|
The Devil Wears Pinstripes
 By Jim Caple |
My first book is a fun look at the Yankees, including:
- A franchise timeline (Oct. 16, 2004: Steinbrenner
celebrates the Yankees’ 19-8 victory over the Red Sox in
Game 3 of the ALCS by hanging a banner that reads
“Mission Accomplished’’).
- The 10 Yankees who drive us nuts!
- The 10 greatest moments in Yankees-hating history.
- An examination of the differences between New York and
Boston fans.
- Blueprints to Rudy Giuliani’s proposed Yankees World.
- A look at the Steinbrenner money machine.
- An explanation of why, despite how insane the Yankees
make us, we still need them. Much in the way
''Casablanca'' needed the Nazis.
|
Dozen sports books I recommend:
“Ball Four’’ by Jim Bouton (baseball)
“The Boys of Summer’’ by Roger Kahn (baseball)
“The Breaks of the Game’’ by David Halberstam (basketball)
“The Miracle of Castel di Sangro’’ by Joe McGinniss (soccer)
“Playing the Moldovans at Tennis’’ by Tony Hawks (tennis)
Any collection of Roger Angell’s writing, particularly the early ones (baseball)
“Three Bricks Shy of a Load’’ by Roy Blount Jr. (football)
“Sandlot Peanuts’’ by Charles Schulz (baseball)
“What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?’’ by Richard Ben Cramer (baseball)
“The Courting of Marcus Dupree’’ by Willie Morris (football)
“Nine Innings’’ by David Okrent (baseball)
“The Greatest Season’’ by GH Fleming (baseball)
Recently published books I recommend:
“The Numbers Game’’ by Alan Schwarz. A captivating history of the fascinating
people who decided what baseball stats were worth compiling . . . and how it
affected our perception of the game.
“Ted Williams’’ by Leigh Montville. A superb biography of Williams by a terrific writer.
“The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber’’ by Julian Rubinstein. The wild tale of the worst
goalie in the history of hockey, who also just happened to be Romania’s most wanted
bank robber.
“The Reindeer Was My Caddy’’ by Steve Rushin. A collection of some of Rushin’s best
writing for Sports Illustrated.
“The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty’’ by Buster Olney. A fine portrait of the men
behind the Yankees recent dynasty.
|
|
 Reviews |
“We right and righteous haters of the New York Yankees finally
have our very own Bible. Or at least our George Carlinesque
equivalent of an anti-Yankees Gospel. Jim Caple has distilled
our beliefs and fears into a hilarious little paperback titled “The
Devil Wears Pinstripes: George Steinbrenner, the Satans of
Swat and the Curse of A-Rod" (Plume, 221 pages, $14). . . .
"The Devil Wears Pinstripes" is a kind of "Whole Earth Catalog"
of Yankee sins, excesses and hagiography, a hilarious
compendium of reasons to dis the despised dynasty. . . . Caple
has provided a long-overdue corrective to all the nausea-
producing mythology and mania surrounding the N.Y.
Yankees.’’ (See the full review for more.)
John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“ I just got my copy of The Devil Wears Pinstripes about an hour
ago, and I've got to say: this is the greatest book ever written.
At a minimum, its in the top three.’’
Bill James
"For all the books that try to explain the mystique that surrounds
the New York yankees, there never had been a book that truly
explains the rampant hatred that exists for the Yankees around
the country -- until now. In "The Devil Wears Pinstripes,'' Jim
Caple examines everything there is to hate about the Yankees
with good humor and insight. . . . Anyone who hates the
Yankees will find this an enjoyable read. Even a Yankees fan
with a sense of humor about their dominance might chuckle as
well.''
Matthew Meyers, Baseball America
“ Five fairly new books worth checking out to kick off your
summer of baseball:
1. The Devil Wears Pinstripes, by Jim Caple. If you're sick of
the Yankees, this irreverent look at their history is the perfect
antidote. If you're a fan of the Yankees, I bet you can't help but
smile at least a dozen times. Maybe 13."
Scott Miller, CBS Sportsline
|
|
