The Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports HIstory and Uplifted a City and the Country - Hardcover

Shamsky, Art; Zeman, Barry; Costas, Bob; Namath, Joe; Seaver, Tom; Bradley, Bill

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9780312333584: The Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports HIstory and Uplifted a City and the Country

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312333587 ISBN 13: 9780312333584

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004

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The remarkable story of the season when the New York Jets, Mets, and Knicks all won championships, recounted by the players who made it happen and the fans who experienced it

In 1969 three underdog New York sports teams won World Championships. It was an unprecedented feat in the history of sports, and it helped bring the nation's largest city---and much of the country---euphoria to balance the lingering political despair of 1969. And here, in The Magnificent Seasons, is that story---a re-creation of one of the most magical periods in sports history.

In reflecting on these events, what they meant then and what they still mean today, Art Shamsky, a 1969 "Miracle Met," introduces the thoughts of members of every team. Highlights include comments from Joe Namath, Tom Seaver, Bill Bradley, Yogi Berra, Emerson Boozer, Jerry Koosman, and many more. But as important as these wins were to the players and coaches who made them happen, their victories meant just as much to the city and the people who celebrated them, and Shamsky includes their perspectives through such personalities as Bob Costas, David Halberstam, Rudy Giuliani, and many other fans of the city and its sports.

Together, the words and pictures within make a wonderful keepsake---a book that lets fans relive three championship runs and gives a true sense of what these sports victories meant to a country suffering through a turbulent period in its history. The words and memories of the players, their fans, and their opponents carry a tremendous emotional charge, and The Magnificent Seasons takes readers back with all the heart-stopping thrill of the time when three teams captivated the country, and when New York City ruled the sporting world.

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About the Author:

Art Shamsky was a major part of the "Miracle Mets" that won the 1969 World Series. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After his Major League Baseball career ended, he remained in New York and became involved in a number of successful business enterprises. He also worked as a sports broadcaster on radio and television for eight years. He and his wife, Kim, reside in New York City.
Barry T. Zeman, a nonfiction writer, antiquarian, historian, longtime sports fan, and former CEO, recently ended two terms as national Executive Vice President of the Mystery Writers of America. He writes and lectures extensively at national and international conferences on a variety of subjects, and has edited and contributed to numerous books, journals, and magazines, many of which have garnered writing awards and nominations. He lives in New York with his mystery writer wife, Angela.

From Publishers Weekly:

In 1968–1970, New York fans were treated to an amazing, extended sports season, as the football Jets, baseball Mets and basketball Knicks all won championships during one glorious "harmonic convergence." Only the Knicks had enjoyed anything close to previous glory; the Mets were reliable failures, and the Jets were similarly mediocre. Shamsky, who played for the Mets during their "Amazin' " year, goes beyond the normal jocular jock anecdotes, reminding readers of the lift this trio of wins meant to a New York beleaguered by political upheaval and financial difficulties and grappling with the larger issues of racial unrest and the Vietnam War. He pins a hero to each team, explaining how, for example, Jets legend Joe Namath's swagger and swinging style made waves. The Knicks had a proud but battered leader, Willis Reed, who played with badly aching knees to propel the team into the NBA finals. Then there were the Mets. The lovable losers became cult favorites thanks to their penchant for poor play. But after Gil Hodges, a former Brooklyn Dodger star, took over as manager, they surprised everyone and took the championship. Although Shamsky's prose is clumsy at times, it accurately portrays the sense of what these teams, and those seasons, meant to New York.
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