Five O'Clock Lightning : Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and the Glory Years of the NY Yankees

Henrich, Tommy; with Bill Gilbert

ISBN 10: 1559721014 / ISBN 13: 9781559721011

Published by Birch Lane Press, New York, 1992

About this Item

New York: Birch Lane Press, 1992. Fine condition in bright, shiny, Fine Dust Jacket. Not a book club edition. No remainder marks. No owner's name or bookplate. Bright, clean, square, tight, and unmarked. Sharp corners. Fresh and crisp, probably never read. First printing, with complete number row (10 987654321) on copyright page. Photo illustrated. Index. Baseball autobiography. From the Dust Jacket: "Tommy Henrich was Joe Dimaggio's teammate longer than any other player. Among the compelling moments he recalls in FIVE O'CLOCK LIGHTNING: The day in 1939 when Lou Gehrig, dying, took himself out of the game, ending his record 2,130 consecutive games played; The fourth game in the '41 World Series, when Henrich's bizarre 'strikeout' helped the Yanks win the game, and eventually the championship; DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. 1950, Henrich's final year, when future stars like Billy martin and Whitey Ford joined the Yankees. and how Henrich helped Mickey Mantle become an outfielder.". First Printing of the First Edition. Hardcover. Blue cloth spine / tan boards/DJ Not Price Clipped (19.95). 8vo. xi, 298pp.

Seller Inventory # 001667

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Five O'Clock Lightning : Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and the Glory Years of the NY Yankees
• Publisher: Birch Lane Press, New York
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1559721014
• ISBN 13: 9781559721011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Printing of the First Edition.
• Condition: Blue cloth spine / tan boards
• Dust Jacket Condition: DJ Not Price Clipped (19.95)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Baseball

About this title

Synopsis

A former Yankee remembers his life with the New York Yankees during the team's heyday

Reviews

Feather-light but thoroughly agreeable recollections of a fulfilling career in professional baseball, from the New York Yankee dubbed ``Old Reliable.'' With three years out for service with the Coast Guard during WW II, Henrich played for the Bronx Bombers from 1937 through 1950, when a bum knee finally forced him into retirement at age 38. The hard-hitting right-fielder's championship seasons encompassed some of the sport's enduring moments, including the April day in 1939 when a dying Lou Gehrig took himself out of the lineup, ending his iron-man record at 2,130 consecutive games played. On a more personal level, Henrich was the lucky batter when Mickey Owen, the Brooklyn Dodgers catcher, dropped a third strike in the turning- point fourth game of the 1941 World Series, permitting the American League pennant winners to sweep on to the title. Propelled by memories like this, plus graceful tributes to a host of diamond personalities (Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Lefty Gomez, Johnny Mize, Don Newcombe, Phil Rizzuto, Jackie Robinson, Casey Stengel, et al.), the chronological narrative moves along at a rapid, albeit perhaps self-ingratiating, clip. Looking back with evident delight on his days as a member of memorable clubs, Henrich has harsh words for only a handful of umpires he deemed ``homers,'' head-hunting pitchers, and tight-fisted general managers who kept his annual earnings in the low five-figures range. In closing, however, Henrich makes a point of castigating George Steinbrenner for tarnishing the image of his beloved Yankees. As nice a baseball memoir as fans and nostalgia buffs are likely to find any time soon. (Eight pages of photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.