A Fun Read for Yankee Fans
David Horne, a member of our blogging community and a frequent commenter here, sent me a copy of the book he recently co-authored. I’m not someone who pays a lot of attention to stats, but this book is fascinating and informative. If you love Yankees trivia, this is the reference for you. Its sports-by-the-numbers approach is unique, with each number between 1 and 1,000 assigned a specific fact/record/anomaly in Yankees history. For example….
#53: The number of doubles for Don Mattingly in 1986 – the third consecutive season Mattingly led the league in doubles. He not only set a career high, but also set a franchise record for most doubles in a season.
#242: The number of home runs for the Yankees in 2004 – a franchise record. A-Rod and Sheffield led the club with 36 homers each; Matsui hit 31; and nine different players hit at least 12.
#591: The winning percentage for manager Billy Martin during eight seasons in the Bronx. He posted a 556-385 record during his tenure, plus two pennants and a World Series championship.
You get the picture. There are also short chapters on Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Thurman Munson, Paul O’Neill and others, plus a foreword by the NY Post’s Mike Vaccaro, who says about the book: “You’ll lose yourself in baseball, in history, in numbers, and in the New York Yankees. I envy you. I can’t think of a better way to pass the next couple of hours.”
Here’s the amazon link in case anyone’s interested in making a purchase.
Confessions of a She-Fan 
That Mattingly stat must be like salt in Yankees’ fans wounds considering he never won a Championship during his tenure. Poor guy. At least he had a cool mustache!
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
He did have a cool mustache. Good guy too. I want him back in pinstripes!
Here’s a stat:
0 – Combined number of rings won by Mattingly and A-Rod. (Sorry, just had to.) The book looks like fun and the 1-1000 format is very clever. Congrats to David! I’m buying one for my Yankees-lovin’ nephew.
Speaking of bestsellers, Jane, you’ll be happy to know that at a recent visit to my favorite Barmes & Noble in Burlington, MA, two of your titles were prominently featured (multiple copies and faced out): Some Nerve and An Ex to Grind.
Do you think of the titles yourself or does marketing come up with them?
Steve T.
http://soxblog.mlblogs.com
Hey, Steve, thanks for letting me know about spotting Some Nerve and An Ex to Grind at your local B&N. Authors complain nonstop about our books never being in the stores, so this news made my day. (I didn’t even blink at the Mattingly/A-Rod shot!) So did you BUY one of the books? You must know a female who likes chick lit! And yes, I come up with my own titles, which is almost as hard as writing the novels themselves.
Ah, I knew you’d ask about the purchase! Well, I didn’t this time, but I have a close friend (we co-founded a writers’ group) who’s shopping her own novel who would enjoy it. She’s a huge Jodi Picoult fan and we often argue where the dividing line lies between chick-lit and general fiction.
Steve
Hi Jane —
Thanks for taking the time to say a few words about our book! I read the article you did on the writer’s blog, where you talked about your original letter to the NY Times, where the idea for She-Fan came from, etc. — I am looking forward to reading it, but I have to admit to being pretty jealous that you got to travel to so many games. I only made it to the Bronx twice while writing our Yankees book — it must have been an absolutely amazing experience writing your book. Can’t wait to see it — and thanks again!
— David
http://sportsbythenumbers.mlblogs.com/
Steve, that’s great that you co-founded a writer’s group. I wish I’d been involved in one when I started. The feedback is invaluable. My novels are lighter than Picoult’s – they’re relationship comedies – but maybe she’ll like them. What type of writing are you working on?
Speaking of which, you’re very welcome, David. I really do think your book is perfect for Yankees trivia buffs. Lots of fun info. And yes, following the Yankees around for half a season was a dream come true. I had a tough time when it was over, as you’ll read in the book. Getting back to “real life” after spending so much time on the road is something the beat writers deal with every season, but it was a first for me.
I’m working on a mystery–and boy are they hard! One misplaced character and the whole story goes off the rails. General fiction is so much easier, but I like the idea of plotting everything out first and then fleshing out the story.
Steve T
http://soxblog.mlblogs.com
Smart idea going with mysteries first. Some of my novels have murders in them – “funny murders,” but they involve solving a crime and figuring out who did the deed. A mystery moves the plot forward, and for a beginning fiction writer it’s an easy way to find that forward momentum. Sounds like you’re on the right track.