Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees - Hardcover

Rosen, Charley

2.8

46 ratings by Goodreads

9780062005984: Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062005987 ISBN 13: 9780062005984

Publisher: Harper, 2011

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"Delightful and insightful." —John Thorn, author of Total Baseball

Baseball is the only sport where the defense has the ball, and there is no lonelier in the world of sports than the pitcher’s mound. Which makes Yankee relievers among the most scrutinized and intriguing group of athletes in the game. In Bullpen Diaries, Charley Rosen, lifelong Yankees fan and co-author of the bestseller More Than Just a Game, delivers a fun, insider’s look at this rare breed of player. With one-of-a-kind stories about Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera and teammates, as well as behind-the-scenes interviews and fascinating trivia (including the origin of baseball’s secret mud), Rosen hits a grand slam with this indispensible volume of baseball history—featuring players and teams from across the MLB as well as predictions for 2011.

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From the Back Cover:

Baseball is the only game where the defense has the ball.

So begins an inside look at baseball's most scrutinized group of players—relief pitchers—and life in the most intriguing bullpen of all, that of the New York Yankees.

Second-guessed and overstressed, the manager finds his use of the bullpen the most debated topic after any game, but the reliever is the guy in the spotlight, game on the line, alone on a raised mound of clay.

Bestselling sportswriter Charley Rosen takes the reader on the wild journey that is the evolution of relief pitching over the years and examines the eccentric characters who have taken on the pressure of closing out games—or not. Bullpen Diaries is full of interviews with key players, coaches, and scouts from around the league; replete with the drama of blown plays and walk-off grand slams; and laced with funny anecdotes about Yankee greats throughout the years.

To underscore the drama and difficulty of being a reliever, Rosen uses key games in the 2010 season—acknowledged now as the Year of the Pitcher—to highlight strategies and mistakes, examine relievers on the rise or on the way out, and analyze the teams and the pitchers the Yanks faced. Bullpen Diaries also takes a look at Yankee strategies for success—past, present, and, most important, future. Lastly, Rosen reveals his predictions for 2011 and beyond for baseball's most storied franchise.

With insight on current players from around the league and tales of Yankee legends, Stadium history, and the author's Bronx childhood, Bullpen Diaries is a love letter to baseball and a pure joy for all fans of America's favorite pastime.

About the Author:

Charley Rosen is the coauthor with Phil Jackson of the New York Times bestseller More Than Just a Game. He is the author of Bullpen Diaries and fifteen other sports books, and has written more than a hundred articles for publications such as the New York Times Book Review, Sport, Inside Sports, M, and Men's Journal.

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