New York Yankees: Seasons of Glory

The New York Yankees have been hailed as the greatest team of all time. But the glory of the club has been the contributions made by individual team members. Who will ever forget Mickey "The Mick" Mantle in 1956, or Roger Maris in 1961, or Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson in 1980? How could one possibly choose the best individual Yankee seasons from the sensational performances of such greats as Whitey Ford, Don Mattingly, Joe DiMaggio, Tommy John, and Goose Gossage?

In New York Yankees: Seasons of Glory sportswriters William Hageman and Warren Wilbert (who actually admitted to being Chicago White Sox fans!) have undertaken that Herculean task. And here they spotlight the 50 greatest individual Yankee seasons of all time ranked in order of their memorability. To do so, Hageman and Wilbert evaluated every season of every player who donned the pinstripes by following the Sabermetric rating system-a series of complex mathematical formulas that analyze not only a player's statistics for a given year but also take into account the ballparks in which they played, the strength of the league that season, the overall team stats, and other factors. Sabermetrics even allows for comparisons between players and clubs of different eras.

A monumental task, but definitely doable, as the daring Hageman and Wilbert have proven. Open the pages of New York Yankees: Seasons of Glory and see what you think. Was Roger Maris better in 1960, his first year in the Bronx, than he was in 1961, when he hit 61 home runs? Was Sparky Lyle really more valuable to the Yankees in 1977 than in 1972, when he had more saves and a better ERA? By making choices such as these, Hageman and Wilbert will surely stir up controversy and arouse passions. But, then again, so have Yogi Berra, Rickey Henderson, David Wells, and George Steinbrenner!

So accept the authors' invitation: sit back, relax, and relive some of the greatest individual performances in the history of the national pastime.