The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees

by Peter Golenbock, Sparky Lyle

This bestselling, highly-acclaimed account is a hilarious but scathing baseball tell-all. After being voted the 1977 American League Cy Young Award winner, Sparky Lyle was rewarded for his efforts by being benched. The Yankees, a leader of free agency, signed Goose Gossage as their closer. Things only went downhill from there and the 1978 season turned out to be one of controversy, firings, fights and acrimony. In short, it was a zoo.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, History, Biography Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Golenbock grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and in 1963 graduated St. Luke's School in New Canaan, Connecticut. His heroes were Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. One day in the local library he discovered the book, The New York Yankees: An Informal History by Frank Graham ( G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1943) and it made a strong impression on him.''

Golenbock graduated from Dartmouth College in 1967 and the New York University School of Law in 1970.

He was a radio sports talk show host in 1980 on station WOR in New York City. He was the color broadcaster for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1989-90 and has been a frequent guest on many of the top television and radio talk shows including "Biography on A&E," the "Fifty Greatest Athletes and the Dynasties on ESPN," "Good Morning America," "Larry King Live," "ESPN Classic," and the YES network.

Golenbock lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his two basset hounds, Doris and Fred.

Reviews

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bronx Zoo is a fun baseball book that lives in the shadow of Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. I say this because it was made possible because of Bouton’s groundbreaking book, but isn’t quite in the same league. Its irreverent tone, salty language, occasionally vulgar humor, and clubhouse anecdotes all are reminiscent of Ball Four. Lyle obliquely acknowledged the debt to the earlier book early on, when he tells us he was never out beaver shooting — a reference any reader of Ball Four can’t miss.

Two things prevent this book from being iconic. Although Sparky Lyle was known as a clubhouse comic, he was a conventional clown, never an outsider like Bouton. His big thing was sitting bare-ass naked on birthday cakes. His humor was the conventional humor of baseball clubhouses full of competitive young men. Secondly, Sparky, unlike Bouton, was always a winner. He came up with Boston in 1967, the year they won the Pennant. His trade to the Yankees was a key part of New York’s rebuilding back to dominance. And though much of The Bronx Zoo reflects Lyle’s dissatisfaction in seeing his aging star sinking fast, he was writing just one season removed from winning the Cy Young Award and being part of a World Championship team, while he was charting yet another Championship season. As such, The Bronx Zoo lacks the compelling arc of “young star on legendary team goes bust and fights to regain his career on a team full of rejects” that made Ball Four so compelling.

Yet, taken on its own, The Bronx Zoo is a lot of fun. Lyle is extremely knowledgeable about the game, and that knowledge allowed great insights into the wild ride of a season the 1978 Yankees took to repeating as World Champions. The Reggie Jackson/Billy Martin/George Steinbrenner drama animates much of the book, and has the same fascination as a train wreck. Even apart from that drama, Steinbrenner is a riveting villain (though Sparky sometimes grudgingly acknowledged Steinbrenner’s success). In addition, Lyle chronicled the absolute monster season of pitcher Ron Guidry, and the penultimate season of a fading Catfish Hunter in the last of his Championship years. If you loved baseball in the 1970s, The Bronx Zoo is a must read book.

[Chris Mauger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that the 1978 Yankees are my favorite baseball team ever. I was 13 in 1978, and these guys were my heroes. I read this book when it first came out in 1979, and loved it. Sparky was the "good guy", Reggie and George were the "bad guys." But now, reading it as an adult, Sparky was no hero either. Leaving the stadium during a game without permission, showing up late for spring training, certainly not the hero I'd seen him as in my youth.

That being said, his humor is engaging and he certainly pulls no punches. As a nice counterpoint to this book, I'd recommend Roger Kahn's "October Men" which an unbiased observers take on the '78 Yankees (and done by an accomplished author).

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is essentially a diary from Lyle’s perceptive of the Yankees ‘78 season which saw them come back from 14 games down to beat Boston in a one game playoff and so on to beat the Dodgers in the World Series second season in a row.

Authentic yes and Sparky Lyle seems like a smart guy. However I was surprised and disappointed at the muted drama. There was less than a page on Billy Martin’s firing in mid-season and only two pages on their World Series win against the Dodgers. I did enjoy Lyle’s critiques of George Steinbrenner who was a real piece of work.

[Alexw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book when baseball was fun which was before steroids. Lyle was told by his teener baseball coach tha the woud never be a pitcher but he won the Cy Young award.

[Lisa Kilbride · Rating 3 out of 5]

The same format as Ball Four, but not as happy a ball player, which made for difficult reading. Very glad he got traded to Texas, and hope he was happier there.

[John Nicolette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was like reading a diary complete with Lyle's vocabulary & vernacular. A little clunky at times but super interesting to read firsthand what I lived through as a fan. It was intriguing to me to experience it from the inside. I highly recommend to anyone who was a fan of the late 70's Yankee dynasty

[Scott Colan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my son's Yankees with the core four. This is a Yankee team with multiple personalities. Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Roy White, all with extreme differences in personalities. Reggie Jackson being the first coming of A-Rod. Always looking for attention. Mickey Rivers, playing his hardest when he felt like it and Thurman playing through pain.

The real story here though is how the 1977 cy young award winner was put on the back burner by George Steinbrenner. How George ran this team through his managers, first Billy Martin then Bob Lemon. How, as the year goes on, and Sparky Lyles non-use, became the reason for this book. Sparky gets back at George Steinbrenner by writing this book. By signing Goose Gossage it wrote the epitaph of Sparky's final year as a Yankee. How he loved playing with these guys but loathed playing for Steinbrenner.
These were my Yankees, but as a 10 year old i wore rose colored glasses. Things are not always peaches and cream.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sparky's book on the Yankees 1978 season is a forgotten classic. Like Ball Four, Bronx Zoo is funny and insightful about struggling as a major league baseball player. The main difference is the Sparky is one of the gang so his comments aren't from the snarky outsider that overpowered Bouton's book. This is a star on a world championship team with appreciation for most of his teammates.

The first plus is that Lyle is observant and understands the game. He appreciates key players Munson, Chambliss, and Randolph. He tolerates quirky guys like Rivers who he understands are essential to the team. But he doesn't mind pointing out the foibles of Reggie Jackson. He gladly does so. But he is not above praising Jackson when he starts to hit. He just wishes Jackson could learn to talk less. What he likes about Billy Martin is that Billy treats his players like men. By the end of the season with Martin gone in favor of Bob Lemon, Sparky says that Billy is the reason the team can win, although he's not knocking Lemon. He likes Lemon. And he doesn't always like Martin, but he understands enough about baseball to put aside his irritations to evaluate the situation.

While it's a known fact that Sparky Lyle taught Ron Guidry the slider that turned Guidry into a Cy Young winner in 1978, Lyle downplays his involvement saying he may have given some instructions, but all pitchers really have to learn it on their own. He is proud of Guidry early in the season and then in awe of him. He reports two of Graig Nettles classic comments, about being a kid and wanting to join the circus and play professional baseball, and getting to do both with the Yankees. Of the Sparky Lyle situation he says that Lyle went from Cy Young to Sayonara. He is full of praise for Nettles as a hitter and third baseman. He recounts a game where Nettles says he is going to hit the ball over a sign a fan puts up in right field. He does so. Then he hits a homer later in the season and tells Paul Blair he will hit another one in the game and does that also.

Bucky Dent missed something like 40 games during the season and he was often pinch hit for. But with Randolph down Bucky was the guy hitting with 2 on in the 7th inning of the playoff game against Boston. The first pitch is a slider that Dent fouls off his foot. Dent hobbles around and tells the third base coach if Boston pitcher Mike Torrez throws that again he is putting it in the net. Torrez does and then Dent does. The Yankees win that game and then the World Series, which is just an epilogue in the book.

The tone of the book is that of an irritated and funny veteran who had the time to think about the game because he wasn't playing enough. The narration on audible is done by Sparky himself and he is great at it. I wish he had written a book for every year he spent in the majors.

I gave a book report on this in the 10th grade and the kids in class laughed quite a bit. A few even came up afterwards to offer praise. I thought I was so funny. And now reading it again I can see how easy it would have been to describe Lyle's practical jokes and bring the house down. The book is that well done.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a series of stories that everyone likes to tell . . . . The Reggie-George-Billy triangle. The George craziness. The Bucky Dent homerun.

Here, probably the most exciting part is Lyle's perspective. The problem is that Lyle is a real whiner in this book. And not in a real consistent way. I think you could find opposing whines throughout. So it's got this kind of "You Know Me, Al" feel to it.

Probably his three biggest are:
(1) He is only pitching badly because he's not pitching enough. So under his theory the wrost players should play more often. OK, right?
(2) He wants more money becasue other players were getting more money. At seeral phases of free agency the new contracts severely outweighed the existing contracts. It's hard to make this equitable and this is an understandable complaint. Although I generally have no problem with players demanding more money I don't like midcontract negotiations. Owners should not feel free to do so either. So this isn't amazingly sympathetic.
(3) Reggie Jackson is bad and everyone should hate him. This reminds of the A-Rod stuff today. I thought the stats would be a little clearer on this. Like I imagined Reggie Jackson would be worth 5-6 WAR because he was a HOF'r. But he was only 3.5 wins in 139 games. Lou Piniella was 3.7 wins in 130 games. Reggie was fourth among hitters. So, you know, not the best. But Lyle also touts guys like Roy White (0.8 WAR in 103 games)

It's especially tough when, you know, Sparky Lyle 0.4 bWAR in 111.2 IP.

Anyway, this is a real argument for some kind of intangible grit and team chemistry. I'm not sure it pulls it off because it's kind of incoherent as an argument. By contrast, Jim Bouton, for instance, has a specific goal/perspective: "You wouldn't believe how these guys are all not heroes at all." But kind of interesting as a different perspective.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/tea...

[Tom Gase · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books about the 1978 season, either from the Yankees side or the Red Sox side but couldn't remember reading one that had been told by a player (with help from Peter Golenbock)so this was refreshing. Sparky Lyle was the Cy Young award winner of the 1977 season and is the author of this book. After winning the 1977 Cy Young the Yankees go out and get Goose Gossage for the bullpen, basically putting Lyle out of the closer role even after winning the Cy Young. Lyle chronicles that plus the highly caotic year the 1978 Yankees had. On its way to winning their second straight World Series, but this one in more dramatic fashion, the Yankees were constantly fighting with Manager Billy Martin, especially Reggie Jackson. The more I read about Reggie Jackson over the years the more I dislike him. Total hot dog of a player that was kind of a crybaby. This doesn't come just from this book. This is about the fifth book I've read to portray him this way. Also interesting stories on Martin, Steinbrener, Gossage, Thurman Munson, Mickey Rivers (another crybaby), Craig Nettles, Lou Pinella, Cliff Johnson (a big crybaby), Willie Randolph, Catfish Hunter, Ron Guidry and countless others including a Yankee player you can't say the name of in Boston since October of 1978. Good stuff but Lyle comes off as a crybaby at times too, so I didn't like the book as much because of that. I liked Peter Golenbock's "Bums" a little more and of the 1978 books I've read this one falls somewhere in the middle.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when i was 13 years old and new in town. I did a 7th grade book project that involved making a copy of the mustache-and-baseball cover -- to the consternation of my father. He didn't like the idea of my teacher knowing I had easy access to Sparky Lyle's book, which is filled with baseball locker room depravity. It was OK, though, because Ms. Flippin had no idea who Sparky Lyle, Reggie Jackson or Billy Martin were -- and she couldn't have imagined the kind of disgusting pranks going on among the 1978 Yankees. Even then, I knew that compared to this book, Jim Bouton's Ball Four seemed like Dostoevsky.

[Jacob Blanck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big Yankee fan and I will like to tell you that this book is an awesome read. This includes all the Yankees games from 1978 day by day. Sparky "a good pitcher" made this book a good read for baseball freaks. It was a year after Reggie had bombered 3 home runs to lead the Yankees to a World Series victory in 1977. 1978 made another victory for them. Many of these diaries are interesting like how Billy Martin got fired that year and just a few days later on Old Timers Day, He was going to return as a manager in 1980 (He actually returned a following year later).

That is the book you want to read! Good enough to say.

[Michael Lisk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. Not just for Yankees fans.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I'm a baseball fan, not a Yankee fan. I found the book interesting with some funny bits and stories but that's about it. Not a page-turner.

[Clem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read President Barack Obama’s presidential memoir titled “A Promised Land” and it dawned on me that, although I’ve read more than 60 biographies of U.S. Presidents, Obama’s was the first book I’ve read written by the actual president. There have been many books written by presidents, but I guess I shy away from them because I don’t think they can be very objective when dealing with their presidency. Obama’s “A Promised Land”, however, was outstanding and I thoroughly enjoyed his recollections of his first term as president (there will be a part 2 at some point). Sadly, though, I didn’t think as highly about this book by former president George W. Bush. It seemed to lack much of the depth and objectivity the I encountered when reading Obama’s remembrances.

Now, I must stop here and throw out a disclaimer. My enjoyment around reading a presidential biography has absolutely nothing to do with how I regard the subject matter and/or their politics. My goal is to only read reputable authors and not the blowhard loudmouths; such as the ones who somehow manage to get fired (with no explanation to the public) from high profile universities or that need pardons (again, no explanation) from presidents who they then write about. There’s too much mud slinging out there. So when it comes to a book written by the politician himself, you expect it to be somewhat biased, but my opinion of the person doesn’t reflect my taste for the book. What I’m trying (and failing) to succinctly say is that had this book been written by someone whose politics were a 180 from George W. Bush, I’m confident that my overall opinion of the book would have been the same.

Although this is a book that mainly focuses of Bush’s presidency, it’s not a linear account. Nor is it really an autobiography. As the title implies, this book focuses on many of the decisions that Bush found himself wanting or needing to make as leader of the free world. Each chapter is devoted to a different “decision” such as Iraq, Katrina, or the 2008 Financial Crisis. Despite what many of Bush’s critics claim, the man isn’t a spoiled hayseed who is ignorant about the affairs of the world. No, as he dictates, he has a very firm grasp and understanding of what is happening under his watch as president, and he details for his readers his in-depth thoughts and how he came to the conclusions that he did.

He admits when he makes mistakes, and subtlety takes credit when he’s right, but I guess this just misses the mark for my tastes. I would prefer much more transparency and wanted to read about what others thought of when he made many of his key decisions. We do read about some of the other main players, but not much. I don’t recall much at all about Dick Cheney, and yet most other books that I’ve read about the Bush 43 presidency seem to indicate that Cheney was always whispering in Bush’s ear. This is a particular “hot point” for me because I always believed that if Bush didn’t listen to his VP so much, he just might have walked away from his presidency a tad more popular that he actually did. So if this is the only book you read about George W. Bush, you really won’t come away with anything indicating how influential Cheney was.

Reading these recollections, one really can’t distinguish Bush’s failures (such as Iraq and Katrina) from his successes (such as PEPFAR and the TARP initiative). When he and John McCain squabble near the end of his second term, Bush can’t seem to realize that the reason McCain doesn’t want him campaigning for him is because Bush is such a huge liability by that point. To be truthful, maybe Bush DID know, but he seems to sugarcoat this, as well as many other instances, an awful lot in this book.

Although Bush is more learned that many give him credit for, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a scholarly writer. I felt this book could have used a co-author to smooth out a lot of the rough edges. A big part of George W. Bush’s appeal as president was his down to earth manner that came across as “someone you’d like to go have a beer with”. His writing emulates those sentiments as well. Maybe that was his intention, but I just didn’t enjoy the simplicity of his observations. There were times where I thought this would be a much better book to LISTEN to as opposed to reading. I really don’t mean that in a condescending way. If this is truly how the man is, you really can’t fault the writing if it is, in fact, a genuine reflection of his style.

If you happen to read this book and come up with many of the same conclusions as I did, I would highly recommend Jean Edward Smith’s bio (“Bush”) as well as Peter Baker’s account of Bush and Cheney (“Days of Fire”). Both books seem to paint a much better picture of the true atmosphere during the Bush presidency and capture a lot more of the many nuances that this memoir basically ignores.

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all Jim Bouton's fault.

So, as much as I love "Ball Four" and think it's an absolute American classic of sports literature, the rush to top it from other players over the intervening decades has given us a lot of crap in terms of athlete memoirs. You can't just talk about the off-the-field antics alongside the on-the-field record, you have to kick it up a notch and burn a few dozen bridges along the way. Granted, the tame "story of overcoming odds through clean living" sort of memoir that abounded pre-"Ball Four" isn't much better or accurate, but I feel like the desire to outdo Bouton's book often triumphs over the fact that sometimes the stories just aren't that good, or aren't as "shocking" as the breathless print above the title would have you believe. Plus, today's "shocking revelation" is tomorrow's old news, and fades fast into history given enough time. Is there a valid sense of "blowing the lid off of" whatever major sport or team the author is writing about? Yes, sometimes. But often, such exercises in scandal don't have a long (book)shelf life. It's all sound and fury, signifying not much.

"The Bronx Zoo" by Sparky Lyle, with Peter Golenbock as co-author, has a historic reputation that isn't quite borne out by reading the actual book. Documenting the tumultuous 1978 season for the New York Yankees, the book purports to expose all the juicy dirt of the era, from George Steinbrenner's rages against players not supposedly showing enough competitive drive to the war of attrition between Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson (a marriage made in Hell if ever there was one, despite the fact that both won with the other in the mix). Lyle, a relief pitcher who won the previous year's Cy Young Award, spends much of his year on the bench in the bullpen, waiting to be used as something other than a middle reliever or set-up man for closer (and friend) Goose Gossage, and we are treated to many rants on Lyle's part about his inability to get playing time because Steinbrenner, who paid so much for Goose through free agency over the winter, doesn't want to look like a fool for spending so much on someone that he's not using as much.

Cast with colorful real-life figures (Martin, Reggie, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, and Catfish Hunter), the book is entertaining enough, but it gets tedious as the season wears on and we see things from Lyle's point-of-view straddling the bench and rarely being utilized as he'd like. The book kind of plods along after a while, which is true of a *lot* of these sort of "season diary" sports books (hell, "Ball Four" has stretches where it's not as interesting because there's not much going on). The baseball season has long been a test of endurance, and for the players it's not always as exciting as we fans sometimes like to imagine. It's a job, and day in and day out, it can be a slog. Plus, in the forty-plus years since the book came out, other chronicles of that particular team have come along and told even more of the story behind Reggie-vs.-Billy and so on. "The Bronx Zoo" gets points for being first, and for coming from an insider to all the drama, but it's not really as exciting now as it would've been when it saw the light of day in 1979.

In some ways, I think Lyle (at least in the 1978, day-by-day version) is a little too open to not really trusting George Steinbrenner as he is to forgiving "The Boss" a lot in the way that George treats him as well as others in the Yankees organization. This was early in George's stewardship, long before he was at the epicenter of every move the team made and constantly demanding a winning team at such a detriment to whoever was playing or managing the team at any given point. There's a good reason why the Yankees had such a long drought between 1978 and 1996, and its name is George Steinbrenner. One of the biggest heels in the sport, and arguably a fore-runner to the way that Trump tried to run the country, George gets some passes from Lyle here (not always), and I think it's almost too nice to George and his lasting reputation.

So this checks off a baseball-book-bucket-list item for me (and causes me to wonder further why I have read so many books about the Yankees over the years; they've got a large presence on any sports library's bookshelves with countless tomes documenting so many of their seasons, winning or otherwise). But am I keeping it? No, I'll take it to a bookstore that does business in selling used books. It was fun at first, kind of a slog as it wore on, and ended on a "meh" note. I'm glad I read it (and that it was a palate cleanser after the heaviness of "The Poisonwood Bible"), but it's not a keeper for me.

[Cropredy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a life-long New York Yankees fan - with vague memories of the Pirate's Mazeroski beating the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series with a walk-off home run. Eighteen years later, in 1978, the Yankees came back from a 14 game deficit at the All-Star break to beat the Boston Red Sox for the AL East title and I remember this well.

Sparky Lyle, who was one of the Yankees' relievers (and who had won the Cy Young award in 1977) wrote this book about his experiences in that season. The book achieved renown when published in 1979 as it shattered fan illusions about America's pastime with unvarnished, frank portrayals of players "behind-the-scenes" as it were. The tell-all nature of the book made it notorious for its time yet I never read it.

tl;dr;
Go back in time to 1979 and read the book; otherwise, skippable except for serious Yankee grognards.

Full review

The book is a day-by-day diary of the season including some of the pre-season. All of the Yankee players get featured, some more so than others for obvious reasons

* Reggie Jackson (Lyle thought he was a blowhard)
* Billy Martin (Lyle thought he was talented but emotionally and physically unstable)
* George Steinbrenner (Lyle thought he was overbearing, over-interfering, promise-breaker and more)

Lyle wanted his contract to be adjusted to get more money, especially after Steinbrenner signed Gossage for a lot more money than Lyle was making and demoted Lyle from being the closer. Lyle was so frustrated with Steinbrenner's empty promises that there were games where Lyle refused to pitch or refused to pitch more innings than he was capable.

In fact, this dissension between players and management was not limited to Lyle; other players faked sickness or "phoned-in" their performance from time-to-time when they were mad about how they were being used, spot in the roster, etc. This was quite jarring to me and wonder if this still goes on (though MLB player salaries are much, much higher, even inflation-adjusted than in 1978).

There are some semi-amusing hi-jink stories about practical jokes but the thrust of the book is that in the first half of the season, the Yankees "stunk" and this fostered a less-than-professional approach to the game. Injuries to key players didn't help.

After the All Star break, Martin gets fired and under a new manager (Bob Lemon) plus players coming back from injuries and Boston wilting, the Yankees stormed back to tie Boston for the AL East title. The tone of the book changes in this second half (remember, it is written as a diary) and players start cheering each other on and collecting clutch hits. Lyle still wants more money so this part of the story stays the same. He also wants to be a closer and remains irked.

It is stunning reading diary entries of so many pitchers throwing complete games, a rarity in 2025. Even closers like Gossage would throw 3 or more innings. The Yankee ace, Ron Guidry, was 25-3 in 1978, something we may never see again (Lyle had a ton of respect for Guidry and never said a negative word about him in the book -- something you can't say for Lyle v. Reggie Jackson).

Lyle has no love for the press who were constantly making up stories about team tensions in order to have readable copy for their papers. Lyle wasn't too keen on the fans either, especially those who clamored for autographs.

The whole book was a trip down memory lane for me with stories about players I had mostly forgotten like Roy White (OF) or Brian Doyle (2B). A fan would enjoy a documentary or even book about the tremendous comeback of the Yanks that season despite the showboating of the Martin-Jackson-Steinbrenner monster ego parade. But Lyle's book is a lot of kvetching; definitely a self-centered recounting of the season so hardly objective. As such it was tedious at times.

I can only recommend this book to die-hard (NYY) baseball fans who like to delve into 1978 player's psyches and the nature of the game back then. Or, students of sports literature who enjoy tracing the evolution of insider accounts over the decades. Or, if you are a descendant of Lyle or another 1978 Yankee.

No photos.

See also Ball Four, the ur-baseball tell-all (written in 1970); my review.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

as "year-in-the-life" accounts go, this one is among the best i've read. unsure why i let this sit on the shelf for years, though the likely reason is that i was reading a slew of pro wrestling autobios related to articles i was writing and "serious books" related to podcast episodes i was recording.

lately i've been talking baseball books again with my friend jake, so i figured i'd give this one a whirl. it's no "ballplayer-as-writer" literary masterwork (see jim bouton, jim brosnan, michael oriard, tim green, et al.) but it's an extremely revealing book about the '78 yankees - far better than the fairly tame billy martin bio i reviewed a few years back.

lyle, a central PA native, comes up in bill lee's book the wrong stuff (and lee comes up toward the end in here, and both men praise each other). all i really knew about this book was that peter golenbock coauthored it - he was just getting this formula down back in the late 70s - and lyle (actually graig nettles as quoted by lyle) remarked that between '77 and '78 he had gone from "cy young to sayonara."

but there's much more here. nothing on a few third rails of the era, such as drugs or casual sex (aside from some jokes here and there), but plenty on contracts, teammates, race (in regard to a dust-up with reggie jackson), player performance, the nature of baseball management (lyle and the players of his era knew they didn't really matter much, aside from running interference with owners and keeping up morale), and even women in the locker room (judge constance motley had ordered them admitted, and lyle among others was conflicted about their presence). lyle's emotional state is captured day to day - he's usually quite miserable - in a way that isn't the case in most of these books, which are primarily cash grabs that have more to do with the ghostwriter than the ostensible author.

my friend jake pointed out that golenbock collaborated on a book with graig nettles about the '83 season, balls, of which i was unaware. it's a little less terse/coarse/heart-on-sleeves in its presentation, but nettles was a very different type of person than lyle. i'm enjoying it so far.

[Gary Sites · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1978 I was 15, and lived for Yankee baseball. These were my heroes. They were like gods to me. I watched them, and memorized every little tidbit I could find on TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines. I had clippings and photos covering half of one of my bedroom walls. Then the following year Munson tragically dies, and Sparky publishes this book, ending my childhood. I was heartbroken over Thurman's death. He was my all-time favorite player.
Sparky's book was fun at the time, and I absorbed it like it was Coke Classic. It was amazing to get a behind the scenes look at my favorite team. I wasn't mentally developed enough then to see how absolutely ridiculous this book was. I've reread it twice since, once in my 20s, and then again when I turned 50. What I found as I grew older was a book about a bunch of spoiled kids, getting paid a lot of money to play a game that I love. Now the book just basically pisses me off. I guess because I put so much faith and love and the last days of my childhood into such screwy bunch of overgrown adolescents. Well, I've gotten off track here. I'm supposed to be reviewing the book. OK. It's a good read for baseball fans in general. Sparky's whining gets old pretty quick, but he does say a lot of funny things. It was nice to get a relief pitcher's perspective of the games. Already knew that Reggie was a dick, but it was fun seeing how much of a dick he actually was. The best part of the book was seeing Guidry having one of the greatest years for a pitcher ever. A much better book for Yankee fans is Guidry's "Gator". Oh, also, "Driving Mr. Yogi".

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sparky Lyle’s telling of the 1978 New York Yankee’s season. This book reads a lot like Jim Bouton’s Ball Four. Sparky tells lots of short stories and nuggets as they work their way through the season. It was a rough season for Sparky. Despite winning the Cy Young Award for top pitching in the American League in 1977, Yankee’s owner George Steinbrenner brought in top relief pitcher Goose Gossage to be the Yankee’s closer. This left Sparky in a second fiddle/mop up role.

Solid book. The stories ranged from funny to insightful. There were a few stories that didn’t age well, but over all they were enjoyable. There is some complaining from Sparky, but I would assume anyone who loses their job would complain a bit. Sparky was a prankster, so hi jinx was involved. Sparky seemed to tell you his thoughts on everything from his pitching to management to women in the locker room.

Very enjoyable baseball book. The stars and characters in New York in 1978 only added to the book. Well worth a read for any baseball fan.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to cram in about the 78 Yankees - the feuds between George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin and between Martin and Reggie Jackson; major injuries; controversial free agent signings; media spats with Thurman Munson; Mickey Rivers; Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle trying to coexist in the same bullpen; salary disputes; and to top it off - a remarkable pennant race that included Bucky Dent's famous/infamous home run.
Lyle brings it forward from his perspective in this book and does not pull many punches, and he is often at the center of the action. If anything, it almost feels like he is looking for shock value at times.
This is certainly an entertaining read, and it provides insight into the 78 Yankees and 78 MLB season, but this book made me appreciate the thoughtfulness and refinement of Bouton's Ball Four.

[Mickey Mantle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how my perspectives changed after reading this book decades after I first did. These MLB players are constantly fighting for and trying to extend their jobs. Lyle spends an entire season wanting to be traded to extend his career...and paycheck. Fans waving pennants and rooting on "their" team refuse to figure out the business side.

Of course the George Steinbrenner, Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin soap opera is highly entertaining. Steinbrenner was a lot of things, but failed businessman is not on the list.

With this reading, I realized the personal turmoil Sparky Lyle was going through the entire season. A whole new perspective.

[Julian]

Had a lot of fun with this book. I've owned it close to 20 years, but always wanted to read it before a baseball season and mission accomplished. Sparky Lyle is pretty funny and forthright and it's a great window into a memorable season on a famous club with plenty of historic baseball personalities: Lou Piniella, Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage, Thurman Thomas, Catfish Hunter and so on. It reads like a diary, lots of short little snippets which makes it easy to pick up and digest at any time. Overall, I think any baseball fan could enjoy this slice-of-life thing if you want to enjoy the MLB of the late 70s.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about the 1978 Yankees by pitcher Sparky Lyle. He tells it the way he sees it no matter who may get offended. He does a great job at showing you the craziness behind the scenes with Steinbrenner being nuts as the owner. And of course Billy Martin the manager being fired midway because of his legendary arguments with Steinbrenner. With all the players complaining bout playing time and the like as well, it really did feel like a circus. The miracle of them still winning is great to read about.

Highly recommend, a fun book about a great team.

[Daniel Katzive · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have read this 30 years ago and I’m glad I finally did. I enjoyed the nostalgia of reading about this team that I idolized in the late 1970s but objectively I don’t think its really very good. Diary format just serves to emphasize how exhausting a baseball season is for those involved, which I suppose is worth understanding as a fan. The craziness of the 1978 Yankees and all the personal intrigue seems rather tame in long-term retrospect.

[David Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1978 New York Yankees season

This book was pretty decent. Lyle has a great sense of humor, but he spent too much time whining about how he was being used by Billy Martin and Bob Lemon. He also whined about his contract. I do give Lyle credit for being honest with his feelings. I liked reading about this team from his perspective. I hope that Sparky Lyle is doing well in his life. I used to like watching Lyle pitch. I wish him nothing but the best.

[steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic sports books. As a Red Sox fan, probably the best ever. The most candid showing of professional sports you could ask for, warts and all. Lyle is warmhearted, humorous, and most importantly honest as all hell. The way he gave a look into the evil empire of the Yankees is incredible and shows just how cruel the world of professional sports is, even when you’re on top. Sparky has a fan for life in me, what a guy and what a story. Fucking Bucky Dent. Reggie Jackson is the worst.

[Tom Buske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the turbulent 1978 NY Yankees team from the point of view of one of it's players, Sparky Lyle,, the book is in diary form much like the earlier "Ball Four". Lyle doesn't always come across as positive or a team player, but there are numerous humorous anecdotes that make this book a very enjoyable read if you are a baseball fan.

[Scott Breslove · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty interesting and occasionally funny read. Probably would have been better had Sparky not been so depressed the whole book, but you take what you can get. Nothing earth shaking, but a fun read overall.

[STEVE HOLLEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still As Good As Advertised

Over 40 years later, Sparky Lyle’s tell-all a out of the 1978 Yankees and his honest, often crude, tales still make for a hilarious if not sometimes awkward book.