Download The Men Who Made the Yankees The Odyssey of the World Greatest Baseball Team from Baltimore to the Bronx W NikolaLisa 9780991218325 Books

Product details Paperback 144 pages Publisher Gyroscope Books (July 2, 2014) Language English ISBN-10 9780991218325 ISBN-13 978-0991218325 ASIN 0991218329

The Men Who Made the Yankees The Odyssey of the World Greatest Baseball Team from Baltimore to the Bronx W NikolaLisa 9780991218325 Books Reviews

• This small paperback book surprised me. It contains only 111 pages of text in addition to two pages covering Monument Park but briefly covers baseball beginning in 1893 through the Yankees' first World Championship in 1923. I've never heard of the author, W. Nikola-Lisa, in any of the baseball books I have read but I didn't come across any errors in the book. I found the bibliography to be impressive and also contains an index. The photographs are small but then so is the book. If you want to read a concise history of the events leading up to the New York Yankees' franchise which moved from Baltimore at the turn of the century and bought by two corrupt owners, Bill Devery and Frank Farrell, for the price of $18,000 this book would be a good introduction for the novice reader who is interested in learning about the shenanigans involved in trying to prevent another major league team from invading the hallowed ground of the lordly New York Giants.
• Gentlemen;
  This is a real good baseball book. The Yankees started as a rummy team that seldom won. When the two rich men, Houston and Ruppert, bought in and put smart money into the team they went to the top. Miller Huggins and Babe Ruth made the team. Plus building Yankee Stadium.
  and having Ed Barrow as General manager helped a lot. The Yankees have been on top for nearly 100 years and they are the best.
  
  sincerely,
  
  David karickhoff
• I wasn't very impressed with this book. To me, it was more about the history of baseball ownership in the early years than it was about "the men who made the Yankees."
• Good book, but it was too quick.
• Rating
  4 of 5 stars (very good)
  
  Review
  The origin of the New York Yankees is a story that is not often told as it has very humble beginnings and the franchise was lacking stability in not only the ownership, but also retaining its best players and even its home ball park. It wasn’t until Babe Ruth was bought in 1920 and Yankee Stadium was erected in 1923 did they become the iconic sports team they are known as today. This book by W. Nikola-Lisa describes those early days of not only the franchise, but also tells of the origins of early professional baseball leagues as a backdrop to the beginning of the Yankee empire.
  
  The writing is compact as Nikola-Lisa does not describe the origins of the leagues (National League, American League, American Association, and Federal League to name a few) in great detail. However, there is enough information in the book that readers who may not be familiar with the early history of professional baseball will enjoy learning some new information.
  
  There are a lot of people who are an integral part of the story, from the founder of the American League, Ban Johnson, to John McGraw to the various owners of the Yankees. At times it was hard to keep all of these people straight but the book does a good job of describing the importance of each man as he relates to the franchise. There are sidebar stories that are just as informative as the main book. Of course, the longest dissection is that of Babe Ruth and how he came to the Yankees. Most people know of the story of how he was sold so the Red Sox owner could bankroll a show. Nikola-Lisa explains that there was a lot more to the transaction than that.
  
  I enjoyed reading this short but informative book. Readers who are looking for a more thorough dissertation of the early history of the team should pass on this, but for those who were like me and just wanted to learn a little bit about that time in baseball history, this should be put on the list of books to be read.
  
  I wish to thank Mr. Nikola-Lisa for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Did I skim?
  No.
  
  Pace of the book
  For a short book, it is actually a slow read as there was a lot of information and people with whom I was not familiar. As a result, I slowed down from my usual reading pace in order to fully learn about the story.
  
  Do I recommend?
  Baseball history buffs will enjoy this book, as will Yankee fans who want to learn a little more about the early history of the franchise. It doesn’t dig too deep, but tells enough to give a good history lesson.
• Anyone interested in baseball or how a baseball team adjusted and rose to the top will love this absorbing book. W. Nikola-Lisa takes us back to the early American League in Baltimore, the Yankees move to the Bronx in New York, and how the influential club owners dealt with corruption and overcame myriads of problems. With the help of great players readers will enjoy the revelation of little known facts about the Yankees’ rise to win their first world title in 1923.
  
  The book’s focus is on the club owners and all they had to overcome. Readers will be impressed about the obstacles the Yankees and owners faced when moving to New York and stepping on the toes of the entrenched Giants. The book is unique and well worth reading.
• None of the suits on the cover made the Yankees. One man alone made the Yankees George Herman Ruth; and after him Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle kept it going. Yankees haven't had a truly great one since those days. Without Ruth, the corporate suits wouldn't have accomplished much.
• In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm a Red Sox fan. However, it's always best know the competition, and "The Men Who Made the Yankees" is just the primer on Yankees history I needed. So forgive me for saying this, Red Sox Nation, but I recommend you consider spending some quality time with this book. You don't have to root for them (that's okay, since they're not winning the World Series this year, anyway), but you should at least know everything you can about them! Nikola-Lisa makes it possible, and he makes it entertaining, too.