The Penn Stater Magazine

Drama in Pinstripes

January 26, 2009 at 12:44 pm Ryan Jones 1 comment

I’m not much of a baseball guy, so I tend not to follow the sport when it’s actually in season; news of the game’s offseason activities usually misses me completely.

But I couldn’t help noticing the buzz around Joe Torre’s new book detailing his time managing the New York Yankees. Baseball folks are talking about Torre’s behind-the-scenes accounting of those Yankee teams, particularly the dirt spilled about superstar third-baseman (and, allegedly, Madonna’s boyfriend) Alex Rodriguez. The New York Times’ coverage of the book makes it all sound pretty spicy:

Whether hitting 450-foot home runs or sunbathing shirtless in Central Park or squiring strippers, Rodriguez was like nothing ever seen before on the championship teams of the Torre Era: an ambitious superstar impressed and motivated by stature and status, particularly when those qualities pertained to himself.

Why do I mention it here? Because the book, The Yankee Years, is co-authored by Tom Verducci ’82, the longtime Sports Illustrated scribe who is arguably the most prominent baseball writer in the country. And if you’re the sort of baseball fan who likes to read while you drive, good news: Verducci (who also co-wrote Torre’s 1998 autobiography) also narrates the audio version.

Ryan Jones, senior editor

Entry filed under: Famous Penn Staters, Penn State alumni. Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Joe Torre, New York Yankees, Tom Verducci.