Dynasty: The Inside Story of How the Red Sox Became a Baseball Powerhouse

by Tony Massarotti, Jason Varitek (Foreword)

A unique look at the inner workings of a major league baseball team and how the Red Sox went from perennial losers to baseball's next dynasty. When the Boston Red Sox defeated the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series, they did more than win their second world championship in four seasons---they changed forever the identity of a franchise once defined by its spectacular failures. If winning the 2004 World Series permanently buried Boston’s tragic past, the team’s 2007 championship reinforced its promising future while changing the culture, mentality, and mind-set of the Red Sox and their followers. But the team's meteoric rise was not without controversy, and behind-the-scene clashes and infighting within the organization are revealed here in detail for the first The wildly popular pitcher Pedro Martinez and outfield sensation Johnny Damon were allowed to depart as free agents, and the Red Sox had to endure the temporary resignation of General Manager Theo Epstein. Author Tony Massarotti has been covering the Red Sox since the 1991 season and in Dynasty , Massarotti provides an in-depth and probing look at how the Red Sox became the most successful franchise in baseball.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Billy p · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book "Dynasty: The Inside Story of How the Red Sox became a baseball powerhouse". The book was written in great detail about their champoionship runs in 2004. I have always follwed the Red Sox since I was little and always have been interested in the details behind the Red Sox. I would only recommend it to a Red Sox fan.

[Andrew Welton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this book was pretty good. It's is all about the Redsox and what they do to plan to add a valuable member to the Redsox and how they plan to continue to try to compete in the MLB and be the best team in baseball. This book has all the operations and news that was happening to have them trade a player or anything that was going on at the time in the Redsox organization.

[George Hamblen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, especially with so many years of hindsight. The GM job in Boston is one of toughest jobs in sports. Dan Duquette finally gets some much needed recognition. I also realize how much I miss Theo Epstein and Terry Francona. This explores the foundation which has given Sox fans so much to cheer about.

[Fred Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this for nostalgic reasons, but it hasn't aged well. The thesis is that after winning the 2007 World Series, the Red Sox were poised to be the next great baseball dynasty. That is not what happened. They've won a couple more championships, but not in dynasty fashion. Instead they've had a series of disasters punctuated by the occasional out-of-nowhere season of excellence.

[Bj Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan Duquette must’ve been so happy that Mazz wrote half of this book about him

[Tommy Calautti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dynasty by Tony Massarotti was overall a very great book. Massaroti goes in-depth with managers, staff, and even players on how the Red Sox developed into a dynasty. The book is set in 1994 when Dan Duquette is hired as GM of the Boston Red Sox. The book chronicles all of the events in Red Sox history until 2007. Massaroti is a truly raw author, giving you the quotes and opinions of the players that you don't hear on the local news. One thing I especially like about the book was how deeply into the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry. Massaroti comes across not as author but as a fan when he talks about the endless frustration that Red Sox Nation has suffered since 1918. The book will enlighten baseball fans everywhere, showing them what really happens behind the scenes in major league baseball.If you like baseball, you'll like Dynasty.
The book is basically a chronology of all of the events in baseball from 1994 to 2007. Massaroti doesn't miss a beat when talking about every event and all of its details in this period of time. Whether it was the Varitek-Lowe deal, the bloody sock, Pedro's 1999 season,Bucholz's no hitter, or anything else you can think of, Massaroti has the story and all of the background details. Here's a little, example. Red Sox 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia already has a Rookie of the Year and MVP Award. But, did you know that the Red Sox thought of demoting him duing his rookie season? It's true, Terry Francona saw him struggling so bad that he saw no other alternative to demoting him. If it wasn't for his (Francona's) faith in Pedroia as a player, he'd probably be a utility infielder for the Red Sox. Everything from legendary trades to painful releases, Massaroti has it.
Massaroti delves into the deepest parts of the organization. He exposes players coaches and staff members for who they really are. The Red Sox went through 4 coaches in 9 years before hiring current coach Terry Francona. First you had Kevin Kennedy who came to Boston for the publicity. Massaroti talks about how he put on makeup before interviews and prepped himself better for the media than he did for games. Jimy Williams came next. A year after winning Coach of the Year, Williams lost control of the team and was fired because of it. Joe Kerrigan came next. Kerrigan was nothing short of a spineless diaster that couldn't control his team. Massaroti tells about one instance where Sox outfielder Manny Ramierez told the manager to, "Go f@#k himself." Kerrigan was replaced by Grady Little, who infamously kept Pedro in for the eight inning of the ALCS game 7. Pedro gave up the lead and the Sox lost on a walk off homer by Aaron Boone. Massaroti shows us the true story behind the team and what really happened.
I think this is one of the best sports books I've ever read. Every controversy and conspiracy during this period is shined a light upon by Massaroti. One thing to note: Massaroti is a fan of Dan Duquette. Throughout the book, he manages to give Duquette some form of credit for all of the good moves made during this time. This just shows how well versed he is on the Red Sox and how credible of a source he is. This book gets two thumbs up and I recommend it to all sports fans.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and in-depth look at the Boston Red Sox transition from losers to winners - a transition that started with an 86-year championship drout that finally ended with a championship in 2004 - and AGAIN only 3 years later.

After a brief history, the book details the importance of former General Manager Dan Duquette and the trades and instinct he had that started the Red Sox on their road to eventual victory.

The Red Sox changed everything - GM, manager, ownership, players - all just small steps that, in the end, overlapped and added up to the sucessful team of today.

Recapping the highs and lows was a pleasure for me to read as a fan. I don't know that "dynasty" is the right word just yet. Even the New England Patriots weren't quite a dynasty after 2 superbowl wins. But it's certainly a nice place to start.

[Ron Kaplan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Boston Red Sox better be careful. After two world championships in three seasons, they can no longer count on the pity of baseball fans as the poor little waifs who can t seem to close the deal, no longer David to the Yankees Goliath. Fortunately, interest in the team is still high, as evidenced by the number of new Sox books, including DYNASTY: The Inside Story of How the Red Sox Became a Baseball Powerhouse by Boston Herald sportswriter Tony Massarotti. Are the Bostonians laying claim already to the adjective that was almost the exclusive purview of the Bronx Bombers? With their recent success, he notes, they are in danger of actually becoming that which they have loathed --- the evil empire that had tormented them for lo these many years.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmm, books about the Red Sox: I eat you like popcorn. I liked this one, too; Massarotti has a beat-writer's solid knowledge of game, team, and players, and the sprinkling of new quotations from players and front office personnel made it a fun insider's look. Still, I knew pretty much everything depicted because I've been paying attention. (i.e. Beckett swears at press conferences and is good in October, Theo left in 2005 after a clash with Lucchino, etc. etc.) Nice to roll around with my favorite team s'more, though, and nice to celebrate how good we were last year and how good we are likely to be in years to come.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book "Dynasty" by Tony Massarotti was a great insight to the Red Sox front office moves through out the 1990s to 2007. The book explained in great detail about the bid trades and the great minds of Epstien and Duquette. This book is great for any Red Sox fan or any baseball fan that enjoys reading about how a team is built. One of the great events depicted is the trade to get Pedro Martinez from the Expos. Overall I truly love this book.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really opened my eyes about some of the inner working of the Red Sox oranization and how much impact Dan Duquette had on the Sox World Championships, both directly & indirectly. I really enjoyed reading this book and getting a look inside the organization. It was informative without being dry.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but definitely has a pro Boston media angle. I'm surprised this book reached publication with the number of spelling and grammatical errors in it. Looks like someone didn't do their job editing.

[Mark Zadroga · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book read like the rush job it probably was.
Except that the author edited the book for paperback and didn't bother removing repeat quotes and paragraphs of self plagerism. Still, there were some interesting anecdotes. For Red Sox archivists only...

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent behind-the-scenes view of the Red Sox. Great reading for any baseball fan whose dream job would be general manager.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice overview of the last 15 years of Sox history but few revelations that I didn't already know.