The Bosses of the Bronx - by Mike Vaccaro (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The crazy but true story of how owner George Steinbrenner, followed by his son Hal, have controlled the most famous team in American sports.

Since taking over the New York Yankees franchise in 1973, the Steinbrenners have transformed the fabled team from a struggling franchise into a baseball dynasty. George purchased the team for $8.8 million and quickly became known as "The Boss"--a hands-on owner whose relentless pursuit of victory defined an era. Under his leadership, the Yankees captured seven World Series championships, became a global sports brand, and consistently dominated the sports pages.

Yet as veteran New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro reveals, the story of the Steinbrenners and their team is much bigger and more complex--a drama of Shakespearian proportions, combining tragedy and great comedy. In this charming book written with all the candor and verve of the best press box reporting, he goes beyond the headlines to chronicle the complete saga--from the times King George went mad and was eventually banned to how Prince Hal, living in the long shadow of his father, has struggled to put his own unique stamp on the Pinstripe realm. He chronicles the infamous headline-making disputes between the team's managers and its mercurial owner, a man whose autocratic disposition would eventually get him banned from the game and earn him a place in pop culture lore with the hit sitcom Seinfeld.

A fun and wild remembrance of innings past for every Yankee fan and a must-read grudge list for every Yankee hater, The Bosses of the Bronx is a larger-than-life true tale of success, suffering, sacrifice, and downright silliness that captures this great franchise and the game of baseball itself.

Review Quotes

"Mike Vaccaro is the poet laureate of modern New York baseball, and The Bosses of the Bronx shows with immense precision and skill how Steinbrenner men are more than kings of the MLB world. They are reflections of the America they inhabit." -- Jeff Passan, Senior MLB Insider, ESPN and bestselling author of The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports

"There have been countless words written about George Steinbrenner's life and times with the Yankees. Who would have thought there was more to say? Mike Vaccaro did. And he was right. Vaccaro provides a fascinating and riveting perspective about who George was and how he impacted and still impacts the most storied franchise in baseball history. It's a baseball lesson, a history lesson and an essential read for Yankees fans." -- Jack Curry, YES Network Yankees analyst and bestselling author of The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever

"George Steinbrenner stands among the most titanic figures in American sports history, and his reign as The (one and only) Boss demanded this work from Mike Vaccaro, the ultimate New York historian and poet. The House of Steinbrenner turned a $10 million investment into an $8 billion colossus, and with deep reporting and necessary nuance, Vaccaro's book brilliantly illustrates how the trophies were won and why some virtues and values were sacrificed along the way." -- Ian O'Connor, New York Times bestselling author of The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter

"George Steinbrenner still towers over the Yankees' franchise, yet his persona has softened with the passage of time. Mike Vaccaro takes us back to the rollicking era of the Boss, which was far more chaotic, complex and compelling than modern fans realize. Nobody matches Vaccaro's historical perspective on New York sports, and his deft writing and dogged research reveal the real story of a voluble, volcanic leader with a reign like no other." -- Tyler Kepner, Senior MLB writer for The Athletic and bestselling author of K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches

"You think you know the power behind baseball's most powerful franchise, until The Bosses of the Bronx pulls back the curtain. Mike Vaccaro weaves storytelling and detailed reporting to give you an all-access pass that makes for a journey that is as fun as it is riveting." -- Tom Verducci, senior writer for Sports Illustrated and author of The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life

"Baseball fans know the broad outlines of the many stories surrounding the Steinbrenner Yankees. The Championships, the controversies, the vivid and often conflicting personalities. What distinguishes Mike Vaccaro's account is the engrossing detail that brings each episode back to life. And the insight into the character and motivations of those who played starring roles in the decades long drama."
-- Bob Costas

"No writer in the world understands the cadence and rhythms of New York sports like Mike Vaccaro. Bosses is (of course) a rollicking good time--how could it be anything else when you have a storyteller like Vaccaro taking us on the hilarious, infuriating, glorious, and ridiculous 50-year thrill ride that has been the Steinbrenners' Yankees. But even more that that, this is a book about New York and how, in so many ways, George Steinbrenner (a Clevelander!) understood the Big Apple's heartbeat better than anyone." -- Joe Posnanski, New York Times bestselling author of Why We Love Baseball and The Baseball 100

"Were he alive, George Steinbrenner would expect Bosses of the Bronx to be a serious ode to his singular splendor. But Mike Vaccaro's deep dive into the Steinbrenner baseball dynasty is both side-splitting funny (in its grasping of one man's Titanic-sized ego) and legitimately heartwarming (in his genuine love for his ballclub). This book reads like a Broadway show hopped up on narcissism, bluster and wealth. Which, in many ways, it is." -- Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur