Yankee Stadium: The Official Retrospective

• #6 in Best Baseball Books

21 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

Since I have season tickets to the Stadium this year, I'm trying to learn as much about it as possible.

Most of the stuff I have regarding the stadium and the team is on DVD. I'm happy to add this to my bookshelf collection.

This book has some heft in size but is admittedly light on text content.
That is the only reason I'm bumping down the review to 4 stars.

While I was at the bookstore, flipping through several other Yankees books, this one came across as the most visually stunning.

There are other compendiums of facts and figures about the Yankees that are better than this book, but this one captures what a fan of the stadium will want. Big full vibrant B/W and Color photos of the stadium through each stage in it's history, along with details of the events inside.

To enjoy coach Shula's comment, that he was proud to play a football game in historic Yankee stadium, almost gives you the chills.

A color photo of Babe Ruth sitting in front of his locker, after his farewell speech is truly legendary.

OK. I knew the Stadium had a history of hosting boxing matches, but soccer!?

There is a similar yet smaller softbound version, published at an earlier time. This larger one, with many more pages, is worth the extra $20.

This would be a very nice gift for any fan.

This is the kind of book that will be marveled at by youngsters when they visit your house, before heading out to the game!

Great book and a must-have for true Yankee fans and baseball purists alike. A true send off to the Cathedral of baseball. The stadium played host to many historic events besides yankee baseball, but will always be remembered for the many great moments in pinstripe history. A definitive account of the big old ballpark in the bronx. This book is excellent!!!

One of the best books on Yankee Stadium I have ever read. Throw away all the others...this is the one to have!

I am very satisfied with the book as well as the timeliness of the delivery. Being a lifelong Yankees fan I am looking forward to the new Yankee Stadium with bittersweet emotions. The new stadium is great for fans as well as for ownership of the team. I will never forget my visits to Yankee Stadium to see my favorite team as well as my childhood idol (Mickey Mantle)with my lifelong idol my dad. Thanks to amazon.com for making this great book available at an affordfable price

I went to the Stadium a few weeks ago. It was sad knowing this is the last season in the House That Ruth Built.
This book will keep the memories alive forever.

This is a must have for any Yankee fan. Get it!

My husband who has been a Yankee fan ever since he was a little boy loved this book I bought it as a gift for him. I originally saw it on QVC in a box for about $76 with shipping and since I don't buy any books without consulting Amazon first I checked it out. Who needs a box for an extra $40. My husband said it brought back lots of memories and the pictures are fantastic .He was thrilled I thought of this for him.

I bought this book as a gift for my husband. He absolutely loves it. He actually said that it's the greatest book that he's ever received! I flipped through it and it's very insightful with a ton of photos that capture the history of the stadium.

Do not be deceived by its appearance. This is in no sense a "coffee table book" except that you will want to have it near at hand on prominent display. Credit Mark Vancil and Alfred Santasiere III with selecting and editing a wealth of information and photographs (most in vivid full-color) that create quite literally both a comprehensive biography and multi-dimensional portrait of Yankee Stadium. Various contributors provide individual retrospective analyses of these segments:

In "A Walk Through Time" (Pages 16-35), Santasiere allows the reader "to take a gander at the ballpark itself" " during an extensive tour (e.g. ushers, the press box, George Steinbrenner's office and its various collection of memorabilia, the stadium's "frieze," the playing field, the clubhouse, the manager's office, the dugout, and Monument Park. The quality of the photographs in this section comes about as close as photographs can to making the viewer feel as if she or he were actually roaming throughout the stadium in person. In this section and in all others, the crisp copy that accompanies the photos creates a context for each.

In "The Birth of a Ballpark" (Pages 36-75), Bob Klapich reviews the team's history since 1912 when its name was the Hilltoppers (the team's home field was Hilltop Park) and finished in last place. Renamed the Yankees, they later played their home games at the Polo Grounds (also home of the Giants), were also-rans from 1916-1920, acquired George Herman ("Babe") Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, and finally the franchise had a permanent home when Yankee Stadium was built. The opening day was April 18, 1923. Construction requirement included removal of 45,000 cubic yards of dirt, 800 tons of rebar, 2,300 tons of mechanical steel, 116,000 square feet of sod, 13,000 yards of topsoil, 950,000 three million board feet of lumber for the bleachers, and 284 days to complete. There are dozens of archival photos of various stages of construction. Also included in this section are "First Person" reminiscences such as those provided by Ray Robinson, Phil Rizzuto Mario Cuomo, and Ernie Acorsi, Regis Philbin, Michael Bloomberg, and Dan Quale.

In "Iconic Moments at the Stadium" (Pages 76-137), Klapich provides a retrospective commentary on Lou Gehrig's memorable farewell and then Babe Ruth's farewell eight years later, the 1928 game when Knute Rockne's Notre Dame team defeated favored Army 12-8 and won it "for the Gipper," Frank Gipp, Joe DiMaggio's record of getting a hit in 56 consecutive games (a record that still stands 67 years later), Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers (with a mini-commentary provided by Dick Young), arguably the greatest NFL game ever when the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in overtime for the league championship in 1958 (23-17), Joe Louis' defeat of Max Schmeling (1938) and Muhammad Ali's defeat of Ken Norton (1976), Roger Maris' 61st homerun in 1961 to break Babe Ruth's record of 60 in 1927 (with a mini-commentary provided by Phil Pepe), Pope Paul VI's visit in 1965, the Army-Notre Dame football game in 1946 (with a mini-commentary provided by Johnny Lujack), and Pope Paul II's visit in 1979 (with a mini-commentary provided by Edward Cardinal Egan). Once again, as elsewhere throughout the book, the photographs are stunning.

In "Yankee Stadium Baseball History" (Pages 138-185), Bill Madden reviews some of the greatest highlights of a history that is probably unsurpassed among Major League Baseball in terms of great players, great games, and memorable moments. The reader is briefed on "Home Run Factoids" accompanied by "First Person" observations by Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, Jerry Coleman, Lou Piniella, Chris Chambliss, Reggie Jackson, David Cone, George H. W. Bush (whose son threw out the first pitch - a strike - during the third game of the 2001 World Series following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon), Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neil, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Brian Cashman, Joe Torre, Dave Winfield, Paul McCartney, Whitey Ford, and Jose Pasada. I identify these contributors because almost all of them were directly involved in some of the memorable moments while playing or managing some of the greatest Yankee teams. Again, the photographs are superb.

In Section Four, "America's Amphitheater" (Pages 186-230), Ira Berkow takes a somewhat different approach as he reviews impressions of first visits to Yankee Stadium and favorite memories of it that are shared in "First Person" reminiscences by Bobby Murcer, Rich Gossage, the Rev. Billy Graham, Don Mattingly, Bill Clinton, Joseph P. Kennedy III, Lance Armstrong, Steve Richardson, Charlie Weis, Frank Gifford, Jim Brown, Don Shula, Sam Huff, Roger Clemens, Bob Sheppard, Alex Ridriguez, Bert Randolph Sugar (who also lists what he considers to be the ten most memorable fights), Angelo Dundee, and Ron Guidry.

No commentary such as this could possibly do full justice to the scope and depth of the text, nor to the quality and diversity of the photographs that are seamlessly integrated with the narrative. Perhaps the best way to express my appreciation of this book is to say that if it were only a text without photographs, I would rate it Five Stars and wish there were a higher rating available. And if it were only a collection of photographs with brief captions, I would have the same opinion when rating it. Thank you, Mark Vancil, Alfred Santasiere III, and your associates.

This book shows many photos and contains stories about the stadium which will soon be torn down. It made a great birthday gift for my husband!

For any historian, let alone a New York Yankees fan, this is a beautiful book to own and enjoy. The photography is stunning and the interviews are very interesting. The price also can't be beat, if you are buying through Amazon.com.

This was an awesome book. I have gone to Yankee Stadium since The 1940's. It is really one of the most beautiful places in the world.
This book has the Stadium coming to life.

Are you having trouble letting go of another important Major League Baseball stadium? If so, buy this book and hold onto some incredible images, memories, and stories. I'm not a Yankee fan, but I am an avid baseball enthusiast so I understand the incredible historic and nostalgic value of this book. There is no greater team in all of sports than the New York Yankees, and of course, there is only one house that Ruth built.

We bought this book as a gift for a Yankee fan. It was a great gift because he really liked it. Lots of history and wonderful pictures.

Great Book. My wife and I were at Yankee Stadium on their next to last ballgame.

Great book. A bit pricey, but what the heck, you only live once. And thank God I'm a Yankees fan. I read some of the other reviews and have to say, I agree with most, this book is a great gift idea. My wife also just bought me New York Yankees: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers) If you want to make a Yankees fan happy, buy both books as a Christmas or B-Day gift.

I gave this book to my dad, who used to take me to games in the Bronx when I was a kid. Anyone who ever saw a game at the old Yankee Stadium should buy this book -- it will bring back a lot of great memories. I also recently bought another NYY book through Amazon and read it the last couple of days. If you want the history of the team and care about all the numbers that make the Bronx Bombers such an important part of baseball history, then I'd also recommend this title: New York Yankees: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers)

I gave this to my son for his birthday present and he loved it. Lots of pictures and historical data.

All true NYY fans will love this book. This "coffee table" book has great insight into the history of Yankee Stadium. The photography alone is worth the price of the book - it makes you realize what a tremendous part of baseball, and history, this stadium has been. The interviews and memories of many great Hall Of Famers and future Hall Of Famers are a joy to read. I highly recommend this retrospective on an American treasure. What a loss!!!

The book is a very excellent book; it is very worthwhile for N.Y. Yankee fans. I am glad that I have it.

Thanks again.

This book made a Great Father's Day Gift,my husband who is a Yankee fan
enjoys it.

A fabulous book on the 75 year history of the greatest stadium on earth. but what to do with it in the future?