Baseball Book Report Countdown #5 - Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball

The next book in this week's countdown is:

Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball - Bill Madden

Goerge Steinbrenner is arguably the most controversial figure in baseball. When he bought the New York Yankees from CBS in the 1970's he took Yankee fans, players, coaches and managers on a roller coaster ride that lasted almost 40 years. 

The Yankees were a bad team when he first took the reigns, and he slowly turned them into a winning team by putting his money where his mouth was. He was the first to offer mutli-million dollar contracts to free agents and garnered as much loyalty from employees as he did animosity. Unfortunately his ego got in the way of winning during the 1980's and it wasn't until his suspension from baseball in the early 90's that the Yankees were able to build what ultimately became a dynasty from 96 through 2000. 

This book is a must read for any fan of baseball history. Although I hate the Yankees, it gave me a new appreciation for them and how expectations are always high in baseball's largest market.