Yankees: Where Have You Gone?

Rating:
Summary: An opportunity for fans to catch up on 50 Yankees of old
Review: Maury Allen has written his fair share of books about the New York Yankees having authored biographies of not only Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris but also Reggie Jackson and Ron Guidry. He also gets props for being the person who finally wrote the book with the obvious title "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" In "Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" Allen catches up on 50 Yankee players from the past to find out what happened to them in this first in a series from Sports Publishing LLC (the second "Where Have You Gone?" book is on the Phillies). Although the selection criteria is not clearly stated it seems safe to say that DiMaggio could not be included for two reasons. The first is that all of these former baseball players are still alive and the second is that members of the Hall of Fame are excluded (I am sure Tommy John would like to be eventually be removed from future reprints of this volume for that reason).

In reading this book you will discover the answers to all sorts of interesting questions about these former Yankees: Which pitcher had a deformed right arm? Which pitcher did a radio announcer incorrectly say gave up Bill Mazeroski's home run in the 1960 World Series? Who is the oldest living former Yankee? Who burst into tears when the Yankees trade him away? Who pinch-hit for Yogi Berra in the World Series? Who was the pitcher who won the last World Series game ever played at Ebbett's Field? What former player was a New York City Fire Department Lieutenant on September 11th? What former player got all ten of his children through college? Which former teammate stood up and spoke at the funeral of Roger Maris? Which player got his first look at Yankee Stadium in the middle of the night? Which Yankee was an All-American quarterback in college? I actually knew the answer to the last one, but the rest were news to me, which is the point of a book like this.

Of course "Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" is not only about what these former players are doing today, it is also about some of their fondest memories about playing for the Bronx Bombers, which is actually more interesting when you already know what Bobby Cox has been doing the last couple of years. A lot of the memories have to do with getting a World Series ring or more famous teammates who are not profiled in this book, but there are also lots of stories of what these players did after leaving the Yankees and baseball. An interesting sub-plot in several of these chapters has to do with former players like Chris Chambliss and Willie Randolph trying to get a job managing in the major leagues.

As soon as I heard about this book about former Yankees I immediately knew who should be in this book as my litmus test. In other words there was one player whose name sprang to mind and if he was not in the book I would be disappointed. Fortunately, there is indeed a chapter devoted to George Zeber. You remember him. He was the utility infielder for the Yankees during the 1977 season in which he batted .323 and had 3 home runs and 10 RBI's in only 65 at bats. He was a super scrub, backing up Willie Randolph, Bucky Dent, and Graig Nettles, plus getting to DH now and then on the only Billy Martin team to win a World Series. Including Zeber tips this book off the fence and gets that fifth star.

The book is illustrated with faux baseball cards for each player, with the slightly different versions of the 1940 Play Ball and 1951, 1965, 1974 and 1986 Topps cards representing the players from each of those decades (they stumped me on what the 1930s card is modeled on). A box below the "card" lists the seasons the player had with the Yankees and their stats for their best season with the club. There is a four-page photo spread in the middle with current photographs of 19 of the former Yankees, including one of Bucky Dent and Mike Torrez in tuxedoes.

"Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" is a nightstand book, which is simply a way of saying it is the sort of book where you would want to read a chapter or two before you go to bed. Since each chapter is about a different player and the order is random rather than chronological, beginning with Dooley Womack and ending with "Old Reliable" Tommy Heinrich, it is not like there is really any sort of narrative thread. Besides, this is not really a book that you want to sit down and read from cover to cover. Granted, few besides Yankee fans are likely to read this book, but we are legion.

I am sure that as soon as you finish reading this book there will easily be a dozen names of other former Yankees about whom you will be asking the magic questions, "Where Have You Gone?" I was wondering about Charlie Smith, whom the Yankees got from the Cardinals in exchange for Roger Maris, as well as Bill Robinson and Steve Whitaker, who were supposed to platoon in the outfield as Mickey Mantle's replacement. When somebody mentions Mike Ferraro, Matty Alou, and Bob Watson it is hard not to wonder what they are up to. Say Mike Torrez and I think of Ed Figueroa. Then there is the question of what Oscar Gamble's hair looks like today. Clearly, there are plenty of other former Yankees out there that can be included in a second volume. Even given what happened last fall there really should be a "Yankees II: Where Have You Gone" before we get to a book on the Florida Marlins.

Rating:
Summary: An opportunity for fans to catch up on 50 Yankees of old
Review: Maury Allen has written his fair share of books about the New York Yankees having authored biographies of not only Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris but also Reggie Jackson and Ron Guidry. He also gets props for being the person who finally wrote the book with the obvious title "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" In "Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" Allen catches up on 50 Yankee players from the past to find out what happened to them in this first in a series from Sports Publishing LLC (the second "Where Have You Gone?" book is on the Phillies). Although the selection criteria is not clearly stated it seems safe to say that DiMaggio could not be included for two reasons. The first is that all of these former baseball players are still alive and the second is that members of the Hall of Fame are excluded (I am sure Tommy John would like to be eventually be removed from future reprints of this volume for that reason).

In reading this book you will discover the answers to all sorts of interesting questions about these former Yankees: Which pitcher had a deformed right arm? Which pitcher did a radio announcer incorrectly say gave up Bill Mazeroski's home run in the 1960 World Series? Who is the oldest living former Yankee? Who burst into tears when the Yankees trade him away? Who pinch-hit for Yogi Berra in the World Series? Who was the pitcher who won the last World Series game ever played at Ebbett's Field? What former player was a New York City Fire Department Lieutenant on September 11th? What former player got all ten of his children through college? Which former teammate stood up and spoke at the funeral of Roger Maris? Which player got his first look at Yankee Stadium in the middle of the night? Which Yankee was an All-American quarterback in college? I actually knew the answer to the last one, but the rest were news to me, which is the point of a book like this.

Of course "Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" is not only about what these former players are doing today, it is also about some of their fondest memories about playing for the Bronx Bombers, which is actually more interesting when you already know what Bobby Cox has been doing the last couple of years. A lot of the memories have to do with getting a World Series ring or more famous teammates who are not profiled in this book, but there are also lots of stories of what these players did after leaving the Yankees and baseball. An interesting sub-plot in several of these chapters has to do with former players like Chris Chambliss and Willie Randolph trying to get a job managing in the major leagues.

As soon as I heard about this book about former Yankees I immediately knew who should be in this book as my litmus test. In other words there was one player whose name sprang to mind and if he was not in the book I would be disappointed. Fortunately, there is indeed a chapter devoted to George Zeber. You remember him. He was the utility infielder for the Yankees during the 1977 season in which he batted .323 and had 3 home runs and 10 RBI's in only 65 at bats. He was a super scrub, backing up Willie Randolph, Bucky Dent, and Graig Nettles, plus getting to DH now and then on the only Billy Martin team to win a World Series. Including Zeber tips this book off the fence and gets that fifth star.

The book is illustrated with faux baseball cards for each player, with the slightly different versions of the 1940 Play Ball and 1951, 1965, 1974 and 1986 Topps cards representing the players from each of those decades (they stumped me on what the 1930s card is modeled on). A box below the "card" lists the seasons the player had with the Yankees and their stats for their best season with the club. There is a four-page photo spread in the middle with current photographs of 19 of the former Yankees, including one of Bucky Dent and Mike Torrez in tuxedoes.

"Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" is a nightstand book, which is simply a way of saying it is the sort of book where you would want to read a chapter or two before you go to bed. Since each chapter is about a different player and the order is random rather than chronological, beginning with Dooley Womack and ending with "Old Reliable" Tommy Heinrich, it is not like there is really any sort of narrative thread. Besides, this is not really a book that you want to sit down and read from cover to cover. Granted, few besides Yankee fans are likely to read this book, but we are legion.

I am sure that as soon as you finish reading this book there will easily be a dozen names of other former Yankees about whom you will be asking the magic questions, "Where Have You Gone?" I was wondering about Charlie Smith, whom the Yankees got from the Cardinals in exchange for Roger Maris, as well as Bill Robinson and Steve Whitaker, who were supposed to platoon in the outfield as Mickey Mantle's replacement. When somebody mentions Mike Ferraro, Matty Alou, and Bob Watson it is hard not to wonder what they are up to. Say Mike Torrez and I think of Ed Figueroa. Then there is the question of what Oscar Gamble's hair looks like today. Clearly, there are plenty of other former Yankees out there that can be included in a second volume. Even given what happened last fall there really should be a "Yankees II: Where Have You Gone" before we get to a book on the Florida Marlins.

Rating:
Summary: MAURY ALLEN IS A NATIONAL TREASURE
Review: Now that Jim Murray and Leonard Koppett are gone, Maury Allen may be the greatest literary link to our storied sports past. The man is a treasure. He has more first-hand knowledge of great sporting events of the past 50 years than any single writer, and this latest book is just another example of a terrific scribe at work. Bravo!

STEVEN TRAVERS
Author of "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman"
[e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: YANKEES ARE NEVER REALLY GONE......
Review: True Yankees never really leave. This book proves it. Ball players who played for many other teams still consider their time with the Yankees (however brief) the highlight of their careers. Only one bitter player in the bunch (Hal Reniff).
Maury Allen is a walking sports encyclopedia, and this is a great book. An easy read, and chock filled with Yankees information. I loved it. Maury should write "Part 2".

Rating:
Summary: Nice work
Review: Well done, by a fine writer. I love reading about the lesser lights, and what happened to them after their playing days. This book was great for that.

Rating:
Summary: A Unique Look at Some Lesser Lights
Review: What a great idea! There are countless books about DiMaggio, Ruth, Maris, and Mantle, but now veteran sportwriter Maury Allen gives us a glimpse into the world of the also-rans. It takes nine players to field a team, and in this book we catch up with some of the other guys who may have had a smaller share of the glory, but who helped make the superstars what they were.

Of course, a book like this rises or falls on the quality of the stories themselves, and I found every story to be fun and enlightening. If you have ever wondered what happened to some of your favorite Yankees, then pick up a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read on Yankees
Review: When I saw this book on the shelf I had to pick it up...
The pinstripes hanging so brilliantly in the locker. Once I looked at it I immediately knew what it was and had to purchase. If you are a fan of Sports Illustrateds' "faces in the crowd" or "catching up with" section of the magazine you will love this book! A better analogy may be HBO's "where have they gone segements" on Bryant Gumbells show, where they visit with the likes of Hollywood Henderson, Earl Cambell etc...Let you know what they did, and what they are doing. Well this is a little more specific as it relates to ONLY Yankees. Very well written by expert writer Maury Allen (you don't need to be an Allen fan, as I am, to love this book). It will bring you up-to-date with information about the best-known players as well as the "hey I remember that guy" types. From what I hear this is going to be a series of books, next up Where Have You Gone, Phillies

Rating:
Summary: A blast from the past
Review: Wow, there they are, all of those men whose names have slipped from my memory over the years. From Stan Bahnsen to George Zeber. From Jay Johnstone to Dooley Womack. They are the lesser lights of baseball, the non-legends who played for the Yankees but who are a part of Yankees' history. This is great stuff! Allen picked 50 former players, tells us what they're doing now and then recounts some wonderful stories about their playing days and their sometimes small parts in Yankees' lore. These are the kinds of stories that you won't read in a newspaper or press release, and even though I'm not a Yankees fan, I enjoyed reading them. Allen has a wonderful knack for telling interesting baseball stories and he shows the human side of these journeymen players and how they loved the game. If you like going behind the box scores, you'll love this book.