Chumps To Champs: How the Worst Teams in Yankees History Led to the '90s Dynasty

by Bill Pennington

The untold story of the time when the New York Yankees were a laughingstock—and how out of that abyss emerged the modern Yankees dynasty, one of the greatest in all of sports

The New York Yankees have won 27 world championships and 40 American League pennants, both world records. They have 26 members in the Hall of Fame. Their pinstripe swag is a symbol of “making it” worn across the globe. Yet some 25 years ago, from 1989 to 1992, the Yankees were a pitiful team at the bottom of the standings, sitting on a 14-year World Series drought and a 35 percent drop in attendance. To make the statistics worse, their mercurial, bombastic owner was banned from baseball. 

But out of these ashes emerged a modern Yankees dynasty, a juggernaut built on the sly, a brilliant mix of personalities, talent, and ambition. In Chumps to Champs , Pennington reveals a grand tale of revival. Readers encounter larger than life characters like George Steinbrenner and unexplored figures like Buck Showalter, three-time manager of the year, Don Mattingly, and the crafty architect of it all—general manager, Gene Michael, who assembled the team’s future stars—Rivera, Jeter, Williams, O’Neill, and Pettitte. 

Drawing on unique access, Pennington tells a wild and raucous tale.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

368 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Bill Pennington writes the "On Par" column and stars in the related video series on www.nytimes.com. Pennington, who covers a number of sports in addition to golf, joined the New York Times in 1997 from the Bergen Record, where he was a sports columnist. A six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editor’s writing award, Pennington has also written for the New York Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and a number of other publications. A longtime golfer himself, Pennington grew up near some of New England’s historic golf courses, but he has not been able to get his handicap below 11. He lives with his wife, Joyce, and three children in Warwick, N.Y.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I sit listening to the Cubs broadcast, the radio team is reflecting upon their 2016 World Series team. The school year is steamrolling to a close, and as a “jill of all trades” substitute, I have been as busy as the students as they complete their academic years. It is little wonder to me that I have been reading a heavy diet of sports-centric books and listening or watching at least one baseball game daily as my coping method for this heavy workload. The late 1990s were a half decade of dynasties in the United States’ major sports leagues: basketball’s Bulls, football’s Cowboys and Broncos, and baseball’s Yankees. Baseball fans associate the Yankees with greatness as the team has won 27 World Series titles since 1923. That is a whopping total considering two teams I cheer for, the Bulls and Patriots have only won six apiece and my beloved Cubs went 108 years between titles. Twenty seven titles equates to one championship every 3.55 years, yet for eighteen years between 1978-1996, the Yankees were among baseball’s bottom feeders. Bill Pennington, a New Jersey resident who has covered the Yankees for thirty years for the New York Times, has parlayed his years of interviews and columns into Chumps to Champs, a book memorializing the 1996 rebuild.

George Steinbrenner was not the easiest owner to work for. From the time he purchased the Yankees in 1973 until his death in 2010, George, the Boss, was known more for his propensity to fire managers and gut teams than he was for building winners. Yes, his 1977 and 1978 teams lead by Reggie Jackson won titles, but little else. At the dawn of the 1980s, the Yankees were falling fast, and by 1990, the team had achieved the impossible: the worst record in the American League. Steinbrenner was not getting any younger but he was growing more and more impatient with each passing year: he wanted to see the Yankees win another championship in his lifetime. Yet, in 1990, a title was far on the horizon. Steinbrenner had a propensity to jettison top minor league prospects in exchange for past their prime stars as a quick fix for the team. In order to reach baseball’s upper echelons again, wholesale changes would have to be made to both the management team and players on the field.

The men most responsible for the Yankees’ transformation were general manager Gene “Stick” Michael and field manager Buck Showalter. Both men had played in the Yankees’ minor leagues, worked their way up the ranks of scouting, and were Yankees lifers. Other than Steinbrenner himself, it would be hard to find two people who desired a Yankees’ championship more so than Michael and Showalter; yet, they inherited a mess. Pennington’s past and present interviews with both men comprised a Through smart trades acquiring character creators and drafting of prospects who would become the iconic Core Four, the Yankees slowly began their ascent toward the top of the American League. There were many baby steps, growing pains, and tough moments to watch, including a 1990 no hitter that Andy Hawkins lost thanks to a Jim Leyritz error, the 1994 season ended by a strike with the Yankees in first, and the 1995 playoff series lost in a blink of an eye. By that point the home grown talent of Jeter, Rivera, and Pettite had emerged as special players, yet the men responsible for drafting them and keeping them in Yankee pinstripes would not be around to see them win as Steinbrenner fired Michael and Showalter in one of his infamous house cleaning purges. As the Boss aged, he became less patient with each passing year in his quest for that elusive championship. Firing lifetime Yankees was just an every occurrence in the Bronx.

History shows that these moves were necessary in order for the Yankees to finally win. New York native son Joe Torre was named as the manager who the Boss hoped would finally get them over the top. Pennington is reflective as he notes a lot of what ifs- as in what if Showalter remained as manager, would the dynasty had happened? What if the Yankees won in 1995, would 1996 and beyond had resulted in World Series titles? Both Michael and Showalter believe that these steps were natural growth that paved the way for the championship teams to follow. Showalter especially predicted greatness from his young generational players but was not with the organization when they won. He has since managed the Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Orioles, and has not won a championship. His lifetime in the game of baseball is invaluable in his role as an analyst on ESPN, and I enjoy his insights. Yet, in 1996, with the Yankees on the cusp of greatness, and Showalter and long time player Don Mattingly no longer with the team, it stung for the former manager who had seen the Yankees transform from losers in 1990 to winners six long years later.

Today the Yankees play in their new Stadium built in 2009 in time for the Core Four’s last championship. It is their palace in the Bronx befitting of baseball royalty, befitting of a team that has won 27 World Series championships. A mellowed George Steinbrenner would love to see the final title, but would pass away in 2010 and Michael suddenly in 2017. Today the Yankees are back in first place, although they have much work to do if they want to win title number 28 this year. Mariano Rivera is about to be inducted into baseball’s hall of fame as its first unanimous inductee. Showalter is sure to be in attendance along with many members of the Yankees’ 1990s dynasty, and somewhere both Steinbrenner and Michael are gloating. With much baseball to be played and three long weeks of school to go, I am sure to read more sports themed books in the weeks ahead, although probably none as star studded as this one. Despite those long eighteen years in between championships, the Yankees remain American sports royalty.

4 stars

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chumps to Champs is a well-written chronicle of the transitional and transformational years from the bleak years in the late eighties when the Yankees were a three-ring circus and the worst team in the division until the championship years of the late nineties. After numerous manager firings, bitter intrigue, the trading away of all the minor league talent for over the hill past greats, and the suspension of Mr. Steinbrenner, Gene "the Stick" Michaels Buck Showalter, and the other super scouts replenished the talent with young Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Posada, and Mariano Rivera, all of whom were gems in the rough. And, all of whom were almost traded off time and time again.

For those of us who follow baseball, and in particular every Yankees game, this book is like reading about the story of creation. Gene Michaels was so far ahead of the curve. He had moneyball all worked out years before Billy Beane. Every page is filled with history. This is what I call a 24-hour read, meaning you can't put it down for 24 hours. It proudly takes a place with my other baseball ⚾️ books.

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Pennington describes his new book as a story of “resurrection and rebirth.” It is the story of a once proud dynasty, the envy of sports franchises worldwide, so why use the terms just mentioned. Pennington’s book, CHUMPS TO CHAMPS: HOW THE WORST TEAM IN YANKEE HISTORY LED TO THE 90S DYNASTY begins with a bad omen. Yankee pitcher, Andy Hawkins, a career journeyman who was about to be released pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. However, an asterisk is called for because he lost the game 4-0, an occurrence that had never occurred in baseball history. Such was the plight of the Yankees; attendance was down 35%, the farm system was bare, from 1989-1992 they had the worst record in team history, and the owner, the bombastic George Steinbrenner was banned from baseball. At a time when the gloried franchise has returned as a major force it is interesting to turn the clock back and see how it emerged from its doldrums to become the last dynasty of the 20th century.

Pennington is on the top of his “game” throughout the narrative. A former beat writer who covered the Yankees, and sportswriter for the New York Times he had unparalleled access to the organizations executives as well as the players. He engaged in hundreds of interviews including the major characters including George Steinbrenner, Gene Michael, Buck Showalter, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, and Andy Pettitte. Pennington takes the reader on a year by year journey in Yankee history culminating in their resurgence winning the World Series in 1996 against the Atlanta Braves. During that journey the major issues that confronted the franchise are presented in detail concentrating on how the team fell into the abyss of the 1980s and early 90s.

Pennington does a great job setting the scene of how far the resurgence traveled by exploring the depths of the 1980s. It seemed the Yankees did well in the 1980s, but in reality they were on a slow decline as its petulant owner, George Steinbrenner constantly interfered in “baseball” decisions; signing over the hill expensive free agents, trading away numerous prospects, and firing managers at the rate of one per year, in addition to rehiring and firing the same people multiple times. Pennington provides biographical sketches of the important individuals involved including Major League baseball officials, executives of the Yankee organization, and numerous players. In so doing the reader acquires insights from all points of view and gains an understanding as to what went wrong, and later what went right.

The key factor in the Yankee resurgence involves the arrogance and stupidity of George Steinbrenner. The Yankee owner who had previously been suspended from baseball because of illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon found himself in hot water once again in the early 90s. Steinbrenner had been at war with one of his high-priced free agents, David Winfield who he felt had lied about his contract and did not measure up to the standards that the Yankee owner expected. The disagreement involved donations to the Winfield Foundation, the paying of hush money to a convicted felon that Steinbrenner hired, and in the end Baseball Commissioner, Faye Vincent banned the Yankee owner for life, though it would be reduced to a two-year suspension after a year. During that time Steinbrenner was prohibited from being involved with major decisions involving the team. This allowed General Manager Gene Michael, Manager Buck Showalter, and the rest of the organization to set the Yankees on a new path.

The change in strategy including the early use of analytics, keeping their own prospects as the farm system began to blossom, creating a new culture in the clubhouse by acquiring certain types of players, and developing a consistent organizational philosophy that would be implemented throughout their minor league system up through the major league level. As Brian Cashman, then Assistant General Manager has pointed out, the success the Yankees would achieve in 1993 and 1994 while Steinbrenner was away from the team allowed for the implementation of the new approach. Once Steinbrenner’s suspension ended, he came back and allowed his baseball people to make decisions rather than himself. The key point is that if Steinbrenner had not been exiled the success of the late 1990s would not have occurred.

It is one thing to change philosophies it is another to have the management and players to implement it. Pennington is correct in arguing that Michael knew how to deflect Steinbrenner’s urges, as Cashman would also do once he took over as General Manager. Further, Pennington describes how effective the scouting department was uncovering players like Bernie Williams, and the core four of Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte. These players were supplemented by many others, but a climate of winning and accountability was created, that proved successful.

Perhaps the best chapters in the book deal with the relationship between Michael and Showalter and how they built the Yankees and dealt with Steinbrenner. As in all relationships there is a watershed moment that alters the course of history. Pennington does a superb job describing the events of 1994 and how the Yankees felt robbed by the baseball strike when they were on the cusp of winning a championship, and the loss to Seattle in the 1995 playoffs. At the conclusion of that series Michael and Showalter did not return as General Manager and Manager for 1996 and Don Mattingly retired never to appear in a World Series. Later, Steinbrenner admitted that not bringing Showalter back was his greatest mistake, and on a positive note it taught him to leave the team to his baseball people for the remainder of his life as he morphed into the realm of a benevolent patriarch. It is ironic that in 2001, Showalter would be attending game seven of the World Series as an ESPN analyst where the two teams he helped build, the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks would play for the championship.

As a Yankee fan since the 1950s I have witnessed a great deal of Pennington’s narrative from my own observations and reading newspapers on a daily basis. The author hits all the major points, develops the most important personalities, and reaches the correct conclusions in explaining the remaking of the New York Yankees from a declining power to a constant force in major league baseball over the last three decades. If you are a baseball fan you will love this book. If you are a general reader it presents a story of redemption and change that has benefited millions of people and shows if you take a thoughtful approach to an endeavor and leave out impatience and bombast you can be very successful.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe it or not, there was a time – the early 1990’s to be precise – when the New York Yankees were among the worst teams in baseball. Star players who became free agents, such as Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds, turned down more money from the Yankees to sign with other teams. Attendance was plummeting. The owner and a star player were engaged in a conflict that led to the expulsion from baseball (rescinded after two years) of owner George Steinbrenner. How the team rose from those depths to become the best team in the game later that decade is captured in this informative but fun book by veteran sportswriter Bill Pennington.

More known for his golf writing, Pennington covered the Yankees for a northern New Jersey newspaper in the early 1990’s and therefore had inside information about those woeful Yankee teams and players. The book starts with one of the most infamous games in the team’s history, a 4-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox in which the starting pitcher, Andy Hawkins, did not give up a hit. The no-hitter was removed from the official records the next year, but the writing about that game and the subsequent information on those Yankee teams was some of the best reading in the entire book.

Pennington then goes on to write about the banishment of Steinbrenner and the circumstances with him and Dave Winfield that led to that suspension. Many believe, including Pennington, that the lack of Steinbrenner’s meddling with the general manager, field manager, scouts and other personnel, turned to be the best thing to happen to the team. I enjoyed reading about Steinbrenner’s interference, especially when Pennington notes that the press called him “Mr. Tunes” This came about because, like a jukebox that will play music when you put in a quarter, Steinbrenner was sure to “sing” when a press member would call him.

There are stories about the general manager of the team during this time when Steinbrenner was away, Gene “Stick” Michael. Not only did Michael put the team together, especially with the “Core Four” of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera, Michael was also the one person who could argue against one of the owner’s orders and not only keep his job, but also have his idea put into effect. This is important because even after Steinbrenner’s return to the team in 1993, Michael still ran the show and Pennington’s writing reflects that.

There are plenty of stories about the Core Four and also Bernie Williams, who also played a key role in the Yankees’ success in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Readers who have read other sources on these players will not learn much new information on them, but for readers who want to learn more about how Jeter, Posada, Pettite and Rivera rose through the minor league system of the Yankees to become the dominant players they became, this book is a very good source for that.

There are many “what if” situations that came close to fruition that seem very implausible to think about now. Steinbrenner threatened to move the Yankees without a new stadium (that became a reality in 2009). There were several times where the team was going to trade either Jeter or Rivera. This is especially true for Rivera when he was a middling starting pitcher and hadn’t yet become the dominant closer he would become. Also, the transformation of Posada from a second baseman to a catcher is something that seems hard to believe now – Posada turning the double play ball at second. These passages were also excellent parts to read, as was the thrilling 1995 Divisional Series playoff against the Seattle Mariners. While the Yankees ultimately lost that series, it was compelling reading. Nearly 24 years after those games, I was getting goose bumps while reading about game five, even though I knew the outcome.

Yankee fans will especially want to read this excellent account about the team. It is complete in every way – from the action on the field to the maneuvering in the front office, this is an outstanding account of restoring the luster of the most successful franchise in the four major sports.

I wish to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended book about an easily-forgotten period of Yankee baseball that laid the groundwork for the late-90s dynasty and the ensuing quarter-century of nonstop winning.

Yankees fans under 40, myself included, have known nothing but success since 1994 (the heartbreaking strike year), but things were quite different in the first years of the decade, when the team bottomed out and had the worst record in baseball. At the risk of being obvious, the primary reason for the Yankees' demise was without question George Steinbrenner, a Trumpian figure of impulsive decision-making and casual cruelty, convinced of his own supposed knowledge, being advised by a bunch of sycophantic yes-men who never played the game.

Even though the Yankees didn't make the playoffs after losing the 1981 World Series, the eighties were more successful than they should have been given King George's whims, as the team won more regular-season games than anyone else (if the wild card had existed in the 1980s, the Yankees would have won a few of them), but the bill for his short-sightedness came due by 1990 when the team suffered a club-record 95 losses (encapsulated by the infamous Andy Hawkins no-hitter loss). The major-league roster was a hodgepodge of also-rans, the minor-league farm was barren, and big-name stars didn't want to play for Steinbrenner (both Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds took less money elsewhere).

Then Steinbrenner got himself banned from the sport.

There are many games and events one could point to during the team's return to glory as watershed moments, but it's hard to see how any of them come to be without Steinbrenner's two-year exile. It allowed the real baseball people, most notably general manager Gene Michael, the patience to introduce and then nurture a new culture of Yankee baseball, one the team practices to this day.

Smart drafting and savvy free-agent signings became the new world order; as Michael points out, sometimes the best moves a general manager makes are the ones he doesn't make. Every significant homegrown player that became integral parts of the dynasty -- Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte (all of whom have their numbers retired) -- was on the verge of being traded at some point, and there's no question whatsoever that Steinbrenner would have jettisoned each of them without a second thought in exchange for some aging star several years past his sell-by date. Gene Michael's more prudent approach literally changed the course of baseball history; his protege, Brian Cashman, obviously went to school on Michael's approach.

Bill Pennington exhumes this crucial period of Yankees history in a thoroughly enjoyable narrative that any young fan owes himself to read. He interviews every major figure of the time (except Steinbrenner, of course, who died in 2010), including a very candid Buck Showalter and a brutally honest Stump Merrill, the hapless manager who unfortunately took the brunt of the blame in the dark years but has remained a vital cog in the Yankee story.

If you want to know how the Yankees got their mojo back, you need to know how much work and dedication and know-how went into accomplishing it, and Pennington does a great job explaining it.

[Mike Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for 90s Yankees fans.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the Yankees get plenty of ink Bill Pennington has mined a nice little era where not much has been written but plenty happened. The stars of this book are Gene Michael the longtime Yankee player and exec who becomes general manager as Steinbrenner is headed to exile and Buck Showalter the young manager that nurtured the young talent that would go on to win 4 world series. The book starts in the period when George Steinbrenner had run the team into the ground with his short term thinking. Dallas Green boots Willie Randolph and they trade Rickey Henderson back to the A's for peanuts. Mattingly's back cannot withstand the torque and Dave Winfield is winning championships for other teams. The best players did not want to play for the Yankees. Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds both took less money to play elsewhere.

Pennington gives you a story on each of the young players that would come to dominate. The circumstances to which Derek Jeter fell to number 6 in the amateur draft are detailed thoroughly. There is a funny story about how the Yankees hid Bernie Williams in Connecticut so that rival scouts could not see him. I didn't know that Jorge Posada was a second baseman they converted to catcher. And just as interesting is the tragedy of Brien Taylor, a flame-throwing left-hander that ruined his promise being injured in a fist fight.

Then Pennington gives you the seasons 1991-1995 where the Yankees make steady improvement and and a few key trades. Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill. This is where Showalter comes to the forefront of the book. Buck wanted to change the culture of the Yankees. Better food, better facilities, better attitude and maybe most importantly, a better family environment where kids and wives were allowed in the clubhouse. So long Mel Hall and your rookie hazing.

The biggest blessing for the franchise turns out to be Steinbrenner's banishment. He wasn't there to trade his young talent like Pettite, Posada, Mo, Jeter, and Bernie. They were allowed to develop and make mistakes and actually stick around. The number of times they could have been traded were numerous. The Yankees were just ready to stink for an entire decade, but Fay Vincent saved them.

All and all Pennington has written an entertaining and informative book that was a breeze to read.

[Will G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific baseball book about the history of the NYY in the early 90's and how they spent time as a lousy team but were able to build a foundation that generated the last great dynasty on the 20th century. Well written, informative and a great true story.

[Alex Gohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a 5! 4.5

[Mike Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book detailing how the New York Yankees, who were one of baseball's worst teams in the beginning of the 90's & became a dynasty in the mid to late 90's.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really strong look at how all the pieces are together to build those great Yankee teams of the late 90s and early 2000s. There's plenty of history, biography, and storytelling that makes for a rich and engrossing read. Well worth the time of any baseball fan.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veteran baseball writer Bill Pennington has delivered another hit with his 2019 release Chumps to Champs.

Pennington, author of an outstanding 2015 biography on Billy Martin, has turned his considerable talents towards an overlooked period in New York Yankees history, the early to mid 1990s.

In 1990 the Yankees were the worst team in baseball, compiling the worst record in the major leagues and finding embarrassment in new and unusual ways. To cap it all off, mercurial owner George Steinbrenner was banished from baseball during that same year.

But the Yankees didn't stay down for long. Taking advantage of the skills and insights of those throughout the baseball side of the organization, the team began to change long-term habits that led them to futility and began to try to build rather than look for the quick fix. The absence of Steinbrenner's meddling no doubt allowed for this operational shift to take place.

Pennington focuses his story on both sides of the developmental process, spending considerable time with general manager Gene "Stick" Michael and the young field manager Buck Showalter. On the player side Pennington deftly avoids the historical trap of only following the players that turned into highly productive big leaguers and chronicles the internal deliberations that existed in real time; who would become a better outfielder for the Yankees, Gerald or Bernie Williams? Which left-handed pitcher will become a rotation building block, Andy Pettitte or Sterling Hitchcock? The baseball tragedy of Brien Taylor is covered in depth as well.

The strongest parts of the book deal with Michael and Showalter. Both men were there for the turning of the ship, and each left their respective roles before the World Series wins started piling up. Countless recent interviews with both provide insight to what happened in those days and how time has changed- or not- their view of their time with the Yankees.

The only real downside to this book, and it is admittedly petty and not the author's fault, but there are already countless books about the New York Yankees and their various iterations and characters. Even this can actually be seen as a strength, as the early '90s is not a well covered area in the Yankee canon. The so-called "Core Four" years have already produced several titles and will produce more, but Pennington gives a definitive account of the years that set the stage for that group's tremendous success. The flip side of this argument is that this book would never have been written if a team in Houston or Milwaukee, rather than New York, had become the dominant team in the game at the end of the 20th century. But the fact is the Yankees did win five pennants and four World Series between 1996 and 2001, and the process of that team's rise is worthy content for examination.

Pennington has turned in another outstanding addition to Yankees literature. Chumps to Champs is a can't miss for Yankees fan, and an enjoyable book for all baseball fans.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Zach Koenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baseball tends to be a sport that features competitive ebbs and flows from its teams. Some years are great and bring championship aspirations, while other years (even for the same franchise) might be competitively over by Memorial Day. The New York Yankees would seem to be the exception to that rule, but in “Chumps to Champs” author Bill Pennington recounts how the Bronx’s darkest baseball period led to one of its greatest triumphs.

From the 1920s through the early 1980s, the Yankees were never far from championship status (if not outright winning the top prize). After their 1981 World Series appearance, however, the rest of that decade was spent on the outside looking in come playoff time. As Pennington recounts, this was largely due to owner George Steinbrenner’s meddling with the coaching staff and insistence on trading away prospects for top free agents.

In the early 90s, however, The Boss was suspended by MLB for consorting with gamblers to “dig up dirt” on star player Dave Winfield, whose contract Steinbrenner wanted to void. In that absence, New York front office mavens like Gene Michael and Brian Cashman were able to develop young talent (and keep it this time). Players such as Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, & Derek Jeter were nurtured in the minors during this period. After solid performances in ’94 and ’95 that got the franchise back on track, the culmination came in the form of the ’96 World Series victory. Ultimately, that core of young players launched NYY into relevance again.

Yankee fans will love the historical deep-dive of “Chumps to Champs”. But even non-New York rooters will be able to appreciate the franchise arc during the 80s and early 90s and understand how and why it played out like it did. As a baseball fan in general, I’m always looking for “soft spots” in my knowledge of the sport, and this title filled in one of those gaps for me. I hadn’t realized how far the “Yankee brand” had fallen before their mid-90s resurgence.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Pennington takes you back in time when the Yankees were not the place to be. Not only was their owner banned from the game, but free agents also did not want to come and play in New York either. Some like Greg Maddox was offered more money by the Yankees but signed with the Braves. Who could blame him? I remember going to a Yankee game in the old stadium in the early ’90s and for the most part, it was not packed. By the end of the ’90s and into the 2000’s it was difficult to get a ticket to see a game. What was good about this book really is you get a behind the scenes look at what took place in the organization that played in the 81 series against the Dodgers but would not be back in the series until 96 the longest such drought in Yankee history. The good with George Steinbrenner gone the team began to hold on to their young talent instead of trading them away, Willie Magee, and Fred McGriff to name just two and in return nothing. Now Gene Michael in charge the minor leagues was being restocked and they were holding on to the homegrown players. Then adding players like Paul O’Neil, Jimmy Key, David Cone. Then the author takes you through the rise of Bernie Williams and the drafting of what would become the core four. He also goes into the story of number 1 overall pick Brien Taylor who was looking like he was on his way to the big leagues until a fight ruined his shoulder and his career. You see the rebuild, the strike of 94, and the playoff loss in 95, bringing in Tino Martinez, Joe Torre as the new manager and then the World Series victory of 96 then the other ones in 98, 99, 2000 and then 2009. Overall I found this to be an excellent book and I was glad the author was able to talk with so many people which added to the story. Very much worth the read. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Ken Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New York Yankees win World Series on an average of every four years. The team's 27 titles are the epitome of the baseball dynasty. Yet, there was a period from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s that the Yanks had abysmal years. Looking at the standings in, say 1990, and seeing them in last place in the American League East was a bit different.

Bill Pennington, author of the outstanding biography on Billy Martin, looks at that poor era and suggests, like others, that the Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner may have had something to do with it. His meddling, constant firing of managers, second-guessing, poor morale setting ways, his counter productive ways with free agency and his overall Georgeness created the mess that were the Yankees in those days. When Steinbrenner was suspended two years for consorting with a bad character while investigating Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield, the team began building - without his input.

Pennington notes the moves made, the development of players and the confidence management had in them .. including Derek Jeter, who at first didn't play to the Hall of Fame level he achieved.

Steinbrenner came back after his suspension a kinder and gentler owner and the Yankees continued to improve, eventually becoming that late 1990s dynasty when it won Series against the Braves (twice), the Padres and the Mets.

This is a great book for any baseball fan, especially of that era. There are the names of a lot of players fans will recall, and the game recaps are written excellently.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for anyone with an interest in the behind closed doors dealings of Baseball. Pennington lays out in clear detail and lucid prose some of the darkest years of my Yankee fandom and how a brain trust fronted by Gene Michael and his crack staff slowly but surely rebuilt the team while George had exiled himself.

Pennington brilliantly weaves the reader through the years 1989-1996, where from 1989-1992 the Yankees were the laughingstock of Baseball. Couple this with Steinbrenner being banished from baseball for his role in paying $40,000 to Howie Spira for dirt on Dave Winfield and his foundation.

All of this negativity gave GM Gene Michael an opportunity to rebuild the team from the ground up through prospects some free agents and most importantly shrewd trades. Pennington makes a convincing case for stick using the Money ball approach of looking for players with high on base percentages well before Billy Beane did.


most fascinating was the skulduggery involved in the signings of the prospects that became known as the Core Four: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada,Andy Pettitte and of course Mariano Rivera.

A marvelous and meticulous narrative history of how the Yankees dug themselves out of the AL east basement to the formation of new dynasty in less than a decade.
Highly recommended.

[Marty Monforte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book addresses the period right before the New York Yankees’ time of success from the late 1990’s to early part of the 2000’s. The book discusses how Gene Michael, Bucky Showalter helped develop the Yankees by making good personnel decisions. The team held on to their good prospects who would help them get better. The book chronicles the development of Jorge Pasada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettite and Bernie Williams.

The book also discusses the 13 managerial changes that George Steinbrenner made during the 1980’s. Free agent acquisitions of Wade Boggs, Jimmy Key, Charlie Hayes and others are also discussed. The book also addresses the final part of Don Mattingly’s career, the strike of 1994 and the trade for Paul O’Neill.

The book also discusses the Yankees' world series victory over the Atlanta Braves in 1996. The victory occurred almost 20 years since the previous world series victory for the Yankees. The Yankees would go onto win 3 more World Series with Joe Torre as manager and Brian Cashman as general manager. When the Yankees won in 1996, Bob Watson was the general manager and Brian Cashman was the assistant general manager.

The book is an interesting read for those who are interested in the Yankees or the history of baseball. The book shows how important Gene Michael, Bucky Showalter, Bob Watson, Brian Cashman and others were to helping to navigate the Yankees through a difficult time as they gradually prepared to win the World Series in 1996.

An organization needs patience when it goes through rough times. Often times, an organization needs to stick with it's young players as it goes through a rebuilding period. Michael, Showalter, Watson, Cashman and the scouts working for the Yankees had the necessary patience to rebuilding the Yankees.

Joe Torre also proved to be a good manager for the Yankees. His managerial style helped the Yankees win four World Series championships and two more American League titles. Torre made good decisions and connected well with the players. Torre did a good job of managing people and the clubhouse.

It is entirely possible the Yankees would have won those championships with Bucky Showalter as their manager as well. Showalter was well respected by ownership and the organization. Torre is in the hall of fame as a manager, but Showalter may one day be inducted as well. Showalter is one of the best managers in the game today. Showalter had an important role in developing those Yankee teams as well.

I liked reading this book. I would recommend it for those who are interested in the New York Yankees or the history of Major League Baseball.

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were a baseball in the 1990s whether you like them or not, The Yankees dominated the sport. This is a very listen covering the Yankees rise from the bottom of the league at the starts of the dynasty to the last great dynasty in baseball by the end of the decade. Most of the book is concentrated on the first half of the 90’s with the book ending on the Yankees World Series victory in 1996.

The author was a beat writer for the team, so he was their through it all, and also was able to contact almost everyone involved. It is well written and has good insight. It was especially telling that the Yankees began to rise once their owner, George Steinbrenner, was banned from baseball. With The Boss no longer able to interfere, the young core of prospects could blossom. It was also interesting to revisit the leaving of Buck Showalter and the hiring of Joe Torre.

This book is worth the read or listen if you are a baseball fan. If you were around in the 1990’s, it is a great revisit of the dominate team. If you weren’t, it is a chance to learn about the last dynasty MLB has seen.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pennington was a Yankees beat writer for years and has produced a fun account of the Yankees during the period that I lived in New York (1990-1996). This period contained the lowest of lows (worst team in baseball, #1 overall draft pick injuring his arm in a bar fight and ending his career) and the highest of highs (the beginning of the youth movement that would win consistently with great team spirit).

Pennington's source material was perfect for me, but I might have wished for a more insightful writer. Pennington shows no facility with modern statistical analysis, reporting player win totals and RBI numbers as evidence of good or bad seasons. I would have enjoyed a deeper analysis of the team, but Pennington did enough research to get some good anecdotes, as well as some emotional depth from Gene Michael and Buck Showalter.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even as an avowed, passionate Y*nkee hater, this book offered a lot. It's a fascinating history of the team at one of its lowest ebbs...unfortunately, Pennington builds up from there to the championship teams of the late 90's. Alas, we can't change history.

One truly fascinating element here is the portrait of George Steinbrenner. He truly was a Tr*mp-like figure, and it very nearly cost him his baseball team. Insert your own political commentary here, but I'll just go ahead and say that I don't think he deserved to be reinstated when he was, and the things that drive me crazy about the culture of this team (and its fan base) are directly related to the person he was.

[Dennis O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. I’ve read a lot about those great Yankees teams. But this one stood out for its deeper dives into the true architects of the dynasty, Gene Michael and Buck Showalter.

The two of them rebuilt the culture in the Bronx, snd Michael … the guy should be in the Hall of Fame for his role in creating that team. Both were ahead of the curve on analytics (eat shit, Moneyball). Michael rebuilt the team’s offense focusing on walks, OBP and working deep counts. Showalter was charting the game as a kind of scout before he rose from the minor league to major league bench.

A really good read.

[Daniel Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pennington has done it again. His book on Billy Martin would be tough to match, but this account of the 80s/90s Yankees journey from Chumps to Champs checks all the boxes for a great read. Rich with context and new stories this account provides wonderful entertainment. The book was masterful in weaving the themes of revival, ingenuity, and perseverance in adversity throughout the personal stories. And any book on these group of Yankees must contain stories of George Steinbrenner - this book did not disappoint in that category.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one brought be back to my teenage years as a Yankees fan. I was a pretty massive fan - but only 10 in 1990 - so while the narrative re: on-the-field was fun to relive, I never had a handle on the off-the-field events. It was an eventful, well-written story that brought a whole new light to the 1990 - 1996 teams that I followed as well as any other teenage kid without an internet addiction could. Ranks as the best Yankees-related book I've read since the dynasty actually happened. Kudos to Mister Pennington.

[Colin Cerniglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the ultimate prequel to the Yankees' most recent dynasty. Pennington's reporting duties at the time help him immensely tell the story of the Yanks' rebuild better than anyone before. He also gives tons of props - rightfully so - to Stick Michael for his contributions. There were so many interesting things I learned like the use of the "Yankee Way Manual". If you love the Yankees you have to put yourself through the dark times and read how they got themselves back to being the premiere franchise in baseball.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good grief. That took way too long to read, because I was only reading it out loud when James and I both had a minute to engage in it. It was a fantastic book, we both really enjoyed it in this season of Covid baseball drought. Well written, although I noticed the writing in the final few chapters lacked some of its original luster. It was a fun story to read, and it meant a lot to James to reflect on the Yankees he grew up with with.

[Chaim Wachtel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing look at how the Yankees were built in the early 90s

Growing up in the 80’s in NYC I lived and died with the Yankees, and wold do anything g to see them win the World Series. Thanks to gene Michael I got to finally see it happen six months after college graduation. This book is a look back at how the Yankees went from last to first during the early to mid 90’s. A must read for any baseball fan

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who became a fan during the dark years of Yankee baseball, Chumps to Champs is a walk down memory lane. The people, stories, and games conjured up so many childhood memories and events that I associate with various Yankee moments. As you would expect, I thoroughly enjoyed Bill Pennington's book. I highly recommend it for any Yankee fan.

[Mhenry2025 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate the Yankees. Mostly because they are winners. I guess it's something like those that hate the Dallas Cowboys. Yet this book was good. Really good. It is well written and tells the story through good times and bad. In fact, the bad times were hard to read through because I felt myself rooting on the Yankees. Image that!

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been on a baseball reading binge of late This was a surprisingly good read. Surprising because I've read so much on the Yankees, I didn't think there was much more to learn. I was wrong. This is a nicely detailed account of the team from the hapless 80s to the first championship of the latest dynasty in 1996. Very enjoyable.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly fascinating look into the inner workings of how the Yankees built their 90s dynasty from the ashes of possibly some of the worst Yankees teams in history. I loved Pennington's book on Billy Martin and that love continues to this book.