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The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever
Discover the inside story of the 1998 Yankees' unprecedented talent with this gripping account from a reporter who was there for the team's dominating 125 wins.
The visiting clubhouse in San Diego was soggy, sweaty and sticky after the 1998 Yankees swept the Padres in four games and celebrated winning their 24th World Series title. The players raised bottles of Champagne, sprayed the bubbly on each other and reveled in a baseball season that might have been more memorable than any in history.
Jack Curry was part of that unforgettable scene as a reporter, navigating around the clubhouse to ask the same, pertinent question. After winning an unprecedented 125 games and pummeling teams along the way, were these Yankees, the Yankees of Jeter, Mariano, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie, O’Neill, Tino and so many other vital players, the best team ever?
“Right now, you would have to call them the best team ever,” said owner George Steinbrenner.
Twenty five years later, Curry revisits that season to discuss how that team was built and why the Yankees were such a talented, refreshing and successful club. This book includes new interviews with more than 25 players, coaches and executives, who revealed some behind-the-stories about the magical journey and who also discussed the depth of this historic squad.
“From the first man to the 25th man on the roster, I don’t think there’s a team that had more talent and a team whose players knew their roles as well as our players did,” said pitcher David Cone. “If you’re using that as a barometer for the best team of all-time, then I think you can call us the best team of all-time.”
During that wondrous season, Don Zimmer, a Yankee coach and a baseball lifer who began his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, told associates there would never be another team like the 1998 Yankees. Zimmer was right. Twenty five years later, Curry describes how and why that Yankee team could be the best ever.
"The 1998 Yankees were a perfectly constructed team. Jack Curry does an amazing job of telling the tales of that phenomenal group." —David Cone
The visiting clubhouse in San Diego was soggy, sweaty and sticky after the 1998 Yankees swept the Padres in four games and celebrated winning their 24th World Series title. The players raised bottles of Champagne, sprayed the bubbly on each other and reveled in a baseball season that might have been more memorable than any in history.
Jack Curry was part of that unforgettable scene as a reporter, navigating around the clubhouse to ask the same, pertinent question. After winning an unprecedented 125 games and pummeling teams along the way, were these Yankees, the Yankees of Jeter, Mariano, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie, O’Neill, Tino and so many other vital players, the best team ever?
“Right now, you would have to call them the best team ever,” said owner George Steinbrenner.
Twenty five years later, Curry revisits that season to discuss how that team was built and why the Yankees were such a talented, refreshing and successful club. This book includes new interviews with more than 25 players, coaches and executives, who revealed some behind-the-stories about the magical journey and who also discussed the depth of this historic squad.
“From the first man to the 25th man on the roster, I don’t think there’s a team that had more talent and a team whose players knew their roles as well as our players did,” said pitcher David Cone. “If you’re using that as a barometer for the best team of all-time, then I think you can call us the best team of all-time.”
During that wondrous season, Don Zimmer, a Yankee coach and a baseball lifer who began his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, told associates there would never be another team like the 1998 Yankees. Zimmer was right. Twenty five years later, Curry describes how and why that Yankee team could be the best ever.
"The 1998 Yankees were a perfectly constructed team. Jack Curry does an amazing job of telling the tales of that phenomenal group." —David Cone
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2023
122 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
June 4, 2023
If the baseball book club chose to read a book featuring the Red Sox, we had to counter with one about the Yankees, right. Excited about the two teams’ first meeting of the year, I picked up our midseason book (for the all star break) in advance. New York journalist Jack Curry sets the parameters as to why he believes the 1998 Yankees are the best team ever. He matches them against other great Yankees and other teams from the past and over the course of this book attempts to convince readers that the 1998 version of the bombers was indeed the best.
Jack Curry is a lifelong Yankees fan and employed by the Yankees television network YES. He has constant access to most of principal players from the 1998 team as well as video footage, his former newspaper articles, and is in the know to all the players even if they are not currently employed by the Yankees. Because of his employment alongside two of the key members of the team, current Yankees broadcasters David Cone and Paul O’Neill, Curry’s task at hand was an easy one. He already carried bias and didn’t have to look far to find information to fill a book. Hence, the book read easy and quickly and the majority of the sound bites came from those who are currently employed by the Yankees or their tv network. For stories relating to players not currently in Yankees employ, all Curry had to do was call them and invite them back to the stadium where they are always regaled as kings. As a result I question how much researching went into this book although it presents a quality argument nonetheless.
The 1998 Yankees were reeling from a playoff defeat to the Cleveland Indians the year before. Owner, the esteemed and ruthless George Steinbrenner, said even before the tears dried at the close of 1997, that next year the Yankees would win it all. That is not a tall order but with 27 world championships at present day, in New York if a team doesn’t win the World Series, then that season is deemed a failure. At the peak of his powerful years, Steinbrenner assembled a powerhouse team full of selfless players. It was compromised of three future hall of farmers and another twenty two quality ball players. All of them bought into the idea that the team came first before themselves and a few unlikely players had career years. These elements are what generally the great teams about from merely the good ones, the ones who win the World Series and those remembered as coming up short.
What many might not remember is that the 1998 Yankees started 1-3 and the media of course questioned if manager Joe Torre’s job was safe. The team had been spooked by a bus accident that wasn’t en route to opening day in Anaheim. Somehow after that 1-3 start, the team finished 114-48. I had to do the math because even I couldn’t fathom this. And to be honest, as a Cubs fan, in 1998 I was rooting for Sammy Sosa during his home run chase, which does get a cameo in the book. The Yankees did not have a player approach 60 home runs although ten players hit at least ten and rookie Shane Spencer hit three grand slams in September. The pitching was lights out and featured Cuban refugee Orlando Hernandez who very well might have been the missing piece to the championship puzzle. While the Cubs during the summer of slam managed to make the playoffs as a wild card team, the Yankees dominated, and dominated in the post season as well. Their final record: 125-50.
Were the 1998 Yankees the best team ever? Curry runs numbers and through his criteria believes this to be true. They might not have had the most future hall of famers but as a team they were selfless, devoid of egos. He does admit that most fans are going to make an argument that their favorite team is the best ever. At least he kept it honest. What he coincidentally does not mention is that this dominating team went on to win the World Series in the next two seasons and lost in the series in two of the next three seasons after that. This fear has yet to be replicated during this century, the sustained success of a baseball dynasty, and should fault the Yankees of that era into the best team ever discussion. Whether you love the Yankees or love to hate, this was a fast paced read that brought one back to the last era when the Yankees dominated baseball and knew that they should win every game they played in.
3.5 stars
Jack Curry is a lifelong Yankees fan and employed by the Yankees television network YES. He has constant access to most of principal players from the 1998 team as well as video footage, his former newspaper articles, and is in the know to all the players even if they are not currently employed by the Yankees. Because of his employment alongside two of the key members of the team, current Yankees broadcasters David Cone and Paul O’Neill, Curry’s task at hand was an easy one. He already carried bias and didn’t have to look far to find information to fill a book. Hence, the book read easy and quickly and the majority of the sound bites came from those who are currently employed by the Yankees or their tv network. For stories relating to players not currently in Yankees employ, all Curry had to do was call them and invite them back to the stadium where they are always regaled as kings. As a result I question how much researching went into this book although it presents a quality argument nonetheless.
The 1998 Yankees were reeling from a playoff defeat to the Cleveland Indians the year before. Owner, the esteemed and ruthless George Steinbrenner, said even before the tears dried at the close of 1997, that next year the Yankees would win it all. That is not a tall order but with 27 world championships at present day, in New York if a team doesn’t win the World Series, then that season is deemed a failure. At the peak of his powerful years, Steinbrenner assembled a powerhouse team full of selfless players. It was compromised of three future hall of farmers and another twenty two quality ball players. All of them bought into the idea that the team came first before themselves and a few unlikely players had career years. These elements are what generally the great teams about from merely the good ones, the ones who win the World Series and those remembered as coming up short.
What many might not remember is that the 1998 Yankees started 1-3 and the media of course questioned if manager Joe Torre’s job was safe. The team had been spooked by a bus accident that wasn’t en route to opening day in Anaheim. Somehow after that 1-3 start, the team finished 114-48. I had to do the math because even I couldn’t fathom this. And to be honest, as a Cubs fan, in 1998 I was rooting for Sammy Sosa during his home run chase, which does get a cameo in the book. The Yankees did not have a player approach 60 home runs although ten players hit at least ten and rookie Shane Spencer hit three grand slams in September. The pitching was lights out and featured Cuban refugee Orlando Hernandez who very well might have been the missing piece to the championship puzzle. While the Cubs during the summer of slam managed to make the playoffs as a wild card team, the Yankees dominated, and dominated in the post season as well. Their final record: 125-50.
Were the 1998 Yankees the best team ever? Curry runs numbers and through his criteria believes this to be true. They might not have had the most future hall of famers but as a team they were selfless, devoid of egos. He does admit that most fans are going to make an argument that their favorite team is the best ever. At least he kept it honest. What he coincidentally does not mention is that this dominating team went on to win the World Series in the next two seasons and lost in the series in two of the next three seasons after that. This fear has yet to be replicated during this century, the sustained success of a baseball dynasty, and should fault the Yankees of that era into the best team ever discussion. Whether you love the Yankees or love to hate, this was a fast paced read that brought one back to the last era when the Yankees dominated baseball and knew that they should win every game they played in.
3.5 stars
May 6, 2023
Growing up I was a NY Mets fan. So I really enjoyed reading about Daryl Strawberry. My high school boyfriend was a Yankees fan so that's when I began watching the Yankees. And when I saw Derek Jeter, that was when I really became a NY Yankees fan. When I think about the NY Yankees, the 1998 team is what I remember most. Mariano Rivera, Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez and of course Derek Jeter. Just to see their names again brings up so many memories of watching them play. This book is so riveting. It was interesting to read about David Wells and Joe Torre's relationship. This book is a must read for any baseball fan.
Thank you to NetGalley, Twelve Books and Jack Curry for an ARC of "The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever".
Thank you to NetGalley, Twelve Books and Jack Curry for an ARC of "The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever".
May 9, 2023
For a writer that had 25 years to find extra material there was really nothing new. Nothing that made me say that this thing gave me a greater insight 25 years later. I really looked forward to this. I preordered it. I listened to it the moment it was out. All of the material here was covered in other books. There are points where the author says so. At the end I think he was reading from the players Wikipedia enteries. This is not the Boy's of Summer (Ok, Few books are). It is a shame though, the 1998 Yankees deserved a book like that. 1998 was a magical time to be a Yankee fan this book captures none of that.
May 13, 2023
I'm a sports junkie. I'm a Yankee fan since, well, over 60 years.
I hate sports books. I rarely learn a damned thing in a sports book.
This-----is a perfect example.
If you were a Yankee fan----don't bother. You knew all this stuff already.
I hate sports books. I rarely learn a damned thing in a sports book.
This-----is a perfect example.
If you were a Yankee fan----don't bother. You knew all this stuff already.
July 15, 2023
If ever there was a dream team, this would’ve been it. You may hate the Yankees, but you still have to admit what an amazing team they were. I’m a huge fan of this specific team, with a large part of that having to do with Daryl Strawberry. What a guy! What a story!
July 6, 2023
In my completely biased opinion, the 1998 Yankees are the greatest baseball team of all time, with the 1927 Yankees a close second. But that 98 team has some nostalgia for me, despite being just 4 years old at the time of the World Series. One of my first memories is watching El Duque save the season in game 4 of the ALCS, which probably has some sort of impact on how much I love the Yankees to this day. Plus the fact that Derek Jeter was on that team and he’s my favorite athlete of all time.
But it was so much fun to read about everything that happened during that season, and Jack Curry is the best to write about it. He’s such a fantastic and professional reporter and it shows in his writing. The best story is obviously David Wells pitching a perfect game while still drunk from the night before, but others like Orlando Hernandez’s defection from Cuba and Scott Brosius’ career year were others that were fantastic as well.
I loved the discourse around which team is the greatest in history at the end of the book as well, and I think Curry rightfully crowns the 98 Yankees because of how truly deep this team was. Bench players, spot starters, and middle relievers alike were making impacts across the year, and there aren’t many teams that go 25 deep for an entire year. Sure, the 27 Murderer’s Row Yanks, 1976 Big Red Machine, and 1929 A’s all deserve love, but I think the stories in this book show that the 1998 New York Yankees are the top of the heap.
But it was so much fun to read about everything that happened during that season, and Jack Curry is the best to write about it. He’s such a fantastic and professional reporter and it shows in his writing. The best story is obviously David Wells pitching a perfect game while still drunk from the night before, but others like Orlando Hernandez’s defection from Cuba and Scott Brosius’ career year were others that were fantastic as well.
I loved the discourse around which team is the greatest in history at the end of the book as well, and I think Curry rightfully crowns the 98 Yankees because of how truly deep this team was. Bench players, spot starters, and middle relievers alike were making impacts across the year, and there aren’t many teams that go 25 deep for an entire year. Sure, the 27 Murderer’s Row Yanks, 1976 Big Red Machine, and 1929 A’s all deserve love, but I think the stories in this book show that the 1998 New York Yankees are the top of the heap.
February 24, 2023
I suppose I should make a disclaimer before I begin my review. I was born a Yankee fan in 1982 and have been a rabid one every since. Growing up, the Yankees were terrible. The 1996 team was great but 1998 was when people started calling you a "bandwagon" fan because it was the start of a true dynasty. This is all to say that yes, of course I am biased before I even opened this book. If it was about the Red Sox, I wouldn't even open it. But this is about my favorite team of all time and written by one of my favorite baseball reporters.
Of course I loved this book. Jack Curry recounts the magical baseball season of 1998 where the Yankees were crowned the greatest team of all time. Curry gets a bunch of fun insights from the team and it was a great walk down memory lane. I would say that all of my disclaimers should not obscure the fact that Curry knows how to tell a story. Each chapter looks at a few players and how they came to be a part of a bigger puzzle. Putting aside my fandom, I wondered if someone who knew nothing about this team would get as much out of it as I would. Considering Curry reminded me of multiple players who I barely remember, I would have to say yes. Everyone gets a chance to shine and their contributions are noted. Importantly, Curry never misses a beat in explaining how this team climbed the proverbial mountain. If you like baseball, it's got to be on your shelf.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Twelve Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 5/2/2023.)
Of course I loved this book. Jack Curry recounts the magical baseball season of 1998 where the Yankees were crowned the greatest team of all time. Curry gets a bunch of fun insights from the team and it was a great walk down memory lane. I would say that all of my disclaimers should not obscure the fact that Curry knows how to tell a story. Each chapter looks at a few players and how they came to be a part of a bigger puzzle. Putting aside my fandom, I wondered if someone who knew nothing about this team would get as much out of it as I would. Considering Curry reminded me of multiple players who I barely remember, I would have to say yes. Everyone gets a chance to shine and their contributions are noted. Importantly, Curry never misses a beat in explaining how this team climbed the proverbial mountain. If you like baseball, it's got to be on your shelf.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Twelve Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 5/2/2023.)
May 26, 2025
3/5
It’s always fun to reflect on how small moments in a season can alter the final outcome, and this book highlights some of those small moments for one of the most iconic baseball teams of all time.
It is, however, hilarious to follow a team from the 90s that featured a ton of wildly random “career years” without acknowledging the presence of a little juice.
It’s always fun to reflect on how small moments in a season can alter the final outcome, and this book highlights some of those small moments for one of the most iconic baseball teams of all time.
It is, however, hilarious to follow a team from the 90s that featured a ton of wildly random “career years” without acknowledging the presence of a little juice.
February 18, 2023
I was eleven years old during one of the most incredible baseball seasons you'll ever see, and twenty-five (damn) years later I still enjoy reading about that Yankee team and their remarkable achievements. Jack Curry has spent most of the last thirty years around the Yankees, so his knowledge, experiences and connections make him pretty well-suited to cover this team.
On the whole, if you were a fan at the time or if you have spent any time over the last twenty-five (again, damn) years researching the 1998 Yankees, most of these stories probably aren't new. This is a very famous team with a ton of very famous individual personalities, almost all of whom are still around (George Steinbrenner, of course, being the most notable exception) and still talking about this team. So there was never going to be a ton of breaking news in the book. Curry does do a fine job filling in blanks (I don't know that I knew who was potentially on the trading block for Randy Johnson) and refreshing my memory (I'd almost completely forgotten about the Dale Sveum saga) while still writing a book that isn't going to leave readers with no foreknowledge of the 1998 Yankees baffled.
The book is somewhat on the short end, though, and I wouldn't have minded if he went a bit more in-depth on chunks of games during the regular season as he did with most of the playoff games (The ALDS also gets a little bit brushed over during the Strawberry chapter). The chapters covering the ALCS and the World Series are the best parts of a really good book, and I would have liked more of it. But that's a pretty nitpicky complaint for a book I really, really liked.
I want to thank NetGalley and Twelve Books for my ARC copy
On the whole, if you were a fan at the time or if you have spent any time over the last twenty-five (again, damn) years researching the 1998 Yankees, most of these stories probably aren't new. This is a very famous team with a ton of very famous individual personalities, almost all of whom are still around (George Steinbrenner, of course, being the most notable exception) and still talking about this team. So there was never going to be a ton of breaking news in the book. Curry does do a fine job filling in blanks (I don't know that I knew who was potentially on the trading block for Randy Johnson) and refreshing my memory (I'd almost completely forgotten about the Dale Sveum saga) while still writing a book that isn't going to leave readers with no foreknowledge of the 1998 Yankees baffled.
The book is somewhat on the short end, though, and I wouldn't have minded if he went a bit more in-depth on chunks of games during the regular season as he did with most of the playoff games (The ALDS also gets a little bit brushed over during the Strawberry chapter). The chapters covering the ALCS and the World Series are the best parts of a really good book, and I would have liked more of it. But that's a pretty nitpicky complaint for a book I really, really liked.
I want to thank NetGalley and Twelve Books for my ARC copy
February 19, 2023
I can't believe it's been 25 years since the 1998 Yankees won the World Series. I will be the first person to admit that the baseball strike a few years earlier had hurt my love for the game, and while I was happy to see it resume a year later, I didn't watch religiously the way I had in seasons past. 1998 would be a year when my love for baseball was renewed. The McGuire/Sosa chase had a lot of my attention as well as my beloved Cubs making the playoffs for the first time in 9 years. But over in the American League, the Yankees had my attention too, those late nineties teams dividing my love and loyalty with the Baby Bears. Seeing them (Yankees) make their way through the season and then the playoffs and World Series fed my love of the game. I vividly remembered so many moments, but still ended up going down a rabbit hole and finding a copy of the 1998 World Series video to watch. While that was a fun trip down memory lane, it didn't hold a candle to how Jack Curry describes the season; that is pure baseball poetry, and I loved every second of it.
Special thanks to Twelve Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Special thanks to Twelve Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
October 20, 2024
A well researched book on the 1998 Yankees. Probably closer to a 3.5 than a 4. I didn't really learn anything new in this book on a subject covered numerous times, but I did appreciated the stories on Wells and Cone, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter, Orlando Hernandez, etc. There are more complete books on this team out there, but this was a quick 250-page, almost cliff note book on the team. The last chapter comparing the 98 Yankees to the best teams of all time was predictable and the writing suffered in that chapter dropping my rating. However, Yankee fans will enjoy and so will baseball fans. Maybe not Red Sox fans.
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January 3, 2024This was my absolute favorite Yankees team of All-Time! I was 10 years old, the Yankees won in 1996 with young studs in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. In 1998 this team helped solidify my Yankee fandom for life. 1-9 we were lethal and our pitching staff was dominant. I remember all the kids in little league trying to copy El Duque’s high leg kick and sidearm delivery.
The 1998 baseball season was dominated by the home run race and us kids also tried batting stances like McGwire, the home-run hop of Sosa and the sweet swing of a Ken Griffey Jr. The Yankees historic pace seemed to be on the back burner and ignored until October.
I don’t remember where I was for the division or championship series but one of my favorite memories was being at a Cub Scout campout during game 1 of the 1998 World Series. When Tino Martinez hit that grand slam, the park erupted in cheers and was as loud as Yankee Stadium!
The 1998 baseball season was dominated by the home run race and us kids also tried batting stances like McGwire, the home-run hop of Sosa and the sweet swing of a Ken Griffey Jr. The Yankees historic pace seemed to be on the back burner and ignored until October.
I don’t remember where I was for the division or championship series but one of my favorite memories was being at a Cub Scout campout during game 1 of the 1998 World Series. When Tino Martinez hit that grand slam, the park erupted in cheers and was as loud as Yankee Stadium!
August 5, 2023
I enjoyed this book so much! My husband has been a Yankee fan all his life and has shared many exciting and fun memories about THE Yankees. So, I had an enjoyable time reading this book to him and discussing the amazing players of the 1998 team.
I loved the history and the statistics that Jack Curry included. And Curry has a wonderful writing style that made this book interesting and compelling even if a person was not an avid sports fan. It was an easy read with lots of information. I highly recommend it!
I’d like to thank NetGalley, Jack Curry, and Twelve Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
I loved the history and the statistics that Jack Curry included. And Curry has a wonderful writing style that made this book interesting and compelling even if a person was not an avid sports fan. It was an easy read with lots of information. I highly recommend it!
I’d like to thank NetGalley, Jack Curry, and Twelve Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
August 4, 2023
Not going to be anything new for any die-hards who may know a lot of this information already, but I quite enjoyed getting it all in one go and being able to learn more about the team my dad got me to love as a young kid.
December 28, 2023
While I save a lot of my baseball childhood favor for the 96 Yankees or the 90 Reds, underdogs both, the 98 Yankees set a new standard in excellence for a franchise already steeped in greatness. Curry's book draws on interviews and memory to recreate a legendary baseball season. Baseball fans and Yankees fans should both rejoice!
May 20, 2023
Absolutely wonderful read!
August 3, 2023
If your a Yankees fan read this book its about 1998 the greatest year the Yankees ever had
June 15, 2023
Are you a NY Yankees fan? Do you remember the magical 1998 season?
In The 1998 Yankees, author Jack Curry takes the reader back to the magical 1998 season when the NY Yankees won their 24th championship, and he gives a detailed inside story of why the 1998 Yankees team is the greatest baseball team ever!
Following a disappointing end to the 1997 post season, the 1998 NY Yankees team started the new season with unfinished business, and played with a vengeance to claim the championship. Follow along as author and Yankees analyst Jack Curry takes you behind the scenes of the magical 1998 season that brought an unprecendented 125 wins, and a season of pure dominance. Packed with interviews about the season from the players on the 1998 Yankees team, coaches, and executives, Jack provides a new perspective, insight, and statistics that lays out the reason why the 1998 Yankees team was the greatest team in baseball history.
As a NY Yankees fan from childhood, I loved reading The 1998 Yankees! Author Jack Curry took me back to that magical season, and I went along for the ride on the incredible journey that lead the 1998 Yankees team to an unprecedented 125 wins and their 24th world series championship. I loved reading all the stories from the players and coaches interviews, the amazing statistics, and the photographs that were included in the book. You can't help but get caught up in the excitement as the 1998 season unfolded. The Yankees were relentless in their pursuit, they were focused, confident, and dedicated, which led to a season of dominance. As a Yankees fan, you can't help but relive that magical season as you turn the pages, from the players' stories to the timeline of the season, author Jack Curry sure does make a case of why the 1998 Yankees was the greatest baseball team ever!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspo...
In The 1998 Yankees, author Jack Curry takes the reader back to the magical 1998 season when the NY Yankees won their 24th championship, and he gives a detailed inside story of why the 1998 Yankees team is the greatest baseball team ever!
Following a disappointing end to the 1997 post season, the 1998 NY Yankees team started the new season with unfinished business, and played with a vengeance to claim the championship. Follow along as author and Yankees analyst Jack Curry takes you behind the scenes of the magical 1998 season that brought an unprecendented 125 wins, and a season of pure dominance. Packed with interviews about the season from the players on the 1998 Yankees team, coaches, and executives, Jack provides a new perspective, insight, and statistics that lays out the reason why the 1998 Yankees team was the greatest team in baseball history.
As a NY Yankees fan from childhood, I loved reading The 1998 Yankees! Author Jack Curry took me back to that magical season, and I went along for the ride on the incredible journey that lead the 1998 Yankees team to an unprecedented 125 wins and their 24th world series championship. I loved reading all the stories from the players and coaches interviews, the amazing statistics, and the photographs that were included in the book. You can't help but get caught up in the excitement as the 1998 season unfolded. The Yankees were relentless in their pursuit, they were focused, confident, and dedicated, which led to a season of dominance. As a Yankees fan, you can't help but relive that magical season as you turn the pages, from the players' stories to the timeline of the season, author Jack Curry sure does make a case of why the 1998 Yankees was the greatest baseball team ever!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspo...
February 12, 2023
My two favorite things…..reading and the Yankees. Jack Curry seamlessly combines them both in this extremely readable reflection of the 1998 season. I only hope there will be pictures included in the final print! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this sneak peek.
July 23, 2023
Ask any sports fan about who is the greatest team, no matter the sport, and you are very likely to get not only an answer that might surprise you, but you will also get a passionate explanation from that fan to explain their answer. While Jack Curry is a very good baseball journalist who has covered the New York Yankees in both print and broadcast media, he does this very type of explanation in this book when telling the reader why the 1998 Yankees should be considered the greatest baseball team ever assembled.
The book has both typical and non-typical aspects of books that describe a particular season. Typical in that there are many game recaps and insights into specific games, plays and player reactions over the course of the season. In fact, this book goes further back than just the 1998 baseball season – it starts with the day the Yankees were eliminate in the 1997 postseason by the then-Cleveland Indians. Curry does well writing about the emotions of the Yankees on that day, and keeps it up throughout the book with all the highs and lows – mostly highs – in his description of the team.
Where the book does not fit into the typical one season recap is that the main stars of the team are the players who are described in the most pages. While yes, readers will learn some information they may not have known about the “Core Four” of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, other players are prominently on display in this book.
Those include David Wells (yes, his story about being hung over while pitching a perfect game is confirmed), Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, World Series MVP Scott Brosius and second baseman Chuck Knoblach. Some get more pages written than others, but this was something I really enjoyed in the book – learning about more than those players already known well and in the baseball Hall of Fame. Plus, there is an excellent section on Brian Cashman, who was promoted to general manager of the team before the 1998 season and felt the pressure from owner George Steinbrenner to win the championship that year.
While I again want to emphasize that Curry is a journalist and not a fan, and in no way does this review imply that he sounds like a fan, the book can come across as trying too hard to convince the reader that there is absolutely no baseball team that can be considered better than the 1998 Yankees. There are several worthy reasons why this is case and Curry does make a strong argument, but there points repeated several times that don’t need to be, such as the 125 wins the Yankees racked up between the regular season and the postseason. At the end, he acknowledges other teams that can make a case for being the greatest, but he sets them aside to let the reader know that in no uncertain terms, one must conclude it is this team. Yankee fans will certainly not need any verification like this to make that assessment, but for other readers, this is a good book for helping to answer any questions they may have about this team.
I wish to thank Twelve Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
The book has both typical and non-typical aspects of books that describe a particular season. Typical in that there are many game recaps and insights into specific games, plays and player reactions over the course of the season. In fact, this book goes further back than just the 1998 baseball season – it starts with the day the Yankees were eliminate in the 1997 postseason by the then-Cleveland Indians. Curry does well writing about the emotions of the Yankees on that day, and keeps it up throughout the book with all the highs and lows – mostly highs – in his description of the team.
Where the book does not fit into the typical one season recap is that the main stars of the team are the players who are described in the most pages. While yes, readers will learn some information they may not have known about the “Core Four” of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, other players are prominently on display in this book.
Those include David Wells (yes, his story about being hung over while pitching a perfect game is confirmed), Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, World Series MVP Scott Brosius and second baseman Chuck Knoblach. Some get more pages written than others, but this was something I really enjoyed in the book – learning about more than those players already known well and in the baseball Hall of Fame. Plus, there is an excellent section on Brian Cashman, who was promoted to general manager of the team before the 1998 season and felt the pressure from owner George Steinbrenner to win the championship that year.
While I again want to emphasize that Curry is a journalist and not a fan, and in no way does this review imply that he sounds like a fan, the book can come across as trying too hard to convince the reader that there is absolutely no baseball team that can be considered better than the 1998 Yankees. There are several worthy reasons why this is case and Curry does make a strong argument, but there points repeated several times that don’t need to be, such as the 125 wins the Yankees racked up between the regular season and the postseason. At the end, he acknowledges other teams that can make a case for being the greatest, but he sets them aside to let the reader know that in no uncertain terms, one must conclude it is this team. Yankee fans will certainly not need any verification like this to make that assessment, but for other readers, this is a good book for helping to answer any questions they may have about this team.
I wish to thank Twelve Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
July 21, 2023
The late 1990s was the era that really cemented my baseball fandom. While I certainly remember the 1998 Yankees being a dominant ball club, as a youngster (especially from the relatively small baseball market of Minnesota) I mainly just hated/resented the pinstriped crew. So, I was interested to look back at that team--what some consider the greatest of all time--with 25 years of perspective, and author Jack Curry does a solid job of setting that table for me.
In "The 1998 Yankees", Curry basically recounts that season from stem to stern. From the '97 playoff disappointment and 0-3 '98 start to the David Wells perfect game & Baltimore Orioles brawl to the playoff dominance (though almost scuttled by a pesky Cleveland club), all the relevant moments of the '98 campaign are covered here. Not only did Curry cover that particular year on the New York beat, but he collects contemporary interviews from the likes of David Cone, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, and Joe Torre (to name just a few) to round out the story.
The hallmark of this tome is how Curry keeps circling back to the notion of the Yankees of 1998 not having a ton of superstars. They were simply solid from top to bottom and would wear out opposing pitchers/batters on a nightly basis. More "death by a thousand paper cuts" than anything flashy. Curry also does a nice job of relaying some of the lesser-remembered stories of that year, like Shane Spencer's September dominance, the Chuck Knoblauch playoff fiasco, the Cone/Wells/Torre relationship, and veterans like Daryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, & Chili Davis providing small-but-key roles throughout the season.
About the only reason I can't give "1998 Yankees" the full five stars is because the reader needs to be either a Yankees fan or a baseball super-fan to really enjoy all the nostalgia/anecdotes recounted here. The final section--where Curry compares the team to other potential "greatest ever" squads--does transcend that base audience and I wish a little more of that would have been sprinkled in earlier.
Overall, though, this is a solid look back at a club that sometimes gets forgotten even in its dominance simply because it happened without any pomp & circumstance.
In "The 1998 Yankees", Curry basically recounts that season from stem to stern. From the '97 playoff disappointment and 0-3 '98 start to the David Wells perfect game & Baltimore Orioles brawl to the playoff dominance (though almost scuttled by a pesky Cleveland club), all the relevant moments of the '98 campaign are covered here. Not only did Curry cover that particular year on the New York beat, but he collects contemporary interviews from the likes of David Cone, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, and Joe Torre (to name just a few) to round out the story.
The hallmark of this tome is how Curry keeps circling back to the notion of the Yankees of 1998 not having a ton of superstars. They were simply solid from top to bottom and would wear out opposing pitchers/batters on a nightly basis. More "death by a thousand paper cuts" than anything flashy. Curry also does a nice job of relaying some of the lesser-remembered stories of that year, like Shane Spencer's September dominance, the Chuck Knoblauch playoff fiasco, the Cone/Wells/Torre relationship, and veterans like Daryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, & Chili Davis providing small-but-key roles throughout the season.
About the only reason I can't give "1998 Yankees" the full five stars is because the reader needs to be either a Yankees fan or a baseball super-fan to really enjoy all the nostalgia/anecdotes recounted here. The final section--where Curry compares the team to other potential "greatest ever" squads--does transcend that base audience and I wish a little more of that would have been sprinkled in earlier.
Overall, though, this is a solid look back at a club that sometimes gets forgotten even in its dominance simply because it happened without any pomp & circumstance.
June 6, 2023
Sometimes a person cannot believe something unless they see it with their own eyes. I have been a fan of the New York Yankees since the early 1970's (when they were truly a god-awful team). I have maintained that "fanship" throughout my move from New Jersey to the Midwest in August of 1990. I still keep a subscription to one of the major New York dailies, so I can follow what exploits the team can deliver. Thus, when the 1998 season kicked in, I was ready and waiting. That season, since I did not have cable television, I only managed to catch eight games. This vaunted juggernaut about which I read daily articles lost seven of those eight games that I watched. When the playoffs began, they lost two out of the first three games they payed against the Cleveland Indians (now the Cleveland Guardians). I began to believe I was a bad luck charm. The team atoned for all of my poor luck by sweeping the San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series.
Baseball fans seldom get a genuine sense of what goes on behind the scenes with any given team. Few Yankees are given any respite from unrelenting media coverage, so they simply repeat ages-old euphemisms in lieu of detailed, thoughtful responses to reporters' questions. Jack Curry's book, written to coincide with the 25th anniversary of that remarkable team, doesn't do much beyond what the newspapers did at the time. Readers are told, often by the players themselves, that the team had an unusually high work ethic, and an uncommon sense of togetherness. But even a casual baseball fan could have sensed that. So the book is not quite as much of an "inside" story as it declares itself.
For all that, though, the book is a joy. Jack Curry makes the argument that the 1998 Yankees were the best team of all time. A precious few teams had comparable won-lost records, but they didn't march through the postseason, much less swept the last seven games of it, like those Yankees did. A few individual stories are retold, such as Daryl Strawberry's bout with colon cancer, and David Wells' scandalous ways. The 1998 Yankees reveals very little of anything new, but it's enormous good fun and warmly nostalgic all the same.
Baseball fans seldom get a genuine sense of what goes on behind the scenes with any given team. Few Yankees are given any respite from unrelenting media coverage, so they simply repeat ages-old euphemisms in lieu of detailed, thoughtful responses to reporters' questions. Jack Curry's book, written to coincide with the 25th anniversary of that remarkable team, doesn't do much beyond what the newspapers did at the time. Readers are told, often by the players themselves, that the team had an unusually high work ethic, and an uncommon sense of togetherness. But even a casual baseball fan could have sensed that. So the book is not quite as much of an "inside" story as it declares itself.
For all that, though, the book is a joy. Jack Curry makes the argument that the 1998 Yankees were the best team of all time. A precious few teams had comparable won-lost records, but they didn't march through the postseason, much less swept the last seven games of it, like those Yankees did. A few individual stories are retold, such as Daryl Strawberry's bout with colon cancer, and David Wells' scandalous ways. The 1998 Yankees reveals very little of anything new, but it's enormous good fun and warmly nostalgic all the same.
January 18, 2024
Journalist Jack Curry, who has covered the Yankees both with the New York Times and the Yes Network, has authored one of the most thorough overviews of the incredible 1998 team. After a devastating loss to Cleveland in the 1997 playoffs, this team responded by winning 125 games (between the regular season and playoffs) en route to a World Series championship. No other team has won this many games in a season. Curry illuminates some of the most vital figures who made this happen, including insights from interviews with them a quarter century after the fact. Pitcher David Cone definitely emerges as one of the most influential leaders, as he rallied the team after their 1-4 start by telling the players to find something they disliked about their opponents. He also looked after the famously outspoken fellow pitcher David Wells and helped to eliminate friction between him and manager Joe Torre. Readers will also enjoy learning about the journey of Orlando Hernandez, the pitcher who defected from Cuba in a small boat and then fearlessly took on batters with his high leg kick and array of pitches and arm angles. As someone who has already read so much about this era of Yankees history, I have to take a star off my rating because I already knew much of what is in this book. On the whole, though, I do think most readers will enjoy Curry's insights into the personalities and achievements of the team. I also appreciated his assessment at the end of the book about where the 1998 Yankees stand in history. He argues that teams from the pre-racial integration era of major league baseball (meaning before 1947) should probably not be considered the absolute best because not all of the best players had a chance to compete then. He also argues that a team needs to win a championship to be considered the best ever, which eliminates teams like the 1906 Cubs and 2001 Mariners. Curry goes on to state that the 1998 Yankees hold their own in any comparison with the best teams ever, due to their statistical dominance relative to their opponents and the incredible depth of their roster. I encourage all readers who want to learn more about the team to read this book.
July 27, 2023
Jack Curry’s book “The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever” chronicles the New York Yankees’ 1998 championship season. The 1998 Yankees went 114-48, and had a .704 winning percentage. It was one of the best regular seasons ever for a Major League Baseball team.
In 1998, the Yankees completed their stellar season by defeating the San Diego Padres in the World Series 4-0.
Curry discusses many of the players from that team, as he gives a decent background of many of the players and writes about some of their contributions to that team. He also discusses the previous season, which resulted in a disappointing playoff loss to Cleveland. The Yankees returned for the 1998 season with something to prove. He points out how determined the Yankees were in 1998 to win after the disappointing loss the season before.
Various players are highlighted by Curry. One chapter emphasizes David Wells’ personality and perfect game that he threw in 1998. Another chapter addresses the rookie season of Orlando Hernandez, who came from Cuba to play in the major leagues. Also, Derek Jeter’s rookie season, his leadership and his maturity is discussed in another chapter. There is also interesting information about Scott Brosius; Darryl Strawberry; Shane Spencer; Paul O’Neill; Tino Martinez and others.
The book also features some good quotes by manager Joe Torre and General Manager Brian Cashman.
Curry emphasizes that Scott Brosius, Orlando Hernandez and Shane Spencer did more than was expected, and those unexpected contributions helped the Yankees win the championship.
Additionally, Curry discusses some of the changes that have occurred in Major League Baseball.
Overall, this is a good and simple overview of the 1998 New York Yankees’ season. Serving as a good resource for baseball fans, the book is interesting and educational. With enough quotes and anecdotes to make things memorable, the book keeps the reader interested.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the New York Yankees or Major League Baseball.
In 1998, the Yankees completed their stellar season by defeating the San Diego Padres in the World Series 4-0.
Curry discusses many of the players from that team, as he gives a decent background of many of the players and writes about some of their contributions to that team. He also discusses the previous season, which resulted in a disappointing playoff loss to Cleveland. The Yankees returned for the 1998 season with something to prove. He points out how determined the Yankees were in 1998 to win after the disappointing loss the season before.
Various players are highlighted by Curry. One chapter emphasizes David Wells’ personality and perfect game that he threw in 1998. Another chapter addresses the rookie season of Orlando Hernandez, who came from Cuba to play in the major leagues. Also, Derek Jeter’s rookie season, his leadership and his maturity is discussed in another chapter. There is also interesting information about Scott Brosius; Darryl Strawberry; Shane Spencer; Paul O’Neill; Tino Martinez and others.
The book also features some good quotes by manager Joe Torre and General Manager Brian Cashman.
Curry emphasizes that Scott Brosius, Orlando Hernandez and Shane Spencer did more than was expected, and those unexpected contributions helped the Yankees win the championship.
Additionally, Curry discusses some of the changes that have occurred in Major League Baseball.
Overall, this is a good and simple overview of the 1998 New York Yankees’ season. Serving as a good resource for baseball fans, the book is interesting and educational. With enough quotes and anecdotes to make things memorable, the book keeps the reader interested.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the New York Yankees or Major League Baseball.
Read
December 3, 2023As a younger New York Yankees fan, Other than in 2009 when I was 2 years old. I've never experienced a World Series Win and being atop the greatest teams ever. This book goes in-depth into the Author Jack Curry's argument of why The 1998 Yankees team is the greatest ever. It goes through events told among fans and told to the public and some of the private things. It goes into interviews with fan favorites such as Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, and many more. It goes in depth about journeymen like Shane Spencer who was able to help the team after playing many years in the minors. Or players like Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez having to defect from Cuba to play baseball in the United States. Scott Brosious had a career year after being in a slump a year before truly reviving his professional career. It goes over how the team won an astonishing 125 wins between the regular season and playoffs. A Yankee Story during any time from the 1970s-2000s obviously should revolve around the Yankees owner George "The Boss" Steinbrenner who truly showed what it was like to be a hands-on owner working with newly at the time GM Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Torre. I thought some parts of the book were covered well, such as the ALCS and World Series and I liked how Curry went in-depth talking about the players who don't always get talked about from this team. One thing I wish was in-depth more was stories about all the players rather than just some. I would've liked to talk about Darryl Strawberry's impact during the playoffs and more about some of the true turning points of the regular season which made them arguably the greatest team of all time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2023
There have been and will continue to be endless arguments about which baseball team is the greatest in history or whether it's even possible to compare teams that thrived during different periods of history. However, in this book, Curry doesn't just make a case for why the 1998 Yankees can or should be considered the greatest team ever, he reconstructs their entire season and shows how that legendary team came together and how that incredible season came to be.
This book is much more than a look at statistics and box scores. It is a deep dive into everything and everyone that made up that team and shows how each of them contributed to the end result of that unbelievable season. It is full of quotes from the actual participants as well which makes it feel like you are getting a real insider's perspective on the season and not just some journalist's view.
If you hate the Yankees, this book certainly isn't going to change that. If you aren't necessarily a Yankee fan, but you are a sports fan, especially a baseball fan, you still may enjoy certain aspects of this book including information regarding what it takes to put a team together and the player's perspectives of what that season was like. However, if you are a Yankee fan, this book is definitely one that you will treasure. It will give you the opportunity to relive that epic once-in-a-lifetime season whenever you want by just opening the book and reading it.
This book is much more than a look at statistics and box scores. It is a deep dive into everything and everyone that made up that team and shows how each of them contributed to the end result of that unbelievable season. It is full of quotes from the actual participants as well which makes it feel like you are getting a real insider's perspective on the season and not just some journalist's view.
If you hate the Yankees, this book certainly isn't going to change that. If you aren't necessarily a Yankee fan, but you are a sports fan, especially a baseball fan, you still may enjoy certain aspects of this book including information regarding what it takes to put a team together and the player's perspectives of what that season was like. However, if you are a Yankee fan, this book is definitely one that you will treasure. It will give you the opportunity to relive that epic once-in-a-lifetime season whenever you want by just opening the book and reading it.
December 26, 2023
Curry's book is solid overview of a team in contention for "greatest ever"--and a balm for Yankees fans hurting from the 2023 season.
Like most of these books, it's somewhat lightweight, and Curry's relationship with the YES Network means there are no bombshells or dirt within. I got the sense that there's also not a ton of new information, either. Curry occasionally stipulates whether a quote was told to him during the 1998 run or in an interview today, but too often it's not clear *when* someone is saying what they're saying. Reading too many "told me at the time" or "in an interview for this book" can get tiresome, but it also helps provide useful context for the quote, and I would have liked a little more.
Still, I give Curry credit for using his long history with the Yankees and the players to the book's benefit, and keeping himself mostly out of it. Sometimes, these kinds of books written by reporters who were there can become more about the author's own story, *their* experience living through the season. Other than a couple of unobtrusive mentions about being in the clubhouse after the team's World Series win, or knowing David Cone for a long time, Curry keeps the focus on the players and their experiences, and that's admirable.
There's nothing revelatory or hard-hitting to be found here, but it was really good to visit with some old friends for a little while.
Like most of these books, it's somewhat lightweight, and Curry's relationship with the YES Network means there are no bombshells or dirt within. I got the sense that there's also not a ton of new information, either. Curry occasionally stipulates whether a quote was told to him during the 1998 run or in an interview today, but too often it's not clear *when* someone is saying what they're saying. Reading too many "told me at the time" or "in an interview for this book" can get tiresome, but it also helps provide useful context for the quote, and I would have liked a little more.
Still, I give Curry credit for using his long history with the Yankees and the players to the book's benefit, and keeping himself mostly out of it. Sometimes, these kinds of books written by reporters who were there can become more about the author's own story, *their* experience living through the season. Other than a couple of unobtrusive mentions about being in the clubhouse after the team's World Series win, or knowing David Cone for a long time, Curry keeps the focus on the players and their experiences, and that's admirable.
There's nothing revelatory or hard-hitting to be found here, but it was really good to visit with some old friends for a little while.
June 18, 2024
It pains me to give a book about the Yankees a bad review, but unfortunately it’s needed. This book was disappointing. The first key flaw is the topic choice— the 1998 Yankees are difficult to write an interesting book about, because they just won. There’s no arc, no insane series of events such as in Tony La Russa’s (much better) book about the 2011 Cardinals World Series win. Despite this, the book’s best moments are when Curry provides insights into the dugout dynamic of the Yankees or lesser known anecdotes about ways the guys hung out on the field. These anecdotes are sadly few and far between, and for someone who has been on the YES network for years and has a longstanding working relationship with these players the interviews ring very hollow. Curry focuses much more on statistics and rankings, something that every Yankee fan (presumably the primary audience of the book) already knows about the 1998 team. He shares stories of the players backgrounds, but nothing more than a wikipedia bio. Just one “what’s your favorite movie?” type of question would have lightened this book a lot for me. And I hate to criticize the quality of someone’s writing, but sadly in this book it was very distracting. I’ve obviously read Curry’s NYT pieces, so I can only assume that this book was not edited thoroughly because some sentences were very grammatically incorrect and borderline confusing. I would skip this one!
June 27, 2023
A decent account of the historic 1998 Yankees team and their World Series run. Makes a fairly compelling case for the lineup being the GOAT, but Curry is far from an objective observer (he followed the team closely as a sports writer and was there to witness many of these moments; he lives and breathes New York baseball). Ultimately a somewhat disappointing chronicle that features an over reliance on statistics and surface level interviews, rarely diving deep into the the nitty-gritty of what made this team tick. The best chapters are the ones about Boomer and El Duque, but they're also the most obvious, as these were maybe the two most colorful "characters" and headline grabbers on the team. There are some great anecdotes here, particularly when it comes to chronicling Wells' infamous perfect game, but I wish that the rest of the book received similar treatment. Curry also gets weirdly repetitive, telling the same stories over in different ways and reciting the same stat lines over and over. The ending section "debate" comparing teams throughout baseball history for GOAT status is a prime example of this--what could be compelling is instead rendered dull and lifeless. Overall a serviceable and workmanlike profile that will be of primary interest to Yankees enthusiasts. Somewhat of a missed opportunity.
October 12, 2023
I thought this book was extremely interesting and exciting. 1998 was definitely a year to remember. They were a great team. They fought among themselves, and fought together to bring us their best, and they did. Learned a lot about them as individuals through many years, the good and the bad. The good was really good, and the bad was really bad. This team was nothing short of miraculous. Was thrilled that Strawberry and his wife , Tracy, were born again, and started Strawberry Ministries, and learning about the books he has written, and the preaching he is doing. He has had many health scare, many problems brought on by his own choices, but he is an example of the grace of God. Jews can be saved if they are born again. But they aren’t going to claim the vast majority of the promised land unto after the rapture, resurrection and literal coming of Christ. Praise Jesus for His wonderous plan for all believers, Jews and Gentiles. With the attack on Israel, the Lord could return at anytime, because no group is going to wipe Israel off the planet. Jesus will destroy these nations before He lets that happen. Will Jesus come and rapture those who are alive and raise the dead, then literally return to this earth? Yes, and it could be sooner than you think!!! I think I misspelled wondrous. I did. CathyR
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