the team now known as the New York Yankees. As part of the celebration five writers from the sports department of "The New York Times" put together "The New York Yankees Illustrated History." Actually this volume has less photographs than I would have thought, given the title, although most Yankee fans will find enough new shots to justify flipping through the pages, including, believe it or not, a photograph of Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson joking about their infamous "lifestyle" swap. The volume divides the history of the Yankees into five eras, each of which is defined by decades: (1) The Ruth Years (1903-1929), covered by George Vecsey, covers the most of the first three decades of the team, although Ruth was with the team from 1921 to 1935. This opening chapter sets up the first Yankee dynasty, with black & white photographs focusing on Ruth and the 1927 "Murder's Row" team as well as a collection of Yankee memorabilia by a long-time fan. My favorite shots are of Ruth in 1921, when he was in his physical prime, and Gehrig sitting on the dugout steps watching the team after he benches himself in 1939. (2) Gehrig-DiMaggio (1930s, 40s, 50s), written by Dave Anderson, really focuses primarily on the DiMaggio period, with the Iron Horse as the link between the Babe and Joltin' Joe. Again, the chronology does not quite fit because DiMaggio retired after 1951, but he is the dominant figure in this chapter, which has photographs of his personal life as well as his playing career. When you see that the next chapter focuses on the 1960s, and who it focuses on, it becomes clear that the major figure who does not get to be worked into a title and who clearly defined the 1950s for the Yankees, was Yogi Berra. Instead, we have (3) Mantle, Maris and the 1960s, by Robert Lipsyte, which elevates Roger Maris and his 61* home runs to the same level of Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig and Ruth. I really think they are off base here, that the 1950s and 1960s should have been Yogi and Mickey. After all, it is still Yogi, the most beloved living baseball player, who is the only one in history with 10 World Series rings. This chapter has a rare color photograph of a 19 year old Mantle as well as a shot of Mantle and teammate Clip Mapes visiting Mickey's father at a Oklahoma mine, as well as the pivotal moment in the 1951 World Series when Mantle caught his spikes on a drain hole and popped his knee as DiMaggio catches the ball hit by Willie Mays.For most Yankee fans the last two chapters deal with the New York Yankees they have probably known most of their lives: (4) Life With Steinbrenners (1970s, 80s), by Murray Chass, reminds everybody that you could have Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Billy Martin, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage and whoever you wanted on the field, but the Yankees were dominated by the personality of the Boss. (5)