Damn Yankees!

Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World's Most Loved (and Hated) Team
Edited by Rob Felder - 2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Rob Fleder says it himself in his introduction to this book, love them or hate them, everyone has an opinion about the New York Yankees.  This book proves it.

In Damn Yankees, Fleder has gathered essays from 24 top-notch writers about anything Yankee related.  Some speak about their experiences growing up as fans, as haters, as onlookers, but all talk about the Yankees and what they mean to them.

The collection of essays are interesting in their variety, each author talks about different times and topics, which means there's something for everyone here.  Some essays are better than others and then some are really good.  Number one pick for best essay: "The Errors of our Ways" by Pete Dexter.

Accidents do Happen... For the Best

An Accidental Sportswriter
Robert Lipsyte - 2011 HarperCollins Publishers

I was very excited to read this book by Bob Lipsyte about his sports writing career and the biggest complaint I have is that is wasn't longer.  Lipsyte focuses on a few athletes and individuals and selects some of the major social issues, as they occurred in sports, to talk about as a reflection of his career.

The book is clear, pretty easy to read (sometimes the transitions are a little abrupt) and unique from most other sports writer's accounts in Lipsyte's love-hate relationship with what has "accidentally" defined his career. 

There are many interesting anecdotes that he recounts (one of the best when he met Muhammad Ali and the Beatles in the same day, before either became national sensations) and various issues that he discusses (the interesting relationship between those that write about sports and the sports hierarchy that allows writers to write about them.)

This book is recommended for its fresh, different and intriguing interpretation of sports and sports writing.

When the Garden was Eden

Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks
Harvey Araton - 2011 HarperCollins Publishers

This book is a well written and very enjoyable read about the glory days of the Old Knicks and their championship seasons.  The title of the book says much and the focus of the book is true to the paradisaical description as Araton describes not only the players and the teams but also compares those team-oriented Knicks to the star studded teams of the present.   Araton also occasionally includes first person accounts that make the book and the story much more personal and relevant. 

There two additional aspects of this book that make it well worth the read.  One is the followup and information Araton includes about the players and their lives after basketball.  The second is in the significance of the game not only to a sports city but also to a country undergoing great social and political changes.